Articles by Helle Dale

 

The Hagel Confirmation Battle Is About One Thing: Competence

Helle Dale | February 19, 2013

The battle over the confirmation of former Senator Chuck Hagel (R–NE) for Secretary of Defense boils down to one thing and one thing only: competence…. Read More

Security

The Case Against Hagel

Helle Dale | February 17, 2013

Some time has been gained to consider: Is former Nebraska Senator Chuck Hagel qualified to be Secretary of Defense? The number is growing of those… Read More

Security

Senate Deserves Answers on Hagel

Helle Dale | February 16, 2013

A multitude of questions loom over former Senator Chuck Hagel’s (R–NE) nomination process. It is now up to the Obama Administration to ensure that Senators… Read More

 

Why the Hagel Nomination Is in Limbo

Helle Dale | February 15, 2013

The Senate’s vote on Thursday for former Senator Chuck Hagel (R–NE) for Secretary of Defense failed by two votes to achieve a 60-vote majority in… Read More

Security

Ballistic over Benghazi: Graham and Inhofe Take on the White House

Helle Dale | February 12, 2013

Senators Lindsey Graham (R-SC) and Jim Inhofe (R-OK) issued blunt warnings to the White House on Sunday: Give us real answers on Benghazi, or the… Read More

Security

Benghazi: A Tale of Two Senate Hearings

Helle Dale | February 07, 2013

Today’s hearing in the Senate Armed Services Committee about the September 11 terrorist attack in Benghazi, Libya, was bizarrely divided. One line of questions drew… Read More

 

Benghazi: Panetta, Dempsey Face Questions

Helle Dale | February 07, 2013

Today at 10 a.m., Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta and General Martin Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, will be grilled by Senators… Read More

 

BBG Takes It on the Chin

Helle Dale | February 05, 2013

Two new reports have delivered a one-two punch to the Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG). One of the reports, by the State Department’s Inspector General… Read More

 

Hagel in the Senate Hot Seat

Helle Dale | January 31, 2013

The Senate Armed Services Committee is holding hearings today on the nomination of former Senator Chuck Hagel (R–NE) to head the Department of Defense (DOD)…. Read More

 

Kerry Confirmed by Senate

Helle Dale | January 29, 2013

The Senate today confirmed John Kerry to be the next Secretary of State by a vote of 94-3. As expected, the former Senator and Foreign… Read More

 

Iran Tightens Screws on Its Journalists

Helle Dale | January 29, 2013

The regime in Tehran has started tightened censorship beyond its customary draconian rule in anticipation of potential unrest caused by Iran’s upcoming elections in June…. Read More

 

Sentimental Journey: Obama, Clinton and “60 Minutes”

Helle Dale | January 29, 2013

There is no other way to say it: “60 Minutes” blew it. Steve Kroft’s interview with President Obama and outgoing Secretary of State Hillary Clinton,… Read More

 News

John Kerry at State Department: Good for Obama, Not America

Helle Dale | January 25, 2013

The good news for the Obama Administration is that its next Secretary of State, Senator John Kerry (D–MA), had the smoothest of sailing during yesterday’s… Read More

Security

Clinton on Benghazi: Protest, Terrorist Attack–What Difference Does It Make?

Helle Dale | January 24, 2013

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s Senate and House hearings on the terrorist attack on Benghazi, Libya, yesterday did not throw much more light on the… Read More

 

Four Questions for Hillary Clinton on Benghazi

Helle Dale | January 23, 2013

In testimony before the Senate and House Foreign Relations Committees, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will have an opportunity to show Washington what it means… Read More

 News

Algeria Crisis Confirms al-Qaeda Not ‘On the Run’

Helle Dale | January 18, 2013

Remember President Obama’s campaign stump speech line that “al-Qaeda is on the run“? Well, the terrorist raid on Benghazi, Libya, on September 11 forced him… Read More

 

Al Gore, Al Jazeera, and the Remaking of Current TV

Helle Dale | January 16, 2013

The sale of Al Gore’s Current TV network to the Qatar-based Al Jazeera network comes as no surprise. These networks may be odd bedfellows, but… Read More

 

Clinton and Kerry Play Musical Chairs with U.S. Foreign Policy, Benghazi

Helle Dale | January 16, 2013

Senator John Kerry (D–MA) has announced that he will bow out of chairing the expected Benghazi hearing featuring Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on January… Read More

Economy

Message to Obama Council: Economic Freedom Leads to Global Development

Helle Dale | January 10, 2013

The new crop of nominees for President Obama’s Global Development Council need look no further than The Heritage Foundation’s just-published 2013 Index of Economic Freedom… Read More

Security

Shining the Light of Transparency on U.S. Public Diplomacy

Helle Dale | January 09, 2013

Transparency in government took a huge step forward on January 3. On that day, President Obama signed into law the Smith–Mundt Modernization Act as an… Read More

 

How a Video of a Tunisian Fruit Seller Changed Middle East History

Helle Dale | December 19, 2012

Two years ago this week, the tragic suicide of a young Tunisian fruit seller set in motion events that roiled the Arab world and changed… Read More

 

Kerry in Spotlight; Hot Issues Remain for Next Secretary of State

Helle Dale | December 18, 2012

Last week, embattled U.N. Ambassador Susan Rice took herself out of the running for Secretary of State as Hillary Clinton’s successor. It did not take… Read More

 

Your Opinion Needed for the State Department

Helle Dale | December 12, 2012

The State Department wants your opinion. No, not on weighty matters like the Arab Spring/Winter, relations with Russia, the state of NATO, or Chinese free-trade… Read More

 

Europeans Enamored with Obama, Less So with American Values

Helle Dale | December 10, 2012

Europeans remain enamored with President Obama—far more so than the American public that re-elected him. “He Is Our President, Too,” cheered a headline in an… Read More

 

U.S. to U.N. Conference: Hands Off the Internet

Helle Dale | December 06, 2012

Regulating the Internet is a dream of autocratic governments and international organizations alike. This week and next, Internet governance will be the hot topic of… Read More

 

Life Behind the Iron Curtain: The Ultimate Exercise in Big Government (VIDEO)

Helle Dale | December 01, 2012

More than 20 years have passed since the Soviet empire collapsed. Telling its history to new generations here and in the countries of Eastern and… Read More

 

Chinese Public Opinion Warfare: A Wake-Up Call

Helle Dale | November 30, 2012

Chinese advances on the cultural and informational fronts have not gone unnoticed in Washington. While U.S. international broadcasting continues to struggle with budget cuts, Chinese… Read More

 

Who Altered the Benghazi Talking Points?

Helle Dale | November 19, 2012

Bipartisan outrage is a rarity in Washington these days, but the Obama Administration’s lack of transparency over Benghazi has provoked it. This $64,000 question occupied… Read More

 News

Was There Ever a Real “U.S. Consulate” in Benghazi?

Helle Dale | November 15, 2012

In the many news reports published since the tragic and mysterious assassinations of four Americans in Libya on September 11, 2012, the scene of the… Read More

 

Congress Seeks Answers on Benghazi

Helle Dale | November 14, 2012

On Thursday, members of the House Foreign Affairs Committee and the House and Senate Intelligence Committees should bring us closer to an understanding of what… Read More