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
Tillerson Speech Hits Right Notes on Europe, but Weak on Support for Brexit
Secretary of State Rex Tillerson’s speech on Tuesday at the Wilson Center on strengthening Western alliances rightly placed U.S. alliances in Europe front and center for U.S. national interests. The secretary reaffirmed America’s commitment to NATO, robustly defended the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine, and pushed back against Russia’s aggressive behavior in the region…. -
opinion
Meet the Woman Who Helped Make Thanksgiving a US Holiday
For much of the 19th century, Thanksgiving was celebrated only by New Englanders and Northeastern transplants in the upper Midwest and New York. Without the dogged activism of Sarah Josepha Hale—a novelist, poet, and the editor of “Godey’s Lady’s Book,” a lifestyle magazine with an impressive pre-Civil War circulation of 150,000—Thanksgiving may never have become… -
opinion
What Trump’s Designation of North Korea as State Sponsor of Terrorism Will Mean for Country’s Future
The Trump administration has re-designated North Korea as a state sponsor of terrorism. It’s a proper and pragmatic, if belated, acknowledgement that North Korea’s repeated, deadly actions legally constitute terrorist acts under U.S. law. As President Donald Trump commented, “It should have happened years ago.” Secretary of State Rex Tillerson announced the re-designation was to… -
news
Russia’s Hybrid War Against the West Began on the Battlefields of Ukraine
KYIV, Ukraine—Russian revanchism has spread beyond the battlefields of Ukraine’s Donbas region into a global, hybrid conflict that has redrawn the balance of power in Eastern Europe and pitted the world’s two largest nuclear powers against each other. "When a country can come interfere in another country’s elections, that is warfare,” U.S. Ambassador to the… -
opinion
America Needs a Stronger State Department, Not an ‘Independent’ Foreign Aid Agency
President Donald Trump has ordered the Department of State and the U.S. Agency for International Development to come up with a plan to reorganize themselves to improve their efficiency, effectiveness, and accountability. After decades in which trillions of taxpayer dollars have been sent overseas in the form of foreign assistance, it is not an unreasonable… -
opinion
What Happened to Colonel Who Didn’t Want to Praise an Airman’s Same-Sex Marriage
After flying in the B-2 bomber, Air Force Col. Leland Bohannon knows a thing or two about stealth. And the attack against his faith isn’t it. In fact, the military seems to be going out of its way to punish the Christian dad of five, despite a distinguished career defending the same freedom the Air… -
news
Ukraine Turns to American Coal to Defend Itself Against Russia
KYIV, Ukraine—Sometimes, wars aren’t won by tank battles and infantry assaults. Sometimes, it comes down to keeping the heat on. As Russia’s hybrid war against Ukraine nears its fifth calendar year—and as Ukraine’s infamously cold winter draws near—American companies are incrementally cutting into Russia’s de facto monopoly as a supplier of nuclear fuel and coal… -
opinion
What China’s New Leadership Cohort Means for the US
As the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) 19th Party Congress came to a close last month, new members of Chinese leadership emerged on the national stage. This leadership exists in the form of the CCP Central Committee’s Politburo, and in particular, a new Politburo Standing Committee. The seven-member Politburo Standing Committee, which includes President Xi Jinping… -
opinion
Trump’s Message for China
President Donald Trump’s visit to Asia has now taken him to the People’s Republic of China, where Chinese leader Xi Jinping staged an elaborate welcome, complete with a personally guided private visit to the famous Forbidden City. Observers have expected that two of the main concerns to be discussed by Trump and Xi would be… -
opinion
Q&A: How the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia’s Views on Islam, Economy Could Change Country
Jim Phillips, senior research fellow for Middle Eastern affairs at The Heritage Foundation, gave his insight into the recent events related to succession that have taken place in Saudi Arabia in an interview Tuesday with The Heritage Foundation’s Genevieve Wood. Here is an edited transcript of the interview. Wood: So people understand, so currently the… -
opinion
Those Who Disagree on Marriage Can Coexist. For the Sake of Our Society, We Must.
