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How countries are keeping their citizens from fighting in Syria
Europe has a romanticized history of lone figures joining "the cause" in war-torn foreign countries -- from Lord Byron's death fighting for Greek independence to George Orwell's storied participation...
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Why do authoritarian leaders give such long speeches?
On Thursday, Russian President Vladimir Putin sat for his nearly annual televised live-call-in show -- which, this year, went on for nearly five hours. In addition to tackling some weightier questions...
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Labor unrest on Everest is older than you might think
The thin air and vertiginous slopes that exist at 20,000-plus feet above sea level on Mount Everest may not make for the ideal battleground -- but they certainly make for a captivating one. So on...
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The unlikely winner in the war on drugs? Iran
As Barack Obama arrives in Mexico for the first visit of his second term in office, talk has inevitably turned to the United States'floundering war on drugs in Latin America. And as efforts are made...
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Tunisian who sparked 'topless jihad' is back ... and blonde
When Amina Tyler, a 19-year-old Tunisian activist, posted topless photographs of herself on Facebook in March, she caused a global uproar. The tremendous backlash within Tunisia to the images -- which...
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Turkey and E! have two very different interpretations of Justin Bieber's...
When Justin Bieber performed in Istanbul on Thursday night, did he halt his concert out of respect for Muslim fans -- or because he was getting pelted with toys? This is the stark question before us...
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Is the enemy of Assad the friend of the Syrian opposition?
Reported Israeli airstrikes in Syria have left the Syrian opposition in a bit of a PR bind. As FP's Blake Hounshell wrote on Saturday: The regime will seek to exploit the raids to tie the rebels to...
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Are you qualified to run for president in Iran?
It's open season in Tehran: For five days beginning on May 7, presidential hopefuls are registering to run for president in the country's June 14 presidential election. And the number of entrants into...
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When it comes to ethics, why do consumers care more about coffee than clothes?
The death toll from the collapse of the Rana Plaza factory in Bangladesh has now surpassed 1,000, intensifying international scrutiny on the labor and safety conditions of garment workers in the...
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A Cliff's Notes guide to Pakistan’s Dickensian side
On Saturday, Pakistanis will vote in historic general elections -- the first transition from one elected government to another in the country's tumultous history. For this and several other reasons,...
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How European taxpayers are fueling executions in Iran
This is a guest post by Gissou Nia, executive director of the Iran Human Rights Documentation Center, in response to our May 2 post, "The unlikely winner in the war on drugs? Iran." When it comes to...
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Wait, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's brother is running for president of Iran?
On Saturday, the five-day registration period for Iran's June 14 presidential election came to a dramatic close when several last-minute candidates entered the running. And buried deep in newsarticles...
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A new use for Gaza's smuggling tunnels: KFC delivery
Cement, cigarettes, and sugar are just a fewof the goods transported through the many underground tunnels connecting Egypt and the blockaded Gaza Strip, which have often been described as a "vital...
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The geopolitics of Google's autocomplete
Google's autocomplete algorithm doesn't just enable users to save precious seconds of typing by predictavely filling in the rest of the search. It's also, apparently, the subject of contentious legal...
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It's official: America's mental-health professionals are getting more...
You may not have heard of koro -- a mental syndrome in which a person has an overwhelming belief that his or her genitals are disappearing -- or zar-- a condition that generates dissociative episodes...
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Only four days left to give Ameristralia a fighting chance
America and Australia have their fair share of similarities -- both are former British colonies with English as a primary language, both occupy giant chunks of land, and both are characterized by...
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U.S. politicians reach bipartisan consensus: shwarma is delicious
When it comes to U.S. foreign policy in the Arab world, Democrats and Republicans don't agree on much -- be it arming the Syrian rebels or brokering Israeli-Palestinian peace. But the shwarma --...
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A guide to Iran's elite eight presidential candidates
On Tuesday, Iran's Guardian Council confirmed the list of approved candidates for Iran's June 14 presidential elections -- and with it the suspicions of many that this will be a less-than-exciting...
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Mystery solved: John Kerry really ate turkey shwarma
John Kerry may have met with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to discuss the peace process on Thursday, but what's really gotten commentators worked up is the contents of the shwarma he consumed...
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Did Turkey just become a little more like Texas?
What do Texas and Turkey have in common? Aside from sharing the same first letter, probably not too much. But starting today, they will be able to add something else to the list: similar alcohol...
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Pakistan is planning its own version of 'Glee'
Glee, the hit U.S. TV show, has won fans the worldover for its ability to tackle the hard issues of adolescence -- homosexuality, bullying, teen pregnancy -- through the ever-accessible music of Lady...
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Even soccer can't escape the never-ending Persian/Arabian Gulf spat
What's in a name? When it comes to the body of water nestled between Iran and the Arabian Peninsula: a whole lot. For years, the Persian (to some) or Arabian (to others) Gulf has been a source of...
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Why Indian-Americans d-o-m-i-n-a-t-e spelling bees
Update: The streak continues. Arvind Mahankali, 13, won the 2013 national spelling bee with the German-Yiddish word "knaidel" on Thursday night, making him the sixth Indian-American winner in as many...
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Iranian presidential debate morphs into odd mix of Pictionary and quiz bowl
On Friday, Iran's eight presidential candidates participated in the first of three televised debates ahead of the country's June 14 election, focusing this time around on the economic woes facing...
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The Wikipedia War Over Egypt's 'Coup'
In recent days, the protests and clashes over the Egyptian military's July 3 ouster of President Mohamed Morsy have transpired amid a parallel battle over semantics -- specifically whether the...
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