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 Is the ‘Forgotten Man’? A Historical Look
The Forgotten Man is back with a vengeance. Since Amity Shlaes revived the phrase in the title of her best-selling history of the Great Depression, “the Forgotten Man” has come to stand in for the losers in the left’s identity politics. Thus, the 21st-century Forgotten Man has a conventional-sounding name, is heterosexual, never went to… -
news
Wall Street Journal Editor Tells Reporters Who Don’t Like Objective Trump Coverage to Leave the Paper
Wall Street Journal Editor-in-Chief Gerard Baker told his reporters Monday the paper would not abandon objectivity in its coverage of President Donald Trump, and directed them to find work somewhere else if they want to adopt a more oppositional tone. “It’s a little irritating when I read that we have been soft on Donald Trump,”… -
opinion
North Korea Tests a Missile, and Donald Trump
Pyongyang launched another ballistic missile on Saturday, raising tensions and pushing itself to the top of the Trump administration’s policy agenda. On Feb. 12, North Korea claimed it had successfully launched a new nuclear-capable medium-range missile fired from a mobile launcher. The missile reportedly used a new solid-fueled engine capable of evasive maneuvers during flight…. -
news
On the Front Lines of the War in Ukraine, Soldiers Dig In
VOLNOVAKHA, Ukraine—On Tuesday in this embattled front-line town in eastern Ukraine, the Ukrainian army’s 30th Brigade came under 120 mm mortar fire from its enemy—a combined force of pro-Russian separatists and Russian regulars entrenched across no man’s land about 2 kilometers away. The indirect fire skirmishes in Volnovakha underscore a more widespread surge in heavy… -
news
These Are the 2 Republicans Who Voted Against DeVos
Two Republican senators voted Tuesday against President Donald Trump’s secretary of education nominee, Betsy DeVos, forcing Vice President Mike Pence to cast a historic vote to break the tie to confirm her. Republican Sens. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Susan Collins of Maine sided with every Democrat and two independent senators to oppose DeVos. Pence then cast the… -
opinion
Trump Administration Slaps Sanctions on Iran for Missile Test and Other Provocations
The Trump administration followed through on Friday with a new round of sanctions on Iran, two days after National Security Advisor Michael Flynn announced that it was “officially putting Iran on notice” for a missile test and its hostile regional policies. The sanctions were targeted at 13 individuals and 12 entities for their support for… -
opinion
It’s Time to Reel in the Obama-Appointed Ambassador Who Meddled in Macedonian Politics
Macedonia has a population smaller than Queens and is roughly the size of Vermont. It is stuck in the southern Balkans, wedged between a hostile Greece and sometimes revanchist Albania and Bulgaria. It is not the center of the universe. So why are some members of Congress having to ask our Macedonian ambassador, Jess Baily,… -
news
Leftover Obama Refugee Deal With Australia Draws Questions
In mid-November, just after Donald Trump was elected president, the outgoing Obama administration reached an agreement with Australia to resettle hundreds of refugees to America. Australia’s hard-line policy to deter illegal immigration had banished thousands of asylum-seekers, most from the Middle East, to offshore detention centers on the Pacific island nation of Nauru and Papua… -
news
‘Humanitarian Disaster’: Thousands of Civilians Caught in the Crossfire as the War in Ukraine Escalates
KYIV, Ukraine—Artillery and rockets have been raining down on the front-line town of Avdiivka in eastern Ukraine since Sunday, leaving 16,000 civilians, including 2,000 children, without heat, electricity, or clean water as temperatures dipped to 20 degrees below zero Celsius, or about minus 4 Fahrenheit. “[The] recent intensification of hostilities on the contact line in… -
opinion
Iran’s Ballistic Missile Test Defies UN, Trump Administration
The more things change, the more they stay the same. On Sunday, Iran “welcomed” President Donald Trump into office by conducting a medium-range ballistic missile test in defiance of United Nations Resolution 2231, which endorsed the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (i.e. the Iran nuclear deal) and lifted nuclear-related sanctions on Iran. Iran’s actions are… -
news
