Foreign Policy Blogs

The FPA’s Must Reads (July 26 – August 1)

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Khaled Mashaal meets with journalists in 2009. (Photo: Trango)

The Man Who Haunts Israel
Time
By Michael Crowley

17 years ago Khaled Mashaal, a Hamas official, was poisoned at the behest of Benjamin Netanyahu. When Mossad agents were caught red-handed, however, Netanyahu was forced to give up the antidote that would revive Mashaal. Now Mashaal is back with a vengeance, but may also paradoxically hold the key to brokering peace.

How A One-Time Pig Peddler Helped the U.S. Flood War Zones With Guns
Buzzfeed
By Aram Roston

Aram Roston tells the unbelievable story of how a dubious pig dealer became one of the U.S. principle subcontractors for buying Soviet designed small arms in Bulgaria to be used for arming allied forces in the Middle East.

What Do Chinese Dumplings Have to Do With Global Warming?
The New York Times
By Nicolla Twilley

As newly moneyed Chinese gain an appetite for refrigerated goods and out of season foods, they must also invest millions into a sprawling refrigeration chain. However, these refrigerators and refrigeration systems threaten to strain the national power grid and to become some of the largest greenhouse gas emitters.

The All-American Expo That Invaded Cold War Russia
Gizmodo
By Matt Novak

Matt Novak reflects on the successes, failures, espionage, intrigue, and fantasy that occurred during a remarkable cultural exchange between the US and the USSR at the height of the Cold War.

The Centerpiece of Obama’s Energy Policy Will Actually Make Climate Change Worse
The Nation
By Naomi Oreskes

Harvard Professor Naomi Oreskes makes a compelling case that the fundamental approach of the Obama administration to combating global warming has been corrupted by the interests of large energy companies and wishful thinking.

Blogs:

Obama administration to Turkey: Reopen Halki Seminary by Hannah Gais
The Arab World and the Security Crisis in Syria and Iraq by Reza Akhlaghi
Candid Discussions: Marc Schulman of the Times of Israel on Israel and Gaza by Allison Kushner
South Africa’s Innovative Energy Policy by Joe Gurowsky
Universal Values with Chinese Characteristics by Gary Sands