Foreign Policy Blogs

Media and Foreign Policy

World Cup: It’s England, Not Britain

World Cup: It’s England, Not Britain

The U.S. soccer team was lucky to tie its first game in the World Cup against a reputedly stronger team, but some Americans appeared unclear as to whom exactly they were playing.

read more

'Restrepo' a Must See Film on the War in Afghanistan

'Restrepo' a Must See Film on the War in Afghanistan

If there is only one film you see this summer, make it ‘Restrepo.’ Awarded the 2010 Sundance Film Festival Grand Jury Prize for a Documentary, it follows the lives of one U.S. platoon of soldiers in Afghanistan’s Korengal Valley during their entire 15 month deployment. The valley is considered one of the U.S. military’s most […]

read more

The Mexico Problem

Journalists in Mexico are facing an increasingly hostile environment. On Sunday, 13 journalists on a tour in the state of Michoacan were kidnapped at machete point by Nahua Indians. They had been mistaken for a crew in the area to film a beer commercial, and were released, but their equipment was confiscated. According to the […]

read more

World Cup Music

World Cup Music

Scheduling meetings here in Brussels and Paris has been suspiciously tough this week, with one person I met with actually admitting he was late because staff was gathered round the conference room television watching, yup, you guessed it, World Cup matches! If you have not checked out Africa blogger Derek Catsam’s posts from SA, now […]

read more

Banned from Journalism for 30 Years

The power of the pen is most obvious when dictatorships try to silence writers and journalists. Ms. Jila Baniyaghoob, a 39 year-old Iranian journalist, is a sad case of this. On June 9 she was sentenced to one year in jail and banned from writing for 30 years by the Iranian government. Baniyaghoob’s sentence came […]

read more

Paragraph 175 (2000)

Paragraph 175 (2000)

This documentary focuses on what is probably a mostly overlooked group of people persecuted by German Nazis between 1933 and 1945: male homosexuals. The title of the film refers to the law, enacted in 1871, that was largely overlooked until the reign of Adolf Hitler. It claimed sex between two men was illegal; lesbians, however, […]

read more

Body of War (2008)

Body of War (2008)

This movie is sad and, at times, hard to watch. It is about Tomas Young, a soldier who signed up for the US Army immediately following the terror attacks of September 11, 2001. Only five days into his deployment in Iraq, Young took a shot in the back, leaving him paralyzed from the chest down. […]

read more

76 Journalists Aboard Gaza Flotilla Released

JERUSALEM—Dozens of international journalists and media workers being held in an Israeli jail were expected to be released by Wednesday evening, local time. Thirty-eight of them were from Greece, Cyprus, Italy, Pakistan, and the U.K. The other 38 were Turkish. Some were identified by the companies they work for and others by their professional associations […]

read more

The Lazarus Effect (2010)

Forty cents a day. That’s how much it costs to supply antiretroviral (ARV) drugs to an HIV/AIDS patient in sub-Saharan Africa. That is the gist of this short (30 minute) documentary created by HBO and (RED). Set in Zambia, the film documents the lives of several people whose lives have been turned around for the […]

read more

More Facebook Users in the Arab World Than Newspaper Readers

The research by Spot On Public Relations, a Dubai-based agency, says there are more than 15 million subscribers to the social network.  The total number of newspaper copies in Arabic, English and French is just under 14 million.  The findings seem to confirm the increasing popularity of the social interaction platforms in the region.  The […]

read more

Spinning Boris (2002)

Spinning Boris (2002)

This movie is disappointing. Which is too bad, because its premise is intriguing: three American political consultants (i.e., spin doctors) are hired to help Russian President Boris Yeltsin with his campaign in 1996. While the comedy is fictional, it is based on a true story. The team, made up of George Gorton, Dick Dresner, and […]

read more

Pakistan Bans Facebook

Pakistan Bans Facebook

Last month’s episode of South Park brought together religious leaders — known as the “Super Best Friends.” This group included Jesus, Buddha, Krishna and Moses was the Prophet Mohammed, who was hidden for most of the episode in a U-haul truck. Then, Mohammed appeared… dressed in a bear costume. The campaign (mentioned below) was to show solidarity […]

read more

A Warm Welcome

Hey there!  Salam!  Shalom!  My name is April and I welcome you to this revamped Foreign Policy Association blog dedicated to Middle East Media.  I know I always want to know WHO bloggers really are… so please check out my “Blogger Profile” on the right hand menu of this screen. Regarding this blog: discussion  through […]

read more

David Cameron: In Pictures

David Cameron: In Pictures

Following one of the most exciting and closely-watched political moments in recent British history, VII Photo Agency has published a gallery of David Cameron photographs. The photos, taken by VII photographer Marcus Bleasdale, are a glimpse into the harried life of a politician on the road. The photo essay can be seen here: http://www.viiphoto.com/showstory.php?nID=1123 More […]

read more

Inside Guantanamo (2009)

Inside Guantanamo (2009)

The fact that people of all political stripes take issue with this movie goes a long way to revealing its even handedness. Director Bonni Cohen does a wonderful job of introducing the audience to the men and women who interact with the Guantanamo detainees all day, every day. The prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, has […]

read more