‘This Is Barbarism’: Ukrainian Troops on High Alert as War Intensifies
KYIV, Ukraine—Using artillery, tanks, and rockets, combined Russian-separatist forces attacked Ukrainian forces along the front lines in eastern Ukraine on Sunday and early Monday morning, highlighting, once again, that the February 2015 cease-fire has failed. “This is barbarism,” Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said Monday in response to the attacks, according to a tweet from his… -
opinion
Congress Should Learn From Obama’s Last-Minute UN Spending Binge
During President Barack Obama’s final days in office, administration officials ran through over $700 million in a spending binge designed to fund U.N.-related priorities that lacked support in the Republican-controlled Congress and, likely, the incoming Trump administration. Members of Congress expressed legitimate outrage about this political gifting. But Congress should be more proactive in taking… -
news
Are NATO Members Carrying Their Weight? Only 5 of 28 Countries Pay ‘Fair Share’
President Donald Trump alarmed European allies during the campaign when he suggested he might not defend NATO nations if they don’t fulfill their financial obligations, but he is not the first U.S. leader to express concerns that member countries don’t spend enough on their militaries. Currently, only five of NATO’s 28 members—the U.S., Greece, Britain,… -
opinion
UK Supreme Court Decision Will Not Derail Brexit
Today, Britain’s Supreme Court ruled that Parliament must be allowed a vote before the British government initiates Brexit. This ruling will not derail the Brexit process. It will, however, mean that Parliament must approve the triggering of Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty, which formally begins the two-year process by which Britain withdraws from the… -
news
Biden Visits Ukraine: A Farewell Pep Talk
KYIV, Ukraine—Making his last visit to Ukraine as U.S. vice president, Joe Biden, true to form, had a blunt farewell message—hang tough in the war against Russia and its proxies in the east, but don’t let up on the nationwide corruption crackdown. "Ukraine, like every country in Europe, has a right to determine its own… -
news
Black Leaders Who Support Jeff Sessions: ‘He Is a Good Man, Let That Be Heard’
During his confirmation hearing for U.S. attorney general, Sen. Jeff Sessions faced questions about his record on issues of race and civil rights. Allegations of racism contributed to the downfall of Sessions’ 1986 bid for a federal judgeship before the Senate Judiciary Committee, the same committee he is seeking approval from to move forward as… -
news
Ukraine’s Plan to Manufacture US M16 Combat Rifles Hits a Snag Over Ammunition
KYIV, Ukraine—Kalashnikov assault rifles are among the most iconic symbols of the Soviet military. Weapons such as the AK-47, the AKM, the AK-74, and the AK-103 are ubiquitous reminders of the Red Army’s legacy among the modern militaries of former Warsaw Pact countries and Soviet client states. Also, the contemporary, worldwide use of Kalashnikovs by… -
news
Democrats Who Will Scrutinize Trump’s Education Pick Attended Private Schools
Six of the 10 Senate Democrats on the committee that will consider confirming Betsy DeVos—President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for secretary of education—attended private or parochial schools, or have children and grandchildren attending, according to information obtained by The Daily Caller News Foundation Investigative Group. That inconvenient fact complicates the prospects for the National Education Association… -
opinion
Ghana Is Leading the Way for Democracy in Africa
Ghana, a West African country, has experienced peaceful transitions of power each time there has been a change in government since the country ended military rule in 1992. Solidifying its notable status as one of Africa’s most stable democracies, Ghana is about to embark on another handover of power from the sitting head of state… -
news
Trump Presses UN to Reform. Here’s What Can Be Done to Curtail Its Power.
President-elect Donald Trump spoke by phone Wednesday with new United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres—as Trump and some members of Congress are raising longstanding concerns about the organization. “The president-elect has been clear about the U.N.,” presidential transition team spokesman Sean Spicer told The Daily Signal Wednesday during a conference call with reporters. “We will demand…