International News
Coverage of international events and global policy shifts. The Daily Signal offers news reporting with opinion and commentary on world affairs.
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opinion
European Parliamentary Elections Reflect Electorate’s Mandate for Change
There is no doubt the winds of change are continuing to blow across Europe. Established political parties of the center-right and center-left suffered large losses during European parliamentary elections, which took place in 28 nations from May 23 to May 26. Across the European Union there were significant gains for nationalist and populist movements, on… -
opinion
What We Can Learn From the European Union
The European Union Parliament elections this week provided a shock to the system for the center-right and center-left coalition in European politics: The big winners were nationalist movements. In France, Marine Le Pen’s immigration-restrictionist National Front defeated the party of the current president, Emmanuel Macron. In Italy, Matteo Salvini’s similarly anti-immigration League Party won big…. -
opinion
Russia Likely Conducting Low-Yield Nuclear Weapons Tests, Intel Chief Says
Lt. Gen. Robert Ashley, director of the Defense Intelligence Agency, said Wednesday that Russia is likely conducting low-yield nuclear weapons tests. That’s an indication that Russia doesn’t share the same understanding of the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty that the U.S. does. In the United States’ understanding, the treaty prohibits any nuclear weapons experiments that produce… -
opinion
We Hear You: Look Who’s Calling Daily Signal ‘Unreliable’
Editor's note: The Daily Signal's audience, for the most part, wasn't too impressed by a journalism group's briefly labeling us as an "unreliable" news source. Don't forget to write us at [email protected].—Ken McIntyre Dear Daily Signal: I read Katrina Trinko's commentary article on the Poynter Institute for Media Studies and its designation of The Daily… -
opinion
The Leaky Vessel of Trump-Russia Collusion Is Sinking
The entire Trump-Russia collusion narrative was always implausible. One, the Washington swamp of fixers such as Paul Manafort and John and Tony Podesta was mostly bipartisan and predated Trump. Two, the Trump administration’s Russia policies were far tougher on Vladimir Putin than were those of Barack Obama. Trump confronted Russia in Syria, upped defense spending,… -
opinion
Australia’s Election Shock Shows the Perils of Moralizing Climate Change
Heading into last Saturday’s election in Australia, Prime Minister Scott Morrison was a dead man walking. Polls showed the left-wing Labor Party pulling away from his conservative Liberal-National Coalition in what newspapers across the globe were calling “The Climate Change Election.” Polls were being thrown around showing that more and more Australians were prioritizing climate… -
opinion
Will the BUILD Act Improve Lending in Poor Countries and Counter China? The Jury’s Still Out
During debate over the BUILD Act (Better Utilization of Investments Leading to Development Act)—a bill that would rename and double the size of the Overseas Private Investment Corp.—proponents asserted that it was needed to counter China’s aggressive “One Belt, One Road” debt-trap diplomacy initiative that finances infrastructure projects in developing countries. The question is, will… -
opinion
In Australia, Conservatives Win a Shock Victory. There’s a Lesson Here for Conservatives Worldwide.
