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
Pakistan’s Selective Fight Against Terrorism Threatens U.S. Security Goals in South Asia
Earlier this year, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry declared all terrorism in Pakistan “unacceptable” and offered $250 million to aid refugees displaced by the Pakistani military offensive against Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) militants in North Waziristan. The Pakistani military has repeatedly tried to assure Washington that it is committed to cracking down on all terrorist… -
opinion
Europeans Agree to Counter Russian Propaganda War
Ministers from European Union countries decided last week to work strategically to counter Russian’s propaganda offensive in Ukraine and other former Soviet states. EU countries intend to collaborate on broadcasting to give citizens in the target countries, e.g. the Baltics, an alternative to the relentless bombardment of Russian media, which produces a highly distorted version… -
news
House and Senate Pressure President Obama to Send Military Aid to Ukraine
Resolutions asking President Obama to send lethal aid to Ukraine so that the country can defend its borders from Russian aggression have passed in both the House and Senate. A resolution by Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., asking Obama to send military aid to Ukraine and condemning the “deliberate targeting of civilians” by “Russian-backed rebels” passed… -
news
NATO Intercepts Russian Warplanes as US Convoy Enters Poland
WARSAW, Poland— As a U.S. Army Stryker convoy crossed from Lithuania to Poland Tuesday—within about 12 miles of the Russian enclave of Kaliningrad—nearby NATO warplanes scrambled to intercept Russian bombers and fighters over the Baltic Sea. While neither Washington nor Moscow have suggested the parallel timing of the Russian flyby with the U.S. convoy was… -
news
How a $300 Million Bet on Australian Satellite Company Went Wrong for Export-Import Bank
As lawmakers grapple with whether to reauthorize the Export-Import Bank, an Australian satellite company with a "significantly uncertain" future that received more than $300 million in loans from the bank is in jeopardy of defaulting on its loans. NewSat, an Australian satellite communications company, has benefited from more than $304 million in loans from the Export-Import… -
opinion
If You’re a Middle Class Taxpayer Who Gets a Raise, Government Will Take This Much
How high is the marginal tax rate on each additional dollar the average American earns? In other words, if you got a raise of one dollar, how much of that dollar would be taxed away? A middle-class taxpayer’s additional income (when a single person earns more than $37,450 a year) is subject to a 25… -
opinion
Foreign Ministers of South Korea, Japan, and China Finally Meet
Saturday, the Foreign Ministers of East Asia’s largest economies met for the first trilateral meeting in three years. The ministers have met on the sidelines of regional meetings before, but the hope is that this first three-way meeting between Ministers Yun Byung-se, Fumio Kishida, and Wang Yi is a step toward stabilizing relations amongst the… -
news
Amid Fear of Russian Invasion, Baltic Countries Welcome US Support
MARIJAMPOLE, Lithuania—Citizens of the three Baltic countries have showed up in droves to welcome a U.S. Army Stryker convoy, which is traveling across Eastern Europe to underscore NATO’s commitment to defend the region from Russia. Soldiers from Iron Troop, 3rd Squadron, 2nd Cavalry Regiment arrived here Monday after a three-day journey that began Saturday in… -
opinion
China’s Economy—Hard or Soft Landing?
A panel at The Heritage Foundation on March 11 discussed whether China’s economy is heading toward a “hard” or “soft” landing. Heritage’s Walter Lohman chaired this panel of experts, which included Dr. James Dorn of the Cato Institute, Pieter Bottelier of the School of Advanced International Studies at Johns Hopkins Univeristy, and Heritage’s Dr. William… -
opinion
Woman Who Wrote Pleading Letter to Brittany Maynard Has Died. With Dignity.