In 2015, a majority of the Supreme Court in Obergefell v. Hodges wrote that the view that marriage is exclusively between one man and one woman is “based on decent and honorable religious or philosophical premises.” Yet increasingly, the traditional view of marriage is being equated with anti-LGBT bigotry—and not without consequences. Take what happened… -
opinion
How to Respond to Those Who Want to ‘Do Something’ After Texas Shooting
The world reacted in horror when news came Sunday of the massacre of Christians at the First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs, Texas. They gathered—and Jesus was among them, as He promised believers—but somehow evil penetrated their worship. The shooter, Devin Kelley, killed Pastor Frank Pomeroy’s 14-year-old daughter Annabelle. He killed eight members of the… -
opinion
Major NATO Exercise With Sweden Highlights Ability to Deter Russian Aggression
Sweden, a country with a close defense relationship with the U.S. and NATO, hosted its largest military exercise in 23 years this September as a demonstration of deterrence against Russian aggression. U.S. forces played an important role and in doing so helped to strengthen the U.S. military position in Europe. Exercises are a key means… -
opinion
‘Deconfliction’ Agreement With Russia in Syria Undermines US Interests in the Region
“I think he has done really a great job of outsmarting our country,” Donald Trump told Larry King in 2013. He was referring to Russian President Vladimir Putin and his policy in Syria. Long before he became president, Trump saw the pitfalls of U.S. policy toward Syria that entrapped the Obama administration. But now, even… -
opinion
Congress Must Not Drop the Ball on Reporting US Contributions to the UN
In December 2016, Congress passed the first State Department authorization bill in 14 years. That measure, which became P.L. 114-323, included a requirement that the Office of Management and Budget report annually to Congress on “all assessed and voluntary contributions … of the United States government to the United Nations and its affiliated agencies and… -
news
What These 3 Doctors Think Should Be Done for Children Who Think They Are Transgender
Three doctors, specializing in pediatrics, biology, and psychiatry, are criticizing what they say is the reliance on feelings over facts when it comes to studying and treating children who think they’re transgender. In a panel discussion at The Heritage Foundation, the doctors said the transgender ideology permeating society today is hurting children and undermining scientific… -
news
Assassinations in Ukraine’s Capital Raise Specter of a Russian ‘Shadow War’
KYIV, Ukraine—A Chechen woman who had fought on the side of Ukrainian forces against Russia and its separatist proxies in eastern Ukraine died in a brazen vehicular ambush on the outskirts of Kyiv on Monday. The ambush underscored what some Ukrainian government officials and security analysts suspect is part of a larger Russian shadow war… -
opinion
Hungarian Leader Should Stop Meddling in Ukrainian Politics
Prime Minister Viktor Orban of Hungary is at his best when defending his nation’s sovereignty against encroachment, be it from the liberal progressivism of George Soros or the crushing intrusions of the European Union. He’s at his worst, however, when interfering in the self-determination of other sovereign nation-states around him. Most will admit—although in many… -
opinion
Chinese Leader Xi Jinping Draws Harder Lines at Outset of Second Term
As the Chinese Communist Party’s 19th Party Congress came to a close last week, Communist Party General Secretary Xi Jinping consolidated his leadership cohort for the next five years. While his precise policies are unlikely to be revealed before the Third Plenum of the 19th Party Congress early next year, his recent speech to the… -
news
Russia Practices for Nuclear War With Triad Missile Launches
Russia flexed its muscles with multiple ballistic and cruise missile launches Thursday, putting strategic nuclear forces to the test, according to the Russian defense ministry. In nuclear triad drills, the Russian military launched missiles from land, sea, and air. A unit of the Strategic Missile Force launched a Topol intercontinental ballistic missile from a road-mobile…