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
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… -
news
Ukraine’s New President-Elect Stands Up to Putin
KYIV, Ukraine—Less than a week after he won Ukraine’s presidential election, 41-year-old comedian Volodymyr Zelensky proved he has the chops to stand up to Russian President Vladimir Putin on the world stage. Putin signed a decree on April 24 that expedited Russian passport applications for Ukrainians living in the two war-torn, Russian-sponsored breakaway territories in… -
news
This Man Grew Up in Venezuela. Here’s His Message to Americans Who Want Socialism.
Socialism is just a theory, an ethos, for many born and raised in the United States. But for Ricardo Pita, who was born and raised in socialist Venezuela and came to America about a decade ago, socialism is not just theoretical. He has a message for those who haven’t experienced it and think it will… -
opinion
‘Blame America First’ Crowd Is Undermining the Fight for Freedom in Venezuela
Have you ever watched that inspiring speech at the 1984 Republican National Convention by Jeanne Kirkpatrick, the great conservative scholar and ambassador to the United Nations? The one where she defended President Ronald Reagan’s actions to save the Caribbean island nation of Grenada from terror and totalitarianism? Kirkpatrick scorched Reagan’s critics who refused to blame… -
opinion
Export-Import Bank Is Not the Way to Fight China
The U.S. economy is thriving, with impressive growth in gross domestic product, wage and employment gains, and record trade. Those are the facts, in contrast to the rhetoric from proponents of the U.S. Export-Import Bank, which is misleading at best. Although obscure to most Americans, the Export-Import Bank (aka Ex-Im) is the object of protracted… -
opinion
Japan’s New Emperor Marks a New Era
May 1 marks an important day in Japan’s history. On Wednesday, Japanese Emperor Akihito will abdicate the throne and cede it to his son, Crown Prince Naruhito. While the event is largely symbolic, it will usher in a new era for Japan. Japan, like most other countries in the world, uses the same Gregorian calendar… -
news
John Bolton: White House Plans for Post-Maduro Venezuela
Juan Guaido, Venezuela’s lawful leader under its Constitution, was set to lead a march against Nicolas Maduro, who continued to cling to the South American nation’s presidency with the support of Russia, China, and Cuba. The U.S. is among more than 50 countries around the world backing Guaido as Venezuela’s only legitimate leader. After military… -
opinion
Trump Just Ditched a UN Arms Treaty, and He Was Right to Do It
On Friday, at the annual meeting of the National Rifle Association, President Donald Trump announced that he was un-signing the Arms Trade Treaty. As he put it, “The United Nations will soon receive a formal notice that America is rejecting this treaty.” He then pulled out a pen and, in front of the entire audience,… -
news
A Tale of 2 Europes: As the UK Struggles to Leave the EU, Ukraine Fights to Get In
KYIV, Ukraine—Painted white body outlines cover the ground at the intersection of Mykhaila Hrushevskoho Street and Petrivs’ka Alley in Kyiv’s city center; a grim reminder of where protesters died during Ukraine’s 2014, pro-European revolution. Nearby, a building that overlooks the intersection bears the mural of a girl peering through binoculars. Representing Ukraine’s national colors, the…