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
Who Determines Computer Crimes? Court Says Congress. Congress Is Unclear.
The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals has handed down its opinion in Facebook, Inc. v. Power Ventures, Inc., that seems to suggest, as George Washington University Law Prof. Orin Kerr writes, that “It’s a federal crime to visit a website after being told not to visit it.” Although this case arose in the civil context, violations… -
news
‘Back to the Soviet Era’: Putin’s New Law Could Lead to Religious Crackdown
In signing a new anti-terrorism law, Russian President Vladimir Putin could have authority to crack down on non-government-aligned churches, said Archbishop Andrew (Maklakov), administrator of the Russian Orthodox Autonomous Church of America. The law that Putin signed on July 6 restricts religious proselytizing and imposes heavy fines for doing so. While the law exempts the… -
opinion
The Attempted Coup Reveals Turkey’s Instability. That’s Bad News for the US.
An attempted military coup in NATO member Turkey was foiled over the weekend. At the time of writing, at least 265 people have been killed and another 1,400 wounded. Thousands of judges have been dismissed or arrested. Tanks shelled the parliament in Ankara and at one point President Recep Tayyip Erdogan was forced to address… -
opinion
How Will China’s Economic Slowdown Affect the US?
Since the 2008–2009 global recession, China has accounted for roughly one-third of global economic growth, by far the highest in the world. With a GDP of roughly $11 trillion (current prices), the second-largest in the world after that of the United States, any economic slowdown in this Asian juggernaut is bound to have enormous global… -
opinion
Russians Turn Up the Diplomatic Heat on US Broadcasting Chief
The Russian government just turned the heat up a notch on U.S. officials in what is an already heated diplomatic climate. In the past few weeks, Russia and the U.S. have expelled several of each other’s diplomats. This past Tuesday night, U.S. Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG) chairman Jeff Shell was summarily detained by Russian… -
opinion
How the US Must Respond to China’s Rejection of South China Sea Court Decision
An arbitration court accepted claims made by the Philippines against China in the South China Sea, however, China’s refusal to obey the court’s decision requires a swift, but measured response from the United States. On Tuesday, the Permanent Court of Arbitration based in The Hague, Netherlands, handed down its final decision in The Republic of… -
news
While NATO Discussed Russian Aggression, Fighting Spiked in Eastern Ukraine
KYIV, Ukraine—Over the weekend, as NATO leaders in Warsaw, Poland, were discussing ways to counter Russian aggression, the conflict in eastern Ukraine concurrently spiked to its worst level in months. “I don’t think it’s a coincidence,” Stephen Blank, senior fellow for Russia at the American Foreign Policy Council, told The Daily Signal. “It makes sense… -
news
Administration Defends UN-Funded, Anti-Israel Textbooks for Palestinians
U.S. taxpayers provide nearly $400 million a year to a United Nations program that critics say sends anti-Semitic, anti-Israel textbooks to schools for Palestinian refugees. An elementary school textbook calls the 1948 establishment of Israel a “disaster,” and a high school text tells of the “End of Days” when “Muslims fight the Jews,” among other… -
opinion
Phony Brexit Woes: Britain Should Tell EU Elite to Take a Hike
Many political pundits are upset over Brexit because they believe that Europe—the entire world, actually—needs more “harmonization” of financial regulators. They see Brexit as a threat to EU bureaucrats’ efforts to “police” global derivatives. But why should Britain—or any other country for that matter—follow the same international blueprint that harmonized bank capital requirements? The Basel… -
news
Russian Threat Takes Center Stage at NATO’s Warsaw Summit
WARSAW, Poland—Russian aggression, radical Islamist terrorism, the refugee crisis, Brexit, Afghanistan. The list of challenges NATO leaders faced at the biennial summit here over the weekend was diverse, highlighting what some consider to be a post-Cold War moment of truth for the alliance to prove it still matters. Speaking to reporters Saturday, President Barack Obama… -
news
Could Putin Face Resurgent NATO? Russian Aggression a Top Issue for Obama’s Final Summit
Increased Russian aggression will be among the central issues when President Barack Obama attends his final NATO Summit in Warsaw, as the United States and its allies will announce a stronger security presence in the Baltic states. “NATO must be the largest deterrent to Russian meddling,” Thomas Donnelly, a senior fellow in security studies at… -
opinion
US Sanctions North Korea for Human Rights Violations
On July 6, the Obama administration imposed sanctions on North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and other senior North Korean individuals and organizations for human rights violations. This is the first time that the U.S. has designated North Korean entities for human rights abuses. The administration should be commended for finally acting upon the February… -
opinion
Banks Face Serious Cyberthreat From North Korea
In February, hackers pulled off one of the largest bank heists in history. Hackers gained access to the Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication, or SWIFT, the system used by central banks to authorize monetary transfers. From there they sent money transfer requests to the tune of $951 million from the Central Bank of Bangladesh to… -
opinion
Confused Who Has the Majority in Congress? You’re Not Alone.
In 2014, Republicans won a majority in Senate. However, if you’ve been watching the Senate lately, you’d be forgiven for wondering who is actually in charge. Democrats demand—and receive—amendment votes, while Republican amendments are stifled. Democrats demand—and receive—amendment votes, while Republican amendments are stifled. Appropriations bills, ostensibly written by Republicans, come to the floor lacking… -
opinion
The Sacrifices Made by the Men Who Signed the Declaration
When reading the Declaration of Independence, it is easy to focus only on the sweeping language of the second paragraph and skip over the names and mutual pledge of the signers at its conclusion. Though the principles enunciated in its opening paragraphs, such as the self-evident truth that all men are created equal, provide the… -
opinion
LGBT Groups Seek to Entrench Agenda at the UN
The U.N. Human Rights Council, which was created in 2006 to replace the notoriously corrupt and ineffective Commission on Human Rights, has proven disappointing in fulfilling its twofold mandate of promoting the human rights enumerated in international law and holding governments accountable when they violate individuals’ fundamental freedoms. Its meetings in Geneva are often a… -
news
As Turkey Attack Unfolds, Cruz Faults Obama for How He Talks About Terrorism
As Sen. Ted Cruz convened a hearing intended as a platform to criticize how President Barack Obama talks about Islamist extremism, news broke of suicide bombers attacking an airport in the capital of America’s NATO ally, Turkey. While families of the 41 people murdered in Turkey mourned, and world leaders and politicians expressed condolences, there… -
news
What Brexit Means for the European Union’s Future
Britain’s decision to leave the European Union could inspire other disaffected nations to consider a way out unless the bloc responds to anxiety across the continent over jobs, immigration, and globalization. While experts say an all-out breakup of the European Union is far-fetched, countries both successful (like Sweden) and struggling (such as Greece) may view… -
opinion
For Britain, June 23 Is Independence Day
In a historic referendum, by a margin of a million votes, the British people have decided to leave the European Union. Brexit is no longer a dream. It is a fact. It is a triumph for the simple idea that Britain should be governed by the British people. This is a momentous event in British… -
opinion
North Korea Advances Missile Threat Capabilities
After a series of previous failures, Pyongyang achieved partial success with the most recent launches of its Musudan intermediate-range ballistic missile. On June 21, the two Musudan missiles traveled 150 and 400 kilometers—far short of a fully successful test but indicating incremental progress toward eventually achieving its estimated range of 3,500 kilometers. North Korea’s four…