When Australians went to the polls over the weekend, it was universally expected that the left-wing Labor Party would emerge the winner. To the shock of the pollsters, however, the left lost. In Australia, the Liberals are the conservative party, and so it was the conservatives who won a surprise victory. In a 151-seat House… -
opinion
Pompeo Seeks New Strategic Agenda for Arctic, Cautions Allies on China’s Intentions
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has set out a new U.S. agenda for the Arctic —and warned allies about China’s growing influence in the region. In a speech delivered the day before the 11th Arctic Council ministerial meeting on May 7 in Rovaniemi, Finland, Pompeo explained how the Arctic region is changing. “The Arctic is… -
opinion
China’s Worsening Human Rights Abuses Evoke Memories of Mao
When the State Department recently released its “2018 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices,” China figured prominently in its findings—but not in a good way. The annual report, issued March 13, shines a harsh spotlight on China and its various human rights abuses, including religious persecution, internment of Uighurs in re-education camps, and increased surveillance… -
news
After 4 Years of a Frozen Conflict, Ukrainians Slowly Retake Ground From Russian Forces
KYIV, Ukraine—Ukrainian troops are slowly advancing in the country’s eastern war zone, testing the limits of a shaky stalemate in the five-year-old conflict against Russia and its separatist proxies. In the last year, Ukrainian military forces retook 24 square kilometers (about 9.3 square miles) of territory in the country’s embattled Donbas region, officials said, underscoring… -
opinion
School District Near DC Under Investigation Amid Allegations of Discriminating Against Asians
Is a public school system in a leafy county straddling the Capital Beltway discriminating against Asian Americans? The feds next door are investigating in a case with national implications, and with good reason: The type of racial balancing that Montgomery County Public Schools is using may well be illegal. No one questions that the changes MCPS… -
news
US Seizure of North Korean Vessel Seen as Unlikely to Affect Relationship
The United States’ seizure, announced Thursday, of a North Korean vessel in Indonesia likely won’t affect already stalled denuclearization negotiations. That’s the assessment of Bruce Klingner, senior research fellow for Northeast Asia at The Heritage Foundation. “The U.S. legally seized the ship that Indonesia seized last year. Indonesia seized the ship for violation of U.N…. -
opinion
Pompeo Sends the Message Britain Needs to Hear
Speaking Wednesday in London at the Centre for Policy Studies—a distinguished think tank founded by Margaret Thatcher—Secretary of State Mike Pompeo delivered the annual Margaret Thatcher Lecture. And he said just what Britain needed to hear. The essence of Pompeo’s remarks was that Britain is a great and global power, with which the United States… -
opinion
After Clearing a Hellenic Hurdle, Macedonia’s Bid to Join NATO Heads to Senate
President Donald Trump on April 29 officially sent to the Senate for ratification the protocol for the Republic of North Macedonia to accede to NATO. Macedonia’s accession to NATO will strengthen the alliance, contribute to regional stability in the western Balkans, and send a strong message to pernicious actors—such as Russia—that they do not have… -
opinion
US, Russia Vie Over the Future of Venezuela
The crisis in Venezuela is only getting worse by the week. And with Russian backing, it looks less likely that dictator Nicolas Maduro will step aside. Ana Quintana of The Heritage Foundation explains what’s at stake, and what’s going on. Read our interview, posted below, or listen to it on the podcast: We also cover… -
opinion
Canadian Man Who Insists on Using Male Pronouns Ordered to Pay Transgender Woman
There’s no such thing as “free” speech in Canada. If Christians want to express themselves, it’ll cost them. And the going rate isn’t cheap. According to the British Columbia Human Rights Tribunal, the price tag for agreeing with the Bible—and biology—on gender is a whopping 55,000 Canadian dollars. Bill Whatcott’s crime wasn’t being a Christian…. -
opinion
How North Korea’s Missile Launch Could Affect Nuclear Negotiations
North Korea launched its first ballistic missile since 2017, in a move that is likely to signal displeasure with the stalled state of U.S.-North Korea nuclear talks. The regime tested a new short-range tactical ballistic missile as well as a 300 mm multiple rocket launcher artillery system over the weekend. The missile traveled 45-125 miles,… -
opinion
Julian Assange’s Days in the UK Are Numbered
Act 1 of the Julian Assange extradition play opened in London on Monday—not in the city’s theatre district, but in a magistrate court in Westminster. The founder of WikiLeaks made his first appearance in court on the United States’ extradition request, appearing by video link from his southeast London prison where he is serving a… -
opinion
Putin Just Attacked Ukraine’s Sovereignty Yet Again
Just 72 hours after the election of former actor and comedian Volodymyr Zelenskiy as Ukraine’s next president, Russian President Vladimir Putin has given him his first geopolitical challenge. Putin signed a decree on Wednesday stating that those who live in the parts of Ukraine’s Donetsk and Luhansk regions that are currently controlled by Moscow-backed separatists…