The FPA’s Must Reads (March 29 – April 4)

US Secretly Created ‘Cuban Twitter’ To Stir Unrest
Associated Press
By Desmond Butler, Jack Gillum and Alberto Arce

The Associated Press breaks the incredible story of how USAID, working through a series of front companies, became one of Cuba’s leading tech entrepreneurs. Its product was ZunZuneo, essentially a Cuban Twitter, which could be used not only for entertainment sharing, but for the eventual organization of political demonstrations.

How My Parents Accidentally Got Caught Up in the Iranian Revolution
Slate
By Michael Hobbes

The lives of Michael Hobbes’ parents, two Christian missionaries living in Shiraz in 1978, with no clue of what was to come, illuminates the utter uncertainty that preceded the Iranian Revolution.

Who’s Behind Newsweek?
Mother Jones
By Ben Dooley

In this investigative report, Ben Dooley examines the new owners of Newsweek and their connection to a mysterious religious leader.

Suspects into Collaborators
London Review of Books
By Peter Neumann

Peter Neumann examines Assad’s handling of the insurgency in Syria, placing the blame for the rise of extremist forces squarely on Assad’s shoulders.

Is Karzai’s Actually a Great Leader?
Foreign Policy
By Leela Jacinto

Leela Jacinto attempts to honestly understand Karzai’s legacy, but argues that ultimately, the true test will come in 2015 when the cuts in foreign will really begin to set in.

Blogs:

Candid Discussions: Ian Bremmer on a Disengaged U.S. Foreign Policy by Reza Akhlagi
Hungarian elections: Why is Viktor Orban set to win big? by Mark Varga
Getting Un-Stuck from Red Dawn by Oliver Barrett
Armed to the Teeth: The Security Problem with Libya and its Weapons Cache by Daniel Donovan
U.S. Secretary of Defense to Visit China by Damien Tomkins