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
China’s Economy Is Headed for a Hard Landing
The world’s second-largest economy is going to make a hard landing one day, China watchers have speculated for several years. The fact is, though, the Middle Kingdom already is well on its way. Let’s first examine the “official” top-line numbers. In 2007, a year before the great global crisis, China’s real gross domestic product expanded…William T. Wilson -
- Opinion
Remembering Douglas Munro, US Coast Guard Medal of Honor Recipient Who Helped Save Hundreds
Of the 3,498 Medal of Honor recipients in American history, only one was from the U.S. Coast Guard: Signalman 1st Class Douglas Albert Munro. On this day 74 years ago, Munro sacrificed himself at the Matanikau River at Point Cruz in Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands, while saving hundreds of his fellow service members. In recognition, Munro…Jacob Jordan -
- Opinion
Sweden’s Smart Move to Return Troops to an Island Eyed by Russia
Sweden’s decision to reintroduce permanent troops to the island province of Gotland is wise in light of recent Russian aggression. Swedish soldiers exercising on Gotland received an order Sept. 14 not to leave. The 150 troops will remain on the island until mid-2017, when a planned permanent unit should be fully established there. Sweden, which…Daniel Kochis -
- News
Syria Cease-Fire Collapse Highlights How Far US-Russia Relations Have Fallen
KYIV, Ukraine—The story is depressingly familiar. On Friday, the cease-fire in Syria, which was brokered by U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov, collapsed as Russian and Syrian warplanes resumed their scorched earth airstrike campaign in Aleppo. “Russia has no vested interest in stability in the Middle East,” Stephen Blank,…Nolan Peterson -
- News
A War on Their Doorstep, Ukrainian Millennials Enjoy a Night Out in a Front-Line City
KYIV, Ukraine—In Mariupol, a Ukrainian port city on the Sea of Azov only about 10 miles from the front lines, you can frequently hear artillery exploding from inside the city. Sometimes it sounds like tree branches knocking in the wind. Sometimes it’s loud enough to rattle windows. I was at dinner with a group of…Nolan Peterson -
- Opinion
Obama’s Use of UN to Advance Partisan Agenda Hurts the Organization Long Term
President Barack Obama gave his eighth and final address to the United Nations General Assembly Tuesday morning. The tone was reminiscent of past speeches in a number of ways, both good and bad. The rhetoric was soaring in parts and it was well delivered. However, his characterization of the world and his successes tended toward…Brett Schaefer -
- Opinion
Regulations in Benin, West Africa, Stunt Business Growth for Entrepreneurs Like Glwadys Tawema
The Heritage Foundation has taken its message of economic freedom on the road.One stop was Cotonou, the capital of Benin—a small country of about 9 million next door to Nigeria in West Africa. It was there that we met Glwadys Tawema, a young entrepreneur who is struggling to keep her small business profitable in spite of costly,…James M. Roberts -
- Opinion
Major Attack on Indian Army in Kashmir Puts South Asia on Crisis Footing
Indo-Pakistani tensions have been heightening over the last several months, but Sunday’s attack on an Indian army base in Kashmir that left 17 soldiers dead has put the region in crisis mode. The attack took place near the Line of Control that divides Indian and Pakistani Kashmir and marks the most deadly attack against Indian…Lisa Curtis -
- Opinion
With North Korea’s 5th Nuclear Test, Time for Obama to Pressure China
On Sept. 8, North Korea conducted its fifth nuclear test, the second since January 2016. The regime confirmed the nuclear test, claiming to now have “a variety of smaller, lighter, and diversified nuclear warheads of higher strike power … standardized [to be] mounted on strategic ballistic rockets. The U.S. Geological Survey reported a 5.3 magnitude…Bruce Klingner -
- News
Journalists Caught in the Crossfire of the Ukraine-Russia Conflict
KYIV, Ukraine—There is a memorial to murdered Ukrainian journalists on Khreshchatyk, Kyiv’s central boulevard. It’s a simple, nondescript metal plaque flanked by flowers on the side of a building. Some of the names are faded now, worn down by the years and the elements. The names date from 1992, the first year after Ukraine gained…Nolan Peterson -