Kara Tippetts didn’t choose the day she would die. On Sunday, March 22, the mother of four passed away, after close to three years of battling breast cancer. “I feel like I’m a little girl at the party whose dad’s asking her to leave early, and I’m throwing a fit,” said Tippetts, crying a little,… -
news
McCain: Obama Needs to ‘Get Over’ His ‘Temper Tantrum’ About Netanyahu’s Reelection
This morning on CNN’s State of the Union, Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., blasted the president’s priorities when it comes to U.S.-Israeli relations. McCain said that Israel had a “free and fair” democratic election, is “the only nation in the region that will have such a thing,” and that if President Obama doesn’t like the results,… -
news
Ukraine Conflict Feeds Black Market of Military Weapons
KYIV, Ukraine—When Maxim Masur deployed to the front lines of the Ukraine conflict last June with the Aydar Battalion, his unit only had one assault rifle for every 10 men. “We had to take Kalashnikovs off of the dead enemy,” said Masur, 25, who served near the eastern Ukrainian town of Luhansk. “We had no… -
news
U.S. Army Launches Show-of-Force Operation in Eastern Europe
PARNU, Estonia—The U.S. Army today launched Operation Dragoon Ride, a 1,100-mile convoy of Stryker armored fighting vehicles. It will cross six countries, beginning Estonia and ending in Germany on April 1. Operation Dragoon Ride will be an effort to counter increased Russian aggression, particularly in Ukraine. Photos: Nolan Peterson/The Daily Signal -
opinion
How Asia, U.S. Can Help End Human Trafficking
Of the nearly 21 million victims of human trafficking worldwide, an estimated two-thirds are from Asia. Many factors contribute to the severity of the problem in Asia, but one stands out among the rest: the lack of rule of law. Poorly trained local law enforcement, inadequate legal protections, and corrupt judicial systems are at the… -
opinion
Angry at Netanyahu, Obama Administration May Stop Defending Israel at UN. Why They Shouldn’t.
On Thursday, Obama administration officials indicated that the president was considering a fundamental shift in U.S. policy. Instead of using its veto to block United Nations Security Council pressure on Israel in peace negotiations with the Palestinians, the administration is now reportedly considering endorsing this effort. It is hard to overstate the seriousness of such… -
opinion
Netanyahu Is Back in the Driver’s Seat in Israel
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu scored a major victory and won a fourth term as Israel’s top leader in Tuesday’s elections. Although the last public opinion poll before the election indicated that Netanyahu’s Likud party was trailing the opposition Zionist Union coalition by 4 seats, Netanyahu surged at the end of an acrimonious campaign to win… -
news
Meet ‘Bougie’, The Man Who Might Unseat ‘Bibi’ as Israeli Prime Minister
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is up for re-election Tuesday, and recent polls suggest that his path to victory will not be easy. In fact, “Bibi” might be replaced by “Bougie.” Isaac Herzog, often referred to by his nickname “Bougie” in Israel, leads the left-of-center Zionist Union party. In addition to serving in the Knesset—Israel’s… -
news
Civilian Volunteer Battalion Prepares to Defend Ukraine’s Capital
KYIV, Ukraine—In an abandoned Soviet-era hospital on the outskirts of the city, a civilian volunteer battalion meets every weekend to prepare for a Russian invasion. The approximately 270 members of the 318th Kyiv Territorial Defense Battalion, which includes both men and women, range in age from 17 to 63, comprising students, lawyers, businessmen and former… -
opinion
How Congress Can Protect Adoption, Foster Care Agencies Who Want Mom, Dad for Kids
Should faith-based adoption providers have to agree to placing children with same-sex couples? Illinois, Massachusetts and the District of Columbia have adopted policies that would require this, in violation of some agencies’ deeply held beliefs that children deserve a mom and a dad—effectively forcing these agencies out of adoption and foster care service. Legislation re-introduced… -
opinion
The Liberal Economist Who Stirred Inequality Debate Is Backtracking
A year after the English-language edition of “Capital in the Twenty-First Century” dominated American bestseller lists, Thomas Piketty is trying to cover his retreat with an article aimed at academic economists who have largely rejected the book. In the new article, Piketty tries to guide people toward his tome’s stronger points and away from its…