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
Did the Chinese Government Influence Voice of America?
The U.S. has long used international broadcasting as a tool in public diplomacy. Yet the nation’s international broadcasting agency—the Broadcasting Board of Governors—has been a distinct, freestanding agency within the U.S. government since the International Broadcasting Act of 1994. The reason often given for this independence is a fear of political influence from either the…Helle Dale -
- Opinion
For Bigger Defense Commitments, Bring NATO Finance Ministers to the Table
NATO heads of state will gather Thursday in Brussels for a so-called mini-summit (officially a meeting of the North Atlantic Council at the heads-of-state level). But if the alliance wants to attain real progress on increasing European defense spending, then NATO finance ministers should also make the trip to Belgium. The mini-summit will be the…Daniel Kochis -
- News
Manchester Explosion: UK Has Been Targeted by Terrorists ‘Time and Time Again’
At least 19 people were killed and at least 50 injured in a suspected suicide bomb explosion Monday night at an arena in Manchester, England, where U.S. pop singer Ariana Grande was performing a concert. Police said they were treating the explosion just outside the arena as a terror incident until they “know otherwise.” Front…Kelsey Bolar -
- Opinion
Iran Re-Elects Rouhani as President. Here’s Why It Doesn’t Matter Much Who the Iranian President Is.
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani won a second term in office on Friday, securing about 57 percent of the votes cast in Iran’s carefully vetted and stage-managed presidential election. Rouhani, a pragmatic hardliner often mistakenly described as a “moderate” by Western media, outpolled a field of rival candidates that included Ebrahim Raisi, an ultra-hardline protégé of…James Phillips -
- Opinion
What a Middle Eastern NATO Could Accomplish for Trump
With the Middle East experiencing renewed levels of tumult, it begs consideration: Does the region need its own version of NATO? This idea appeared in The Washington Post just this week. Josh Rogin reported that during the president’s stop in Saudi Arabia, he might lay out a proposal for a regional security alliance of Arab…James Carafano -
- Opinion
Who Wins and Who Loses Under These 8 Big Government Policies
It’s clear that many big government policies are creating winners and losers in America. The story has been the same for decades. Government makes friends with a company or an industry, blocks out the competition with regulation, and in some cases gives the company subsidies. Such cronyism is bad for innovators and for consumers. But…Paul Runko -
- Opinion
Why North Korea’s Latest Missile Launch Should Worry Washington
Saturday marked another breakthrough in North Korea’s broad array of missile programs. Pyongyang successfully launched a new system that could target U.S. bases in Guam. It is now one step closer to an intercontinental ballistic missile that could eventually threaten the continental United States. Pyongyang announced that the Hwasong-12 intermediate-range ballistic missile flew 490 miles,…Bruce Klingner -
- News
North Korea’s Missile Launch a ‘Litmus Test’ for Trump and South Korean Leader
President Donald Trump will speak again to the newly elected South Korean president—who during his campaign advocated more direct engagement with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. That was before North Korea’s ballistic missile test over the weekend. “There is no question that North Korea continues to threaten the United States,” @PressSec says. Trump talked…Fred Lucas -
- Opinion
How Instability in the Taiwan Straits Strains the US Position in Asia
While the eyes of the world are focused on security developments on the Korean Peninsula, two recent events should resharpen attention on the Taiwan Straits. The Chinese launched a new aircraft carrier, and President Donald Trump indicated that he would check with Chinese President Xi Jinping before he would take another phone call from the…Dean Cheng -
- Opinion
UN Policy Still Fails to Protect Whistleblowers
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres wrote a letter to all of the permanent representatives to the U.N. in New York earlier this month, updating them on his management and reform agenda. A number of these initiatives are still in development and awaiting conclusions of various advisory teams or issuing of final reports and, thus, are…Brett Schaefer -
- News
