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
‘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… -
news
Russia Field-Tested Hybrid Warfare in Ukraine. Why That Cyberthreat Matters for US.
KYIV, Ukraine—Since 2014 Russia has used Ukraine as a testing ground for its hybrid warfare doctrine, underscoring what some security experts say is a case study for the new kinds of security threats the U.S. and its Western allies can anticipate from Moscow. “The threats Ukraine faces are harbingers of things to come for the… -
news
James Mattis Walks Out Onto Kim Jong Un’s Doorstep. Here’s His Message.
Standing in the tense demilitarized zone dividing North Korea and South Korea, U.S. Defense Secretary James Mattis said America isn't looking for a fight, but is ready for one. “Our goal is not war,” Mattis said Friday of the nuclear missile threat from North Korea under dictator Kim Jong Un, “but rather the complete, verifiable, and irreversible… -
opinion
If Trump Skips This Event, It Could Undercut US Influence in Asia
Early this week, it became clear that President Donald Trump had decided not to attend the East Asia Summit in the Philippines on Nov. 14. He should reconsider. The annual summit brings together leaders from the 10 Southeast Asian countries with eight others from outside the Association of Southeast Asian Nations—namely, the U.S., China, Japan,… -
opinion
Media Elite Who Got Rich on Sexual Deviancy Turn on Another One of Their Own
If you wonder why Hollywood stayed so quiet so long about casting couch abuse behind closed doors, just look at how the entertainment industry enabled perverted sexual exploitation of women in front of the camera. Fashion magazine moguls at Conde Nast have now reportedly blacklisted soft-porn celebrity photographer Terry Richardson from working on shoots for… -
opinion
What Japan’s Election Outcome Means for the US, East Asia
From a distant American viewpoint, the Japanese election on Sunday was much ado about nothing. The country’s leader remained in place, the dominant party remained in control, and there will be no shifts in Japan’s policies. The electorate chose continuation of the status quo rather than risk upsetting a positive economic growth trend or putting… -
news
US, South Korea Stand United Against Kim Ahead of Trump’s Asia Trip
President Donald Trump and South Korean President Moon Jae-in could be set to take an international good cop/bad cop approach in handling the North Korean nuclear threat, one expert suggests in advance of Trump’s two-week trip to Asia in November. “While it’s true many of the things said by President Trump and [North Korea’s] Kim… -
opinion
I’m a Conservative Who Was Roofied by a Stranger. Here’s What I Think of the ‘Me Too’ Hashtag.
Me, too. That phrase has floated around social media all week, a trend started in response to the recent sexual assault allegations against Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein. The premise is simple, if not oversimplified: Shift the focus away from predators and onto the victims. Tens of thousands of women—and men—have shared their stories of rape,… -
news
Democrat Didn’t Fire Top Staffer, Who Earned $170K, for Tax Evasion Conviction
The chief of staff to Rep. Bennie Thompson spends his days in the halls of Congress and his weekends in jail for tax evasion, after the Mississippi Democrat violated his pledge to fire his wealthy chief if the aide was found guilty of stiffing the Treasury of $150,000. Issac Lanier Avant made $170,000 a year… -
opinion
The Facts About Who Pays the Most in Taxes in America
Politicians exploit public ignorance. Few areas of public ignorance provide as many opportunities for political demagoguery as taxation. Today some politicians argue that the rich must pay their fair share and label the proposed changes in tax law as tax cuts for the rich. Let’s look at who pays what, with an eye toward attempting… -
news
Nikki Haley: North Korea Deal a ‘Cautionary Tale’ for Iran Nukes
Recalling the foreign policy failures of three past administrations with regard to North Korea, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley is suggesting following the negotiating model of President Ronald Reagan instead. “Not so long ago, an American president inherited an international arms control agreement negotiated by his predecessor,” Haley told a crowd of… -
opinion
Detective Who Wrongfully Arrested Nurse Now Fired
Three months ago, Salt Lake City Detective Jeff Payne arrested a hospital nurse in what became a highly criticized incident. Salt Lake City Police Chief Mike Brown has now fired the detective after an internal investigation determined Payne violated department policies. Payne’s attorney said his client plans to appeal the decision, and blames his firing… -
news
ACLU Silent on Gay Coffee Shop Owner Who Kicked Out Pro-Lifers
The American Civil Liberties Union has remained silent on the issue of a gay coffee shop owner kicking out a group of Christians, despite multiple requests for comment from The Daily Caller News Foundation. The ACLU did not return multiple requests on an incident last week, when a gay coffee shop owner in Seattle, Washington,… -
opinion
LGBT Activists Wanted Elites, Not All, to Decide on Gay Marriage in Australia
After years of political wrangling over same-sex marriage, Australian voters are having their say in a national postal vote that ends on Nov. 7. The survey of all registered voters has the potential to resolve an issue that, thanks to the relentless lobbying of same-sex marriage activists, has been dominating the Australian political discourse for…