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
This African Country Was Once the World’s Third Poorest. Here’s How It Turned Things Around.
GABORONE, Botswana—Western governments, well-intentioned NGOs and good-old-fashioned profit-seeking capitalists have been trying for decades to help bring development and prosperity to Africa, often unsuccessfully. Botswana embraced democracy, free markets and the rule of law. In other words, economic freedom. But buried in the heart of Southern Africa lies a success story that could be a model… -
opinion
The U.S. Needs to Deal with China Differently
Between complacency and confrontation there is a responsible way forward that keeps the Asia-Pacific a big enough place to accommodate the vital interests of both Beijing and Washington. The heavy lifting will have to be done by the United States. That’s okay. The work will make America a stronger nation and a better Asian ally…. -
opinion
How the Welfare State Penalizes Parents Who Marry
Fifty-one years ago, President Lyndon B. Johnson launched the War on Poverty. Since then, taxpayers have spent more than $22 trillion fighting Johnson’s war, three times the cost of all military wars in U.S. history. Last year, taxpayers spent more than $920 billion on 80 different anti-poverty programs. Despite this spending, the percentage of Americans… -
opinion
How Can America Best Help Ukraine?
Should the U.S. send defensive weapons to the Ukrainian military? That question is currently consuming top policymakers in Washington, even as a renewed ceasefire agreement has been announced. Admittedly, this seems like a pressing issue, as Russian-backed separatists previously broke the September 2014 ceasefire agreement to seize additional territory in eastern Ukraine. Sending defensive weaponry… -
news
Bobby Jindal Says GOP Must Champion ‘Every Child Who Aspires to Join the Middle Class’
If he runs for president, Bobby Jindal says he’ll be ready to make the case that conservative policies help the most Americans. The way the Louisiana governor sees it, by the time Republican and Democratic voters choose their 2016 presidential nominees, a crowded field of GOP candidates needs to have thoroughly aired issues of consequence to… -
news
Bakers Who Declined Service to Same-Sex Couple Found to Violate Anti-Discrimination Law
The owners of an Oregon bakery who declined to make a cake for a same-sex couple’s wedding celebration were found guilty last week of violating the state’s anti-discrimination law. The bakery owners, Aaron and Melissa Klein of Sweet Cakes By Melissa, contend they were adhering to their Christian beliefs that marriage is between a man… -
news
South Korean Pastor’s ‘Drop Box’ Saves Hundreds of Unwanted, But ‘Perfect’ Lives
Most people associate the words “drop box,” with the online file-sharing tool that allows users to share data across computers and smartphones from anywhere, instantly. But for Jong-rak Lee, a pastor from Seoul, South Korea, the term has a very different meaning. For Lee, a drop box is a way to save hundreds of unwanted… -
opinion
U.S. Should Join With These 3 Countries to Fight Back Against China
Face it. China is a problem. Nations across the Pacific and Asia are looking for constructive solutions. And that’s the promise of a Quad Dialogue—a forum for developing cooperative, synchronized policies among India, Australia, Japan and the United States. Start with the facts. China’s economic policies are increasingly mercantilist. It is developing military capabilities to… -
opinion
Sub-Saharan Africa Is Struggling to Achieve Economic and Democratic Freedom
Two new reports show that Africa still has significant room for improvement in the areas of economic and democratic freedom. The Sub-Saharan Africa region improved only slightly in the 2015 edition of The Heritage Foundation/Wall Street Journal’s annual Index of Economic Freedom: Thirty-nine of the region’s economies remain “mostly unfree” or “repressed.” In the Freedom… -
opinion
Obama Rejects Arctic Oil and Gas Drilling. Is Putin Preparing to Come and Take It?
Will President Obama’s new drilling policy give the Arctic over to Russian domination? The anger, outrage and frustration in Alaska are palpable after the president stripped the state of vast stores of its oil and gas wealth. His reckless offshore oil and gas restrictions reduced Alaska’s Arctic Ocean presence to one exploration site each in… -
opinion
New US International Broadcasting CEO Disses Russian Television … and, Surprise, Putin Doesn’t Like It
Andy Lack, the new CEO of the Broadcasting Board of Governors, which oversees U.S. international agencies such as Voice of America and Radio Free Europe, has identified Russia’s propaganda offensive as one of his job’s major challenges, along with the rise of ISIS on social media and Boko Haram. “We are facing a number of… -
news
Why Won’t Obama Use the Words ‘Islamic Extremism’? Watch What This Democrat Says
In a recent interview with Fox News’ Greta Van Susteren, Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, D-Hawaii, was asked why President Obama avoids the phrase “Islamic extremism.” Gabbard, an Iraq War veteran, said, “If you are at war, which we are, you have to know who your enemy is in order to defeat them.” She criticized Secretary of… -
opinion
This Is the Only Economy That Could Rival China’s
President Obama attended India’s Republic Day Celebrations as its chief guest—the first time a U.S. head of state has been given this honor. Bilateral discussions, however, were the main order of business for this trip, cut short by the death of Saudi King Abdullah. Talks likely focused, in their limited form, on a range of important defense… -
opinion
Michelle Obama Goes Scarfless in Saudi Arabia
First Lady Michelle Obama caused quite a stir when she arrived in Saudi Arabia for the funeral of King Abdullah. As she exited Air Force One, Obama wasn’t wearing the traditional head scarf worn by women in the extremely conservative country. Immediately, Twitter was abuzz. Saudi tweeters criticized her decision, using hashtags like #Michelle_Obama_NotVeiled. Many… -
news
What You Need to Know About Congress’ Debate on Iran Sanctions
In his State of the Union address, President Obama had a strong message for a Congress angling to impose new sanctions on Iran: stay out of my way. Obama argued that additional punishments would undermine ongoing negotiations between the U.S. and Iran to prevent Tehran from having the capability to make a nuclear weapon. At… -
opinion
2015 Economic Freedom of Japan
Japan’s economic freedom score is tied for the second highest it’s ever been since the Index of Economic Freedom was first published more than 20 years ago. Scoring a 73.3, Japan ranks 20th in the world for economic freedom, an improvement over the previous year’s rank of 25. It continues to rank sixth among countries… -
news
White House Chief of Staff on Netanyahu Visit: Our Relationship With Israel is ‘Deep and Abiding’
White House Chief of Staff Denis McDonough evaded a question today on whether he agreed with an unnamed senior American official who told the Haaretz newspaper that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “spat in our face” by accepting an invitation to speak before Congress from House Speaker John Boehner. The official, quoted in the Israeli… -
news
Meet the Texans Who Could Lose Their Jobs Over Falling Oil Prices
We might be enjoying lower gas prices, but oil-rich areas of Texas are not. Economists are worried that the Lone Star state could lose tens of thousands of jobs due to falling prices. “We’re not going to know if this is a bust unless it lasts an extended period of time,” Andrew Lipow, the president… -
news
Q&A: What Does Death of King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia Mean for the US?
When King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia died on Friday, the loss could be felt in the United States. That’s because Abdullah, 90, who assumed the throne in 2005, had led one of the West’s key strategic allies in the Muslim world. Saudi Arabia is also the world’s largest exporter of oil. The king’s death creates… -
opinion
China’s Economy Continues to Slow—Probably More Than Reported
This week China announced its 2014 real economic growth rate. There are two salient takeaways from the report: First, at least officially, the economy continues to slow modestly. Gross domestic product (GDP) grew at an annual rate of 7.3 percent in the fourth quarter of 2014 and 7.4 percent over the entire year. This is…