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 Important China Story the Media Ignored This Year
Occasionally, an important foreign policy/national security story gets underreported. This year it was China’s mounting military might. It’s no one’s fault that it didn’t get the coverage it deserved, considering the stories that gripped us in 2014 like Russia rolling into Ukraine and Islamic State terror. But no time like the present to fix this,… -
opinion
The Pastor Who Brought Down a Dictator
You’ve probably heard of Vaclav Havel of Czechoslovakia and Lech Walesa of Poland, both Nobel Laureates and heroes of the Cold War who precipitated the collapse of communism in Eastern Europe a quarter-century ago. But how many of us know the story of Laszlo Tokes, a Protestant pastor who in December 1989 stood up to the… -
news
The Billionaire Who’s Making Deals With Andrew Cuomo
It’s easy to see why Barbara Walters named billionaire Elon Musk one of 2014’s most fascinating people. In the waning days of his 2014 re-election campaign, Gov. Andrew Cuomo turned to Musk to bail him out of a $1 billion economic development deal that was going down in flames — and could very well take… -
news
Sony OKs Limited Release of ‘Interview,’ Despite North Korean Threats
Sony Pictures Entertainment today announced a limited release for the film “The Interview” amid widespread criticism for pulling it because of threats by North Korea. Distribution of the comedy, about a plot to assassinate North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un, had been canceled by Sony after threats of terrorism linked to the Communist regime. Sony… -
news
Israeli Soldiers Witness Netanyahu’s Lighting of Hanukkah Candles
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was in special company Sunday when he lit candles in celebration of the sixth day of the Jewish observation of Hanukkah and again warned his nation’s enemies. Israel is “being attacked on two fronts simultaneously,” Netanyahu said in remarks to soldiers of the Israeli Defense Forces at Latrun. He added: [Israel]… -
opinion
Put North Korea Back on the Terrorist List
North Korea’s cyber attack on Sony has generated debate as to whether it was an “act of war” or “cyber-vandalism.” The answer lies in between the two extremes – the cyber attack was an act of international terrorism intended to coerce or intimidate the population. As such, the United States should return North Korea to… -
news
Who Might Be Behind the Internet Outage in North Korea
In the wake of North Korea’s hacking of Sony Pictures in response to the film “The Interview,” the Communist-led country’s Internet is reportedly “under duress,” although it was unknown if the situation is the result of a cyber attack. As first reported by The New York Times, the Internet in North Korea went dark today. “Their… -
opinion
Debunking Six Myths About North Korean Sanctions
Myth 1. The U.S. and other nations face a policy choice between sanctions or engagement All instruments of national power should be used simultaneously in conjunction with each other as part of a comprehensive, integrated strategy. No tool is meant to be used in isolation, so statements such as “Sanctions by themselves won’t be effective”… -
news
Canadians Fight Back Against North Korea, Plan ‘The Interview’ Showings
Sony Pictures’ controversial cancellation of a new movie, “The Interview,” following North Korean terrorist threats has inspired planned independent screenings in Toronto and Montreal. Taylor Scollon’s Toronto Facebook event “The Interview Screening/Suck It, Kim Jong Un/Liberty in North Korea Fundraiser” launched Dec. 19 and has already garnered 4,400 “attending” responses. “The North Korean regime maintains… -
news
Is North Korea Capable of Organizing a 9/11-Style Attack?
On “Morning Joe” today, Willie Geist asked if the North Koreans were capable of organizing a 9/11-style attack. “North Korea never carries out its threats—except when it does,” said Bruce Klingner, a senior research fellow at The Heritage Foundation who focuses on North Korea. Klingner detailed attacks orchestrated by the North Koreans, mostly on South… -
opinion
North Korea Can’t Take a Joke Because Dictators Don’t Like Being Mocked
Kim Jong Il, the former leader of North Korea, once made 11 holes-in-one in a round of golf. On a well-publicized scuba dive, Vladimir Putin, Russia's president, happened to find two ancient artifacts. Iran's Supreme Leader claims the United States, Britain, and Israel created the Islamist rebels in Syria. Dictators say a lot of crazy… -
news
‘We Had to Do Our Duty’: Raw Video of Sharyl Attkisson’s Interview With the Man Who Waterboarded the 9/11 Mastermind
The man who waterboarded 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed is standing by the CIA’s controversial enhanced interrogation program, saying the intelligence agency and its agents “had to do our duty.” In an interview with Daily Signal senior independent contributor Sharyl Attkisson, James Mitchell, a former Air Force psychologist, shared his thoughts on the controversial Senate… -
news
Meet the Man Who Waterboarded 9/11 Mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed
A week after Senate Democrats released what the media have dubbed the “torture report,” one of the men who waterboarded 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed is speaking out about his role in the program. “I do not mind giving my life for my country, but I do mind giving my life for a food fight… -
opinion
Australian Hostage-Taker Poster Boy for ISIS Propaganda Efforts to Incite ‘Lone Wolf’ Terrorist Attacks
Australian police yesterday locked down the financial district of Sydney in response to a hostage-taking incident reportedly carried out by an Iranian refugee with a long criminal record. Man Haron Monis, who is also known as Sheikh Haron, held an unknown number of hostages before being shot and killed in a police raid earlier today…. -
news
Meet the Right-Winger Who Made Barbara Walters’ ‘Most Fascinating People’ List
Barbara Walters’ annual “10 Most Fascinating People” list included the expected mix of celebrity and media types–and one unusual person. David Koch, a political activist on the right and billionaire business leader whose donations have earned him repeated mentions from Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, made the list this year. In an interview with Walters… -
news
31 Chilling Tweets From the Australian Hostage Crisis
It began at 9:24 a.m. local time, when an armed man took 17 customers and staff hostage at Lindt Café in Sydney, Australia. After more than 15 hours of failed negotiations, armed police stormed the site, attempting to rescue the hostages. At 2:35 a.m., Sydney police declared the crisis over. Two people, including the gunman,… -
news
Why Australians Responded to the Sydney Hostage Crisis With #IllRideWithYou Tweets
A Twitter campaign called #IllRideWithYou spread across Australia today following news that a gunman, reportedly Muslim, had taken hostages in a Sydney cafe. Amid the chaos, Australians banned together in hopes of combating “anti-Muslim sentiments” and started a Twitter campaign using #IllRideWithYou. The hashtag began after an Australian woman named Rachael Jacobs saw a Muslim… -
news
Fetal Surgery Still Considered ‘Radical’ in Europe and Other Countries
Fetal surgery has existed for more than three decades in the United States, but in many countries the life-saving procedure is just being introduced. In October, doctors in Hyderabad, India, conducted their first successful fetal surgery. After noticing 90 percent blockage in the aortic valve and shrinkage of the left heart ventricle in a patient’s… -
opinion
Putin’s Long Game
Russian President Vladimir Putin seems to have picked a bad time to try to restore the Russian empire. Collapsing energy prices are weakening the value of the ruble, causing inflation and depriving Putin of badly needed income. We might expect his troubles to curb his appetite for aggression. Alas, it has not. If anything, the… -
opinion
Children Repatriated by China and Laos May Have Been Executed or Imprisoned
In 2013, Laos and China forcibly repatriated nine North Korean children. Now, the fate of these children is in question. Recent reports from North Korea suggest that at least two of the children may have been executed, and the remaining seven children are allegedly imprisoned in Camp 14, a brutal forced labor camp. North Korea…