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
Meet the Former Addict Who Now Cuts Homeless People’s Hair for Free
Nasir Sobhani knows first-hand the toll addiction and homelessness can take. Which is why these days the recovering cocaine addict and barbershop owner spends his time helping others in need in an effort to pay his good fortune forward. “I love it so much, it’s like my new way of getting high … It’s like… -
news
In Ukraine, War and Peace Live Side By Side
KYIV, Ukraine—Konstantin Bernatovich’s hands began to tremble. He leaned forward, breathing quickly. He tried to say something, but his English failed him and he pulled out his smartphone to type a Russian message into Google Translate: “Seeing you makes me feel very nervous. I have to go smoke a cigarette for a moment to calm… -
opinion
A Space War With China or Russia Is a Real Threat
A war in space sounds like a great plot for a summer blockbuster. Unfortunately, a conflict in space isn’t just a Hollywood movie script anymore, but a threat in the real world. Both Russia and China have developed, or are developing, the ability to shoot satellites out of space. In addition to this, a number… -
opinion
The Flash, the Boom, and the Dark: 8 Days on the Front Line of the Ukraine War
PISKY, Ukraine—There are a lot of ways to die in Pisky, and they all come down to seconds and inches. Snipers, artillery, mortars, booby-traps. That’s the worst part of this war. You just never know when it’s going to happen. Seconds and inches. Fifty more years and the long road ahead, or the flash and… -
opinion
Chinese Say They’re Just Watching the Weather From Islands in South China Sea
Having antagonized much of the region with its island building in the South China Sea, as demonstrated by the loud chorus of concern heard at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore several weeks ago, Beijing is now claiming that the islands are intended for weather observation. “The construction of infrastructure for observation and communication is the… -
opinion
African Growth and Opportunity Act and Generalized System of Preferences Renewal Delayed by Fast-Track Debate
After much delay, Congress has acted on two much anticipated trade preference programs: the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) and the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP). But, unfortunately, the preference bills have been caught up in the controversies surrounding President Obama’s trade agenda. At the last minute, House leaders attached language to the renewal… -
opinion
What America Can Learn From Europe’s Attempts to Stem Growth of Islamist Ideology
Watching Europeans grapple with multiculturalism as they attempt to stem the growth of Islamist ideology at home can be instructive. It may even convince U.S. leaders of the wisdom of once again assimilating immigrants to a unique American culture and set of national principles. In Germany, one of the most controversial aspects of multiculturalism, granting… -
news
This Is What the Ukraine War Looks Like: 8 Days on the Front Line
PISKY, Ukraine—The notion that the Ukraine cease-fire is still largely holding, or even being followed at all, is fiction. In the eastern Ukrainian village of Pisky, only six kilometers from the separatist stronghold of Donetsk, and two kilometers from the ruined Donetsk airport, the Ukrainian army 93rd Mechanized Brigade is engaged in sustained combat with… -
news
The Issue That May Determine Who Wins Iowa
With the race to the White House in full swing and the Iowa Caucus less than eight months away, one issue hits Iowans closer to home than most: renewable fuels. At a briefing in Washington this week, the Iowa Renewable Fuels Association emphasized that exceedingly local issues like ethanol and biodiesel will play big in… -
opinion
Hong Kong Rejects Communist China’s Bogus Election Plan
The people of Hong Kong have once again given the world a lesson in democracy and liberty, this time by rejecting a bogus election plan hatched by communists in the People’s Republic of China. This is the gist of confusing events that took place Thursday in the former British colony. Lawmakers in the mini-legislature, the… -
opinion
North Korea’s Brutal Regime, Not the Weather, Primary Culprit for Nation’s Food Shortage
In the past Pyongyang blamed its poor crop yield on alternating claims of cataclysmic floods and droughts that left South Korea unaffected. The reality was that North Korea’s disastrous economic system was to blame, combined with the country’s mountainous geography which is not conducive to agricultural self-sufficiency. Historically, the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula… -
opinion
This Bill Would Stop Obama Administration From Punishing People Who Stand Up for Marriage
In April, members of the Supreme Court asked Solicitor General Donald Verrilli, the federal government’s top lawyer, if the administration could strip religious schools that believe marriage is the union of husband and wife of their tax-exempt status should the Court redefine marriage. Verrilli responded by saying “[i]t’s certainly going to be an issue.” Congress… -
opinion
New York Times Ignores Children of Gay Parents Who Want a Mom and Dad
The New York Times ran an article this weekend profiling and quoting many children of gay and lesbian parents under the headline “What Could Gay Marriage Mean for the Kids?” Noticeably absent were any children who, while loving their two moms or two dads, yearned for both a mom and dad. In my new book,… -
opinion
Who Are America’s Conservative Heroes? This Author Picked 14 From US History
Garland Tucker is the author of a new book, "Conservative Heroes," which chronicles 14 leaders who shaped America—dating from the time of America's founding to President Ronald Reagan's administration. The author, who previously wrote, "The High Tide of American Conservatism: Davis, Coolidge, and the 1924 Election," spoke to The Daily Signal about his latest book… -
opinion
How the Information Nabbed in the OPM Hacking Helps Chinese Spies
Former Director of Central Intelligence George Tenet famously said when asked about so-called open source (unclassified) intelligence, “we only pay for secrets.” He spoke with the confidence of a man born and raised in the world of the 20th century spy and the Cold War. With the massive leak of government employee information from the… -
opinion
How to Improve the UN
Seventy years ago, the five victors of World War II and 46 other signatory nations ratified the United Nations Charter, thus making the U.N. an official international body. Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon is using the anniversary to celebrate its accomplishments. He says, “The year 2015 is a once-in-a generation opportunity.” It is indeed. The year… -
news
Anti-Communist Group Honors Cuban Dissident Who ‘Lost Hope’ in Obama
Americans and other friends of freedom need to keep pressure on the Communist regime in Cuba, if true democratic reforms ever are to take root there, one of the leading human rights activists in the island nation says. “The dictatorship has become stronger over these past two years,” human rights activist @cocofarinas says. Psychologist and… -
news
Ukraine Prime Minister Wants US Help to Deter Russia
Military training is appreciated, but Ukraine needs more from the U.S. if it is to stave off Russia, its prime minister said in Washington this week. Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk of Ukraine asked the U.S. for economic assistance as well as defensive lethal weapons to help Ukrainian troops push back the 10,000 Russian troops in… -
news
United Nations Report: Iranian Violations of Sanctions Are Going Unreported
Countries monitoring the Iranian nuclear program are failing to report Iran for violating sanctions imposed against it, according to a United Nations report. The report also suggests that violations of the United Nations Security Council’s sanctions by the Iranian regime are going unreported because it would reflect poorly on Tehran as they negotiate a nuclear… -
opinion
Think That News Story Online Is a Hoax? It May Be Written By Russian Propagandists
Did you ever hear the one about the Columbian Chemicals factory in Centerville, La., blown up by ISIS terrorists on Sept. 11? Possibly not—because it did not happen. On Twitter and YouTube, however, such a “news story” did make the rounds, planted it appears by a St. Petersburg-based Russian propaganda outfit, innocently named the Internet…