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
The Ukraine War Is Supposed to End Today. But It Won’t.
KYIV, Ukraine—One year ago I was in Mariupol, Ukraine, when the first cease-fire was signed on Sept. 5, 2014. Late that afternoon I visited the still smoldering battlefields outside the city. There had been a battle that day and the day prior, involving tanks and artillery. The aftermath was tragic. Many soldiers still lay dead… -
news
Ukraine: Deadly Protests Outside Parliament Over Autonomy Vote
KYIV, Ukraine—One Ukrainian National Guard soldier died and more than 100 law enforcement personnel and civilians were injured, several critically, after violent protests erupted outside Ukraine’s parliament on Monday. Ukrainian Interior Minister Arsen Avakov said a demonstrator threw fragmentation grenades into a line of Ukrainian National Guard soldiers and law enforcement personnel guarding the entrance… -
news
As War Escalates, Ukrainian Volunteer Battalion Remains Sidelined
URZUF, Ukraine—The vehicle yard at the Ukrainian National Guard Azov Battalion’s base here looks like the set of a Mad Max movie. There is a semi-truck tractor covered in welded black armor parked next to a fleet of busses, minivans, pickup trucks and hatchback Volkswagens all painted in camouflage patterns—some sporting bullet holes. The up-armored… -
opinion
In Treaty Negotiations, Obama Administration Broke Own Red Line and Alienated China
CANCUN, Mexico – After China went Communist in the late 1940s, conservatives liked to ask “who lost China?” That same question occurred to me on Tuesday, when China made it clear that it’s not likely to sign or ratify the controversial Arms Trade Treaty any time soon. The answer to the question this time seems… -
opinion
What We Can Learn From 3 Americans Who Fought, Disarmed Attacker on Paris Train
The thwarted terrorist attack by three Americans on a Paris bound train last week exposed a flaw in terrorist tactics. Spreading fear with violence (the goal of terrorism) is not possible when populations fight back. The botched attack demonstrated vulnerabilities in a command and control terror strategy, and shows a break down in the sequence… -
news
Meet 5 Key Democrats Who Could Determine the Fate of Iran Deal
Democratic Sen. Patty Murray of Washington announced support for the Iran deal Tuesday, following on the heels of Sen. Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich., to further President Barack Obama’s growing support in the Senate. The announcements mark a setback to Republican-led efforts to secure the 67 votes needed to override a presidential veto if a resolution… -
opinion
Memo to Obama: It’s Not Iran Deal Critics Who Are the ‘Crazy’ Ones
Just back from his annual summer vacation at Martha’s Vineyard, President Barack Obama has returned to disparaging his political adversaries and anyone who happens to disagree with him on policy. According to a report in Politico, the president has taken to describing opponents of the hugely controversial Iran deal as “crazies.” The so-called “crazies” now… -
opinion
How US Should Respond to China’s Stock Market Collapse
To give perspective, China is the world’s second largest economy, as well as the second largest importer. It is the largest trading nation for 75 countries and is by far the largest importer of commodities in the world. Over the past seven years, China has accounted for an incredible one-third of global growth. But its… -
news
Why China’s Economy Is Scaring the World, Explained in 90 Seconds
Stock markets in the United States plunged over the past week, and many are blaming a place far away from home: China. Investors around the world are worried about China’s struggling economy — and its own stock market crash. Why should Americans care about China’s economic struggles, and what does it mean for the rest… -
opinion
North and South Korea Step Back From Precipice of War
SEOUL, South Korea – After marathon talks, North and South Korea have reached an agreement to defuse the rising tensions, which had created the potential for a military clash along the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ). Both Koreas can claim they achieved what they wanted. But, as with any development on the Korean Peninsula, the agreement will… -
news
China’s Economic Woes Jolt Global Stock Markets
U.S. stock markets plummeted Monday, furthering a global market decline that has eliminated nearly $10 trillion from international shares as concerns grow over China’s economic health. The Dow Jones industrial average plunged more than 1,000 points soon after trading began, continuing losses from last week that marked the worst for U.S. stocks in four years…. -
opinion
What’s Wrong With the UN’s New 169 Goals
The United Nations is quite proud of its Millennium Development Goals—the criteria it uses to measure the success of economic development programs. In a 2013 report, U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon “modestly” stated that “Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) have been the most successful global anti-poverty push in history.” Of course, this is vastly overstated. In… -
news
Michigan Could Keep Its Iran Sanctions Regardless of Washington’s Actions
As Congress spends its August recess deliberating the Iran deal, Michigan has introduced two resolutions this week urging U.S. legislators to oppose the accord. The state House is also moving to preserve its sanctions against Tehran regardless of the agreement’s fate. “Certainly, there are several members of Congress both in the House and the Senate… -
news
A Ukrainian Town on War’s Edge Faces Its Darkest Hour
SARTANA, Ukraine—A biography of Winston Churchill sits on Stephan Machsma’s desk. Machsma is the mayor of Sartana, Ukraine, and he is leading the town’s approximately 10,000 residents through their own darkest hour. On Sunday night, starting around 10 p.m., combined Russian-separatist forces shelled Sartana with 122-mm and 152-mm artillery for about 25 minutes. The attack… -
news
24 Questions for Jack Phillips, the Baker Who Gave Up Wedding Cakes for God
Jack Phillips knows he can't do anything about those who call him a hater. He says he just loves to get up each day to design and make cakes, cookies and brownies to honor God—and to make a living. “It’s a spiritual battle. We’re not fighting, God’s fighting.”—Jack Phillips This year, however, Phillips faces a… -
news
State Department Clamping Down on Speaking to Congress or Press?
The State Department has quietly issued a new policy that some insiders view as designed to keep employees from freely speaking to Congress or the press about Benghazi and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s email controversy. “It’s an absolute overreach,” says Oversight Chairman Jason Chaffetz. The State Department issued 19 pages of revised rules about official… -
opinion
Now Hugo Chávez’s PetroCaribe Program Is Hurting Venezuelans
Remember those funny commercials where the opera stars sing, “I have a structured settlement and I need cash now!”? Nicolás Maduro knows what they mean. Hugo Chávez set up PetroCaribe a decade ago when he was flush with cash and eager to buy friends and influence for his oil-rich country and the “Chavista” brand of… -
news
What the Death of a 19-Year-Old Ukrainian Soldier Teaches Us About War
MARIUPOL, Ukraine—A mortar killed Daniel Kasyanenko on a battlefield in eastern Ukraine. He was 19 years old. He died on Aug. 6, almost six months after the Feb. 12 cease-fire. He was one of 18 Ukrainian soldiers to die in a 10-day stretch from Aug. 1 to Aug. 10; 98 Ukrainian soldiers were wounded in… -
news
The Future of Nuclear Sanctions Against Iran, Explained in 90 Seconds
Under a deal requiring Iran to curb its nuclear program, the United States and the broader international community will lift sanctions on Tehran imposed over several decades. The Obama administration has said the deal will give Iran relief from nuclear-related sanctions, and not impact other sanctions aimed at Tehran over its sponsorship of terrorism and… -
news
Artillery Attack Rattles Ukrainian City as War With Russian Separatists Heats Up
MARIUPOL, Ukraine—Thunderstorms hovering over the Sea of Azov caught the setting sun, turning orange and then pink. A cool end-of-day breeze kicked up. Later Sunday night in downtown Mariupol when the artillery started, the booms and flashing lights over the rooftops looked like lightning and sounded like thunder. To the trained ear, however, the sounds…