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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news
Ukraine War Freezes Over as State Department Updates Travel Warning
KYIV, Ukraine—As the Ukraine war approaches its third calendar year, daily skirmishes threaten to unglue a shaky truce. The consequences of Russia’s military pivot to Syria, meanwhile, remain foggy. The U.S. State Department on Monday updated its travel warning for Ukraine, urging all U.S. citizens in the eastern Donbas region and in Russian-occupied Crimea to… -
opinion
North Korea’s Failed Diplomacy
Twin events over the weekend dashed tremulous predictions that North Korea was seeking to improve strained relations with South Korea and China. Pyongyang’s decisions to engage in senior-level talks with South Korea, and send Kim Jong-un’s hand-picked Moranbong band to Beijing, presaged (it was hoped) the regime’s intent to substitute parley for its typical pugnacity…. -
opinion
Russia’s Nuclear Treaty Violations and the Obama Administration’s Tepid Response
Russia continues to violate the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty by fielding a prohibited ground-launched cruise missile system. Rose Gottemoeller and Brian McKeon, two high-level administration officials dealing with arms control issues, testified earlier this month before a joint hearing of the House Armed Services and Foreign Affairs Committees on how the Obama administration is… -
opinion
The Real People Who Will Be Affected by Last Minute Changes to the Visa Waiver Program
Tuesday, the House passed an amendment that would suspend those who have been to Syria, Iraq, Iran, and the Sudan in the past 5 years from being eligible for the Visa Waiver Program (VWP). This ban will affect the missionaries, humanitarian aid and rights workers, and journalists from France, United Kingdom, Japan, and 35 other… -
opinion
Why North Korea’s Claim That It Has a Hydrogen Bomb Is Worrisome
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un asserted that his country has built a hydrogen nuclear bomb to “defend its sovereignty and the dignity of the nation.” If true, it would mark a significant and startling escalation in the regime’s ability to threaten the United States in its allies. While North Korea has developed an arsenal of… -
opinion
China’s Major Pollution Problem Causes Beijing to Issue a ‘Red Alert’
On Monday, for the first time, Beijing announced a “red alert.” The alarm was a consequence of the thick smog that had blanketed the city and was deemed a health hazard even to healthy residents of Beijing. The air quality is rated on a scale of zero to 500 (the higher the number, the worse… -
opinion
7 Disputes Being Debated This Week at the UN Climate Conference in Paris
Week one of the U.N. climate conference in Paris (COP21) concluded with the adoption of a draft “outcome.” This was the must-have first step if the U.N. is to have a chance of adopting a full treaty this week. The draft is riddled with unresolved and divisive issues. For instance, it contains multiple versions of… -
news
Experts Urge John Kerry to Include Christians in State Department Middle East Genocide Finding
A silent persecution of Christians tantamount to genocide is ongoing in the Middle East, according to experts in Washington. Last week, at a panel organized by The Heritage Foundation to discuss modern Christian martyrs, academic, religious, and media leaders discussed the persecution—as well as the inattention being paid to the issue by developed nations including… -
opinion
Venezuela Staves Off Default in Advance of Dec. 6 Election
Legislative and municipal elections this weekend might give Venezuelans a chance to get out from under the oppressive reign of corruption and criminality that have been the hallmarks of the government of President Nicolás Maduro. But don’t hold your breath. Maduro has warned that he will not “surrender the revolution” to an opposition victory, and… -
opinion
Why China Shouldn’t Be Trusted on Its Climate Commitment
There has been a lot of attention given to China at the climate conference in Paris. As the largest emitter of greenhouse gas emissions in the world, a lot depends on what China will do—or more accurately what it won’t do. Lots of media reports have commended China for its sudden commitment to climate change. But… -
opinion
Leading Muslim Voice Speaks Out Against Islamic Extremism
In the aftermath of the massacre in Paris and the shooting this week in San Bernardino, Calif., the debate over the threat of Islamic terrorism is again front and center. Many political leaders, including President Barack Obama, refuse to make the connection between the terrorist acts of groups like ISIS and the religion of Islam…. -
opinion
Why Montenegro Was Just Invited to Join the NATO Alliance
On Wednesday, foreign ministers extended an invitation of NATO membership to Montenegro, a small nation in the Balkans. The decision to offer Montenegro membership will strengthen the NATO alliance, improve regional security in the Balkans, and most importantly send a clear signal that NATO remains committed to its open door policy. It also shows other countries… -
opinion
Judge Throws Out Lawsuit Filed by Those Who Found a WWI Memorial Cross Offensive
In a decision on Monday that preserves the thanks of a nation for the sacrifice of Americans who died in World War I, Maryland federal judge Deborah Chasanow (a Clinton appointee) threw out a lawsuit filed by the American Humanist Association over a forty-foot-tall war memorial that is almost 100 years old. The monument, built… -
opinion
Rebooting the U.S.-China Cyber Dialogue
U.S. and Chinese officials meet today in Washington to discuss ongoing challenges to cyber-security. Behind closed doors, there’s bound to be finger-pointing. After all, China is a leading source of cyber-attacks on U.S. corporate and government facilities. Expectations for the meeting have already been lowered. A recent state visit by Chinese President Xi produced nothing… -
opinion
Yes, the European Union Wants a Court for That, Too…
When it comes to the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP), a proposed trade agreement between the United States and the European Union, there are many opinions on how to structure the arrangement. One disagreement concerns how to protect investors. With any large trade agreement, disputes between investors and governments are bound to arise. To… -
opinion
West Germany’s Former Chancellor Predicted Europe Would Have an Assimilation Problem
In 1990, former West German Chancellor Helmut Schmidt told me in an interview that massive Islamic immigration into Europe kept him awake at night. Between pinches of snuff, Schmidt said he worried Muslims wouldn’t assimilate, and that this would become a big problem for the continent. Schmidt’s ruminations are worth remembering following French President François… -
opinion
Want to Know Why the South China Sea Is Always Being Talked About?
Many politicians have recently voiced concern regarding Chinese activity in the South China Sea. With all the issues to be discussed, some might wonder why so much attention has been paid to a body of water so far away from the U.S. The answer lies in an American interest as old as the Republic itself…. -
news
How Will Downing of Russian Plane Impact Campaign Against ISIS?
President Barack Obama on Tuesday used the downing of a Russian warplane as evidence to support the view of the international community that the Kremlin get with the program in the fight against the Islamic State. While the move by Turkey, a NATO ally, to shoot down a Russian jet that it says was flying… -
opinion
Why Turkey Shot Down a Russian Fighter Jet
On Tuesday morning a Russian Su-24 warplane was shot down by Turkish F-16s after violating Turkish airspace. According to the latest media reports one Russian pilot was killed and another has been captured by local rebel forces on the ground. To discuss what this means for NATO, the U.S., and the on-going conflict in Syria… -
news
How One Religious Organization Is Helping Syrian Refugees as They Arrive in Europe
As the United States debates how to properly vet 10,000 Syrian refugees expected to resettle here, employees with Samaritan’s Purse are stationed on the frontlines in Greece, working to be a “face of compassion” for refugees fleeing war and terror. Ken Isaacs, vice president of programs and government relations for Samaritan’s Purse, spent a week…