- Opinion
2 Years Ago, I Thought the War in Ukraine Was Over. I Was Wrong.
KYIV, Ukraine—Two years ago, on Sept. 5, 2014, the Ukraine war’s first cease-fire went into effect. For a brief moment, the guns fell silent along the front lines in Ukraine’s embattled southeastern Donbas region. These areas included the outskirts of the southern port city of Mariupol, where Ukrainian and combined Russian-separatist forces were engaged in…Nolan Peterson -
- News
Russia’s Military Exercises Fuel Fears of Continued Aggression
KYIV, Ukraine—As the late summer weather begins to cool, Russian military exercises have kept the tensions hot in Ukraine and across Eastern Europe. Periodic flare-ups in the ongoing war in Ukraine’s embattled Donbas region this summer have renewed fears of a full-on Russian invasion and spurred an unprecedented post-Cold War redeployment of NATO military forces…Nolan Peterson -
- Opinion
I’m an African-American Woman. Here’s My Advice to Conservatives Wooing My Community.
The moment Donald Trump urged black voters to consider supporting him—asking, “What do you have to lose?”—the consultants and pundits sprang into coordinated action, bombarding the airwaves with their “r” and “b” words. “Donald Trump is a racist,” posted Daily Kos. “Donald Trump is a bigot,” piped in The New York Times’ Charles Blow. There’s…Kay C. James -
- Opinion
North Korean Sub-Launched Missiles Threaten US Allies
North Korea conducted its most successful test launch of a submarine-launched ballistic missile on Tuesday. The missile traveled 500 kilometers (300 miles), a considerable improvement over the 30-km range of the previous launch, and landed within Japan’s air defense identification zone. South Korean military officials report that North Korea used an unusual 500-km high trajectory…Bruce Klingner -
- News
‘The War Won’t Be Over Soon’: Ukraine’s Long Fight Against Russia for Freedom
MARIUPOL, Ukraine— For more than two years, Ukraine’s military has been fighting a ground war against a combined force of pro-Russian separatists and Russian regulars in the Donbas, Ukraine’s embattled southeastern territory. As Ukraine prepares for the 25th anniversary of its independence from the Soviet Union this Wednesday, the ongoing war in the Donbas highlights…Nolan Peterson -
- Opinion
Violence in Burundi Highlights the Fragility of Democracy in Africa
The small central African country of Burundi is approaching its 17th month of violence sparked by President Pierre Nkurunziza’s decision to seek a third term in office. Once a relative success story, Burundi’s democracy is now on life support. Its plight is a reminder of the fragile state of African democracy, and is part of…Joshua Meservey -
- Opinion
‘I Thought You’d Forgotten’: Visiting My Friend, a Wounded Ukrainian Soldier
KYIV, Ukraine—There were three beds in the hospital room. Two were empty and in the middle bed was my friend Nemo. He was naked except for a white sheet haphazardly draped over his crotch. A mess of tubes extruded from his chest and torso. A long bandage went down his abdomen where the surgeons had…Nolan Peterson -
- Opinion
The US Should Halt UN Aid for Hamas
Shin Bet, Israel’s internal security service, has arrested two aid workers this summer and charged them with funneling funds to Hamas, the terrorist group that controls the Gaza Strip, according to reports. A substantial amount of these funds were provided by the U.S. government for charitable, humanitarian, and development purposes. But, if these charges are…Brett Schaefer -
- Opinion
Doing Business in Asia: It’s Complicated
On June 23, The Heritage Foundation welcomed a delegation from the Asia Pacific Council of Chambers of Commerce (APCAC), a forum of 29 American Chambers of Commerce spanning the Asia–Pacific. APCAC members manage trade volumes in excess of U.S. $400 billion, and direct investments of more than U.S. $200 billion. This year’s group included business…Jessica Liang -
- News
Rigged Election? A History of Presidential Candidates Who’ve Made Allegations
The current election is not the first time a candidate has charged that the game was rigged. The new book, “Tainted by Suspicion: The Secret Deals and Electoral Chaos of Disputed Presidential Elections,” delves into the common thread regarding the most controversial presidential elections in history. The focus is on elections that dragged well beyond…Fred Lucas