The FPA’s Must Reads (October 12 – October 18)

The Russia Left Behind
By Ellen Barry
The New York Times

Through a string of narratives about towns and villages stretching between Moscow and St. Petersburg, Barry captures the deterioration of small-town Russia and explores how these towns — while not very far from the Kremlin’s reach — are worryingly far from modernity.

The War For Nigeria
By James Verini
National Geographic

In what ought to be “God’s own country in Africa,” a brutal conflict is tearing apart the north. James Verini explores the Boko Haram, the extremist group behind the chaos, and the Nigerians enduring its terror.

My Year with Malala
By Christina Lamb
The Sunday Times

From social activism to nominations for the Nobel peace prize, Malala Yousafzai’s accomplishments are unique for a sixteen year old girl. Christina Lamb highlights an equally intriguing personal account of the Pakistani girl’s story.

The End of OPEC
By Amy Myers Jaffe and Ed Morse
Foreign Policy

Forty years since the Arab oil embargo, OPEC countries continue to dominate global oil production and with it the geopolitical landscape of the Middle East. Jaffe and Morse point to a window of opportunity for the U.S. to direct its innovations in the energy sector toward a more democratized playing field.

Emerging Challenges: What’s in Store for the New Global Powers
By Erich Follath
Der Spiegel Online

Economic growth and technological advances are placing countries such as China, India and Brazil at the political forefront. Follath points to the domestic issues that these countries will have to confront on their rise.

Blogs:

Congress Models Itself on the Cuban Missile Crisis
Obama’s Missed Trip to Asia: Making Lemonade Out of Lemons
Haiti: Dominican anti-Haitianism Survived History in a Time Capsule
Israeli Aid to Syria
Bibi Bombs and Blue Jeans