Paris and Washington Send a Message to Moscow: No Sanctions Relief Until Russian Troops Leave Ukraine
KYIV, Ukraine—The Kremlin’s gambit to secure sanctions relief by redrawing the political landscapes in Europe and the United States has, so far, been a failure. In 2014, the U.S. and the European Union levied punitive economic sanctions on Moscow for its invasion of Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula and subsequent proxy war in eastern Ukraine. New presidential…Paul Runko -
- Opinion
Fight Over Soros-Founded Hungarian University Shows US’ Power Vacuum in Europe
That nature abhors a vacuum is a cliché but also a postulate about the immutable laws of nature. And once again, we’re seeing the unchangeable rules of the physical world being replicated in human action—especially in foreign policy. Exhibit A is Europe east of the Fulda Gap, where Obama appointees are still dictating American policy…Mike Gonzalez -
- Opinion
The US Is Right to Insist on Lower UN Peacekeeping Dues
A consistent theme from the earliest days of the Trump administration was the intent to lower the amount that America pays for United Nations peacekeeping. During her confirmation hearing, Ambassador Nikki Haley repeatedly said that the U.S. contribution to the peacekeeping budget was too high and should be lowered to 25 percent. The current U.S….Brett Schaefer -
- Opinion
Liberal Moon Jae-in Has Won the South Korean Election. Here’s What It Means for US, North Korea.
As with most presidential elections, South Korean voters predominantly voted their pocketbooks in Tuesday’s national election. While the election featured the usual struggle between a conservative market-based growth strategy and liberal redistributionism, voters this time were driven in large part by a desire to end their nation’s endemic political corruption. After 10 years of conservative…Bruce Klingner -
- Opinion
Despite the Rhetoric, US Trade Deficit With China Is Not a Big Problem. Here’s Why.
When we discuss international trade and balance of payments, there are two types of accounts. There is the current account, which includes goods and services imported and exported and receives the most political attention. In 2016, the American people imported $479 billion worth of goods and services from Chinese producers, and we sold $170 billion…Walter E. Williams -
- News
France’s Election Is Also a Crossroads for Europe
NICE, France—On the battlefields of eastern Ukraine, former French special operations troops and French foreign legionnaires have fought on opposite sides of the war, joining the ranks of both pro-Ukrainian volunteer battalions as well as Russia’s proxy separatist army. Meanwhile, on the battlefields of Syria and Iraq, about 700 French citizens remain among the Islamic…Nolan Peterson -
- Opinion
Trump’s Comments Risk Undermining Asia Policy
President Donald Trump made several worrying remarks during an interview with Reuters last week that raise questions about his Asia policy and his ability to implement it. Trump’s comments come at a particularly inopportune time as his administration unveils its North Korea policy and seeks international support to ratchet up pressure on Pyongyang—all while South…Bruce Klingner -
- Opinion
Panic Over Foreign Aid Budget Could Use Some Perspective
Earlier this week, Foreign Policy published a leaked 15-page State Department internal document detailing the fiscal year 2018 budget numbers for five categories of foreign assistance. The article, breathlessly titled “The End of Foreign Aid as We Know It,” asserted that the document portended the imminent incorporation of the U.S. Agency for International Development, or…Brett Schaefer -
- News
Rex Tillerson Plans Major Staff Cuts in State Department Restructuring
The State Department is planning to reduce staffing by thousands as Secretary of State Rex Tillerson moves forward with efforts to streamline the agency that conservative critics say has outgrown its core functions. As many as 2,300 foreign and civil service positions—about 9 percent of the Americans in State’s workforce worldwide—will be cut over the next…Will Racke -
- Opinion
This Little-Known US Ally Could Be Pivotal on Russia, China Policy
As the U.S. grapples with many complex challenges to its interests in the vast region of Eurasia, one country should attract Washington’s particular attention. Kazakhstan, the world’s ninth-largest country by land mass, sits right in the heart of Eurasia on what is best described as a convergence of global challenges and strategic opportunities for the…Luke Coffey