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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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… -
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… -
opinion
This May Be Venezuela’s Tiananmen Square Moment
Venezuela is no stranger to protests, but the recent uprisings have rocked the country and stirred questions about the nation’s future. This past week, the “mother of all protests” has seen upward of 2 million Venezuelans take to the streets demanding an end to the notoriously corrupt Maduro regime. Beginning on what would be the 207th… -
news
In France’s Presidential Election, the Intersecting Consequences of Islamist Terrorism and Russian Aggression
KYIV, Ukraine—Europe’s two greatest security challenges, Islamist terrorism and Russian military aggression, have cast a shadow over the French presidential election. Authorities in Paris reported a possible terrorist attack on the Champs-Elysees on Thursday night, throwing the election a last-minute curveball—potentially to the benefit of the far-right National Front party’s candidate, Marine Le Pen. The… -
opinion
US Falling Behind on Trade, While Japan and EU Thrive
European Union and Japanese leaders recently met in Brussels to further negotiations for a free trade agreement. As the EU and Japan work together to boost their economic, political, and security ties, sentiments in the United States seem to be turning away from free trade in favor of protectionism. President Donald Trump has fueled anti-trade… -
news
After State Department Snub, Senators Look to ‘Other Means’ to Investigate Tax Dollars Propping Up Soros Work
This article has been corrected and updated since publication. Details about changes are at the end of article. Republican senators could investigate U.S. tax dollars funding liberal billionaire George Soros’ networks abroad “through other means” if the Trump administration’s State Department doesn’t provide answers. Six GOP senators wrote Secretary of State Rex Tillerson in March… -
opinion
State Department Confirms Iran Compliant With Nuclear Deal, but Warns Tehran Still on Notice
With a new White House, many have wondered about the fate of the 2015 nuclear agreement made between the Obama administration and Iran. The Trump administration’s stance on the agreement became a little clearer on Tuesday when the administration notified Congress that Iran is complying with the terms of the agreement, and that the United… -
news
Professor Who Tweeted ‘Trump Must Hang’ Takes Paid Leave of Absence
The professor who tweeted “Trump must hang” and that two Republicans should be executed for each immigrant deported is taking a paid leave of absence for the rest of the spring semester. Professor Lars Maischak of California State University, Fresno agreed upon the leave of absence with the university, according to The Fresno Bee. The… -
opinion
How Political Correctness Holds African-Americans Back
As a group, black Americans have made the greatest gains—over some of the highest hurdles and in a very short span of time—of any racial group in mankind’s history. What’s the evidence? If one totaled up the earnings of black Americans and considered us as a separate nation with our own gross domestic product, we… -
opinion
In Britain, Conservatives Seek a Mandate From Voters
On Tuesday, British Prime Minister Theresa May shocked Britain by calling for an early general election, which will be held on June 8. This election will decide the fate of her government and Brexit. In many ways, May’s decision to “go to the country”—British slang for calling an election—is the way it should be. In… -
news
White House Turns Up Heat, but Rejects ‘Red Lines’ for North Korea
Both the Trump administration and North Korea are ratcheting up statements about a potential conflict. “President [Donald] Trump has changed the equation. We don’t know what he will do,” said Fred Fleitz, a senior vice president for the Center for Security Policy, a conservative national security think tank. “If there is a strike, shooting down… -
opinion
How the UN Helps Implement China’s Two-Child Policy, and What Should Be Done
According to the United Nations Population Fund, its mission is to provide access to safe, voluntary family planning to women around the world. But a recent decision by the State Department suggests that the U.N. Population Fund’s mission statement is more benign than its actual activities. On April 3, the State Department announced that it… -
opinion
Meet the Professor Who Could Run Trump’s War on Regulations
Just hours after Justice Neil Gorsuch’s confirmation as the newest member of the Supreme Court, the White House announced the appointment of George Mason law professor Neomi Rao to be the administrator of the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs. The appointment won’t be accompanied by the intense media coverage that Gorsuch received. Nevertheless, it could… -
news
‘Peace, but Not at Any Cost’: Ukrainians Brace for More War, and Unrest
KYIV, Ukraine—Forget death and taxes. In Ukraine, nothing is certain but war and protests. In the country’s eastern Donbas region, the war against Russia and its separatist proxies has dragged on for three years. And in Kyiv’s government halls, meaningful anti-corruption reforms are advancing at a snail’s pace more than three years after the revolution…. -
news
Trump, NATO Leader to Talk About Allies’ Paying Fair Share
Less than a week after President Donald Trump rallied the world behind ending the violence in Syria, he will meet with the top civilian leader of NATO, an organization he criticized during the campaign as “obsolete.” “For the sake of NATO’s future, it will have to focus on terrorism,” @ARVershbow says. The top issues will… -
opinion
How Trump’s State Department Is Honoring Women
The most headline-grabbing observance of Women’s History Month last month may have been “A Day Without a Woman.” On March 8, the feminist-led event marked International Women’s Day by staging “a demonstration of economic solidarity” in which women were encouraged to take the day off, avoid shopping, and wear red. Meanwhile, the U.S. State Department… -
news
Peggy Noonan, Who Explored Why Trump Appeals to Americans, Wins Pulitzer for Commentary
In a rare acknowledgement of conservative journalists by the most powerful arbiter of serious journalism, political commentator and columnist Peggy Noonan on Monday won a Pulitzer Prize for her columns for The Wall Street Journal on the 2016 presidential campaign. Awarding her the 2017 Pulitzer Prize for distinguished commentary, judges said Noonan earned it for… -
news
College May Punish Students Who Disrupted Conservative’s Speech
Claremont McKenna College officials have announced possible repercussions for students who protested a conservative speaker’s speech last week. Protesters successfully blocked students and professors from entering an on-campus building to hear Heather Mac Donald’s pro-police speech, as reported by The Daily Signal last Friday. Mac Donald is a senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute, a conservative think… -
opinion
The Troubling Relationship Between Soros and US’ Biggest Foreign Aid Agency
Foreign aid can help advance U.S. national interests, for example, by promoting our values globally or by demonstrating to the world the goodwill of the American people. Calls to eliminate funding outright often fail to weigh this important function. But our lead aid agency has itself been jeopardizing this effort, and risking all-important public support,… -
news
US Cruise Missiles and an EU Vote Deal Putin 2 Setbacks in 1 Day
KYIV, Ukraine—Thursday was a bad day for the Kremlin. In the span of a few hours, Russia’s two foreign policy mantelpieces—its military adventures in Ukraine and Syria—were both dealt body blows. One came from a United States cruise missile attack on a Syrian regime air base where Russian military forces were deployed. The strike was…