Foreign Policy Blogs

The FPA’s must reads (Feb. 21-27)

Boris Nemtsov at a rally in Moscow. Nemtsov was shot dead in Moscow on Friday. Photo Credit: Зураб Завахадзе

Boris Nemtsov at a rally in Moscow. Nemtsov was shot dead in Moscow on Friday. Photo Credit: Зураб Завахадзе

Burn After Reading
By Gabriel Thompson
Harper’s

If you met William Powell today, you probably would have a hard time wrapping your head around the fact that he’s the author of The Anarchist’s Cookbook, a DIY-manual for the radically inclined. He’s not a fan of that association either. In this profile, Thompson delves into Powell’s past, what drove him to write one of the most notorious publications of the 20th century, and how he’s trying to get the Cookbook out of print.

The Holder of Secrets
By George Packer
The New Yorker

This October 2014 piece by Packer looks at Laura Poitras and the history behind the award-winning documentary, Citizenfour, which landed an Oscar on Sunday.

The disappeared: Chicago police detain Americans at abuse-laden “black site”
By Spencer Ackerman
The Guardian

Dubbed “the domestic equivalent of a CIA black site,” Homan Square in Chicago is an example of modern domestic policing reflecting the tendencies of a post-9/11 world. In this excellent piece of reporting, Ackerman looks at the going ons in this secretive warehouse and the effect its had on the community.

‘Jihadi John’: Islamic State killer is identified as Londoner Mohammed Emwazi
By Souad Mekhennet and Adam Goldman
Washington Post

The identity of “jihadi John,” the masked ISIS executioner who has killed a number of hostages on video, has eluded reporters, policymakers and analysts for months. Now that his identity is known, the Post delves into his past.

Scientist, Spy, Genius: Who Was Bruno Pontecorvo?
By Freeman Dyson
The New York Review of Books

Dyson’s review of a new book on Bruno Pontecorvo, a scientist who was rumored to be a Soviet spy, looks at his Communist past, his work and the rumors surrounding his life.

Blogs:

How We Got to the FCC Debate Over Broadband by James Quirk
Does the Egyptian Military Regime Work for U.S. and Allies? by Daniel Donovan
Assessing OPEC’s (Saudi) Strategy to Counter the Oil Price Slump by Elly Rostoum
Will Modi’s Visit to the Border Threaten Chinese Investment in India? by Gary Sands
India’s Rise is Shackled by its Neighborhood India’s Rise is Shackled by its Neighborhood by David J. Karl