The FPA’s Must Reads (April 25 – May 2)

Putin Clamps Down: A Chilling Report From Moscow
Rolling Stone
By Janet Reitman

Although Pussy Riot are the most famous Russian dissidents, they are, as Janet Reitman writes, “a radical sliver of a much larger and more fractious ‘protest culture.'” Now these many lesser known protesters and the culture they belong to are slowly being suffocated to death.

The Ship-Breakers
National Geographic
By Peter Gwin

When the 30 year lifespan of a typical ship expires, it often ends up in Bangladesh, where the recycling of ships is made cheap by an abundance of laborers. Peter Gwin speaks to the workers that risk their lives daily for a meager living.

The Hunt for El Chapo
The New Yorker
By Patrick Radden Keefe

Patrick Radden Keefe tells the incredible story of the hunt for Joaquín Guzmán Loera, better known as El Chapo, a Mexican drug lord believed to have been even more powerful and influential than the infamous Pablo Escobar. Despite his reported capture earlier this year, both the Sinaloa drug cartel and El Chapo’s mystique continue to thrive.

Ecstatic states
The Verge
By Lessley Anderson

Lessley Anderson reports on the remarkable results of using psychedelic drugs and especially MDMA, better known as Ecstasy, to help treat war veterans with PTSD.

This American Refused to Become an FBI Informant. Then the Government Made His Family’s Life Hell.
Mother Jones
By Nick Baumann

Nick Baumann tells the story of Naji Mansour, an American expat, who through an unfortunate coincidence came to be tangentially connected to would-be terrorists. With a cloud of suspicion hanging over him, the FBI tried to pressure him into becoming an informant, but when he refused, they made him and his family suffer.

Blogs:

Candid Discussions: Kenneth Pollack on U.S. Policy in the Middle East by Reza Akhlaghi
Beyond Local Content: Catalyzing Job Creation in Ghana’s Oil Sector by Sarah Lawson and Marina Tolchinsky
Why Western Law Enforcement Should Target Russia’s Ruling Elite by Ethan S. Burger
Assessing Risk in a Global Energy Market by Elly Rostoum
Against the end of history by Mark Varga

Podcasts:

Juurd Eijsvoogel on the Crimea Crisis with Sarwar Kashmeri