Foreign Policy Blogs

Media and Foreign Policy

Calling for Justice for Slain Filipino Journalists

Following the shocking, graphic, and horrific accounts of the murders of dozens of people in late November in the Philippines–31 of whom were journalists–advocacy groups are rallying for justice. The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) is calling for a global day of solidarity for the 31 journalists murdered in the Philippines. The Global Day of […]

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God Grew Tired of Us (2007)

God Grew Tired of Us (2007)

This documentary focuses on three young men – Daniel, John, and Panther – who escaped civil war in their native Sudan. In the late 1980s, as many as 27,000 young men – known as “The Lost Boys” – trekked across the desert into Ethiopia. When that government failed they were forced to walk again, this […]

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Terror in Mumbai (2009)

Terror in Mumbai (2009)

In late November 2008, 10 armed Pakistani men – little more than boys – went on a killing spree in the Indian city of Mumbai. Members of Lashkar-e-Taiba, or “Army of the Righteous,” the youths carried out the attacks in order to spur the “liberation” of Muslims living under Indian rule in Kashmir. Fareed Zakaria, […]

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EU: Post Parades its Ignorance – Again

The Washington Post once again parades its profound ignorance of the European Union in an editorial reacting to the appointment of new EU leaders in Brussels. Starting with the ultra-hackneyed, apocryphal cliché about Henry Kissinger supposedly wanted a single telephone number for Europe (he didn’t), the Post announces that after eight years of labor, European […]

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DIRT! The Movie (2009)

DIRT! The Movie (2009)

Here is a post from climate change blogger Bill Hewitt: “I wrote about The Earth here a while back.  It was really about soil and focused on a fantastic article in National Geographic Magazine.  I’ve become more and more interested in ‘cool farming,’ teach this stuff in my climate change classes, and have even had […]

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31 Journalists Murdered in the Philippines

26 journalists were reportedly murdered in the Philippines earlier this week. The murders brought a swift response from the international journalism community. In a letter to Philippine President Arroyo, the Overseas Press Club said, in part: “The members of the Overseas Press Club of America are stunned by the news received today of the massacre […]

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Before the Rain (1994)

Before the Rain (1994)

“Time never dies – the circle is not round.” That is the thread that unites the three parts of this story. Set in Macedonia during the time of the Balkan wars of the 1990s, “Before the Rain” is a study in how ethnic strife can appear in a place that is apparently at peace. [kml_flashembed […]

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U.S. Media Snubs New EU Leaders

U.S. media are largely ignoring the European Union’s efforts to make a bigger splash on the world stage by selecting a new full-time president of the European Council, the group of EU leaders that holds regular summit meetings, and a new high representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy – in effect a foreign minister, […]

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Is Russian Cinema Dead?

FPA Russia blogger Vadim Nikitin tackles that question in his latest blog entry: “In the 1990s, the Russian film landscape had come to resemble something straight out of Tarkovsky’s Stalker, with stray dogs wandering through Mosfilm studios in Eisenstein’s footprints and actors and directors stumbling around a menacing no man’s land in search of money […]

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Baraka (1992)

Baraka (1992)

This film is visually stunning. Filmed in 70mm in 24 countries, it is one long montage of scenes. The viewer has to be in the right frame of mind to watch “Baraka” – there is no dialogue or narration. All of the images are set to New Age music. [kml_flashembed movie=”http://www.youtube.com/v/XO1nSVy8q8I” width=”425″ height=”350″ wmode=”transparent” /] […]

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The Wall Fell – So What?

In the flood of commemorative comment on both sides of the Atlantic marking the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, one clear impression stands out. There is still no agreement on what the historic moment meant, or even why it happened. This is perhaps surprising, given that the Wall’s fall is one […]

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Darshan: The Embrace (2006)

Darshan: The Embrace (2006)

This movie is a snooze fest. Which is unfortunate because the subject, Amma, is fascinating. What director Jan Kounen appears to have tried is to provide a documentary about the life of Amma, a mahatma in India. However, it falls short somehow. There are long periods of film showing the thousands of people who line […]

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Zoriah Miller's Ethiopia

Zoriah Miller's Ethiopia

Impoverished Ethiopians search a city trash dump site for food and items that they can sell or barter in the capital city of Addis Ababa. (photo by Zoriah, www.zoriah.com) Zoriah Miller, who publishes photographs of the name Zoriah, is an award-winning independent journalist who travels the globe, photographing and telling stories about the people and […]

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The “Seesaw” of Sloppy Journalism

Overuse and misuse of the verb “to see” are spreading like a pandemic through much of the U.S. and British media. The habit is more than just ugly and unnecessary; it betrays a sloppiness of thinking that is dangerous among journalists, who should be masters of succinct and clear expression. How often do U.S. broadcast […]

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American Journalists to Recount Fall of Berlin Wall

The Overseas Press Club of America will host a panel of heavyweight journalists on th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall on Monday, November 9. Foreign correspondent Tim Aeppel, prestigious photojournalist and co-founder of Contact Press Images David Burnett, former Newsweek Bonn/Berlin bureau chief Michael Meyer, and international affairs writer/lecturer Elizabeth Pond will […]

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