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
China: Oil in Iraq Exposes Dilemma
As the civil-war-stricken Iraqi government continues to battle the Islamic State, the People’s Republic of China (PRC) has been closely watching its substantial oil holdings in the region. Watching, however, is all it can do. China has long emphasized its Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence, emphasizing respect for sovereignty and non-aggression. Though these principles are… -
news
Rep. Cory Gardner Explains How U.S. Energy Expansion Can Thwart Russia
According to Rep. Cory Gardner, natural gas production isn’t just beneficial to Americans back home. The Colorado congressman’s home state is the fourth largest natural gas producer in the United States. Not only has the industry provided more than 90,000 jobs, but Gardner also argues that energy expansion has the opportunity to have a “real… -
opinion
10 Ways the U.S. Should Respond to Russia’s Role in Plane Crash
Evidence is mounting that Russian-backed insurgents in eastern Ukraine were responsible for the shooting down of a Malaysian Airlines plane, with the loss of 298 lives. This was an act of barbarism by separatists who are armed, funded, and trained by Moscow. It follows from Russia’s illegal invasion, occupation, and annexation of Crimea and its… -
news
Another Anchor Quits Russian TV Network, Citing ‘Lies’ About Malaysian Plane Crash
RT anchor Sara Firth resigned Friday in protest of the TV network’s coverage of the Malaysian plane crash that left 298 dead. Taking to Twitter, she said: https://twitter.com/Sara__Firth/status/490101978622857216 Firth was a London-based correspondent of the Kremlin-funded TV channel. She worked there for five years and quit after RT suggested Ukraine was responsible for the downing… -
news
Dianne Feinstein: Putin Needs to ‘Man Up,’ Address Malaysia Airlines Attack
Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., issued a stern warning to Russian President Vladimir Putin today, saying he should “man up” and address last week’s tragic attack on a Malaysian jetliner. Feinstein, chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee, discussed Russia’s role in the downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 during an interview with Candy Crowley on CNN’s… -
news
John Kerry: ‘Pretty Clear’ Russia Involved in Malaysian Plane Crash
Secretary of State John Kerry confirmed today that pro-Russian separatists were involved in Thursday’s attack on a Malaysia Airlines plane which left 298 dead and said it is “pretty clear” Russia also had a role in the tragic event. He told host Candy Crowley on CNN’s “State of the Union”: It’s pretty clear that this is… -
opinion
Only Russia Can Make Peace With Ukraine
Yesterday, hundreds of innocents from all over the world lost their lives in the skies over Ukraine. This horrible tragedy is a clear reminder of how very far from peace this part of the world remains. Only one capital can end the needless conflict. It’s not Washington. It’s Moscow. Before the downing of flight MH-17,… -
opinion
Two Cheers for Australia’s Commitment to Economic Freedom
Over the past 20 years, the Index of Economic Freedom, a data-driven policy guide published by The Heritage Foundation and The Wall Street Journal, has emphasized that the right policies for economic growth must be fought for with enduring commitment. In recent years, Australia has cemented a spot among the world leaders in economic freedom,… -
opinion
Obama Sanctions Russian Firms Once Subsidized by Ex-Im Bank
Two of the four Russian firms targeted for economic sanctions by President Obama this week received substantial subsidies from the Export-Import Bank. The financial ties highlight the complications inherent in U.S. taxpayer-financing of state-controlled outfits overseas. The president’s announcement of new sanctions on Wednesday followed weeks of warnings that Russia would face consequences for the… -
opinion
Australia Repeals Carbon Tax
Australia has become the first developed nation to repeal its carbon tax after the Australian Senate voted to dismantle the tax on Wednesday in a 39–32 decision. The carbon tax has been hurting Australian consumers and businesses since its implementation, so much so that Tony Abbott, Australia’s prime minister, made eliminating it part of his… -
news
Brooks County, Texas: Ranchers Help Secure Border-Crossers Who Skirt Checkpoint
FALFURRIAS, Texas — Far from the crisis along the border with Mexico in the Rio Grande Valley, the checkpoint here exists to deter those who made it this far but want to get away. To an American, the three-lane checkpoint some 70 miles from the border seems far from threatening. A Border Patrol agent asks if… -
news
Did Russia’s Aggression Contribute to Malaysian Plane Crash?
Tragedy has returned to haunt Malaysia Airlines. Commercial flight MH17 reportedly was shot down by a surface-to-air missile over Ukraine, close to the Russian border. Of the 295 people aboard the Boeing 777, none is believed to have survived. The airliner crashed in the inflamed Donetsk region of Ukraine. Both the Ukrainian government and Russian-backed… -
opinion
U.S.-China Summit Seeks Improved Relations Yet Again
U.S. officials and observers are hoping last week’s U.S.-China Strategic and Economic dialogue will halt what some are calling a “downward spiral” in relations between the two powers. However, this week’s meetings are unlikely to yield transformative changes in policy. In addition to China’s abysmal human rights record, especially under President Xi, two issues that… -
news
How U.S. Taxpayers Subsidize Fossil Fuels in Russia, Saudi Arabia While Being Penalized at Home
Americans have to pay more for electricity and compete for fewer jobs because of President Obama’s regulatory curbs on fossil fuels at home, even as their tax dollars support expansion of those same energy sources abroad. The Obama administration last month rolled out its most recent brake on fossil fuels, a 645-page proposed rule to… -
news
Santorum’s Lesson in Liberty for Senators Who Want to Override Hobby Lobby Ruling
What does Rick Santorum, an advocate of religious liberty, think about Senate Democrats pressing ahead with legislation to undermine the Supreme Court’s Hobby Lobby decision? Not much, since the former Pennsylvania senator agrees with the 5-4 ruling that the government can’t force family-owned businesses to cover abortion-inducing drugs and devices in employee health plans if doing so would violate their… -
opinion
India: Modi’s First Budget Is Short on Details
Instead of a big bang, the reaction to India’s first budget under Prime Minister Narendra Modi was more of a whimper. The highlight of the budget was a vow to lift economic growth to 7–8 percent within the next three years. Also, in a bid to attract new capital, the foreign ownership caps on defense… -
opinion
Collective Self-Defense Is Good for the U.S.-Japan Alliance
On July 1, a prime-minister-appointed security advisory panel determined that Japan has the right to collective self-defense, a right guaranteed to all nations under the U.N. charter but previously not exercised under Japan’s pacifist constitution. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s decision to implement collective self-defense will strengthen the U.S.–Japan alliance, but he faces strong opposition domestically… -
opinion
The U.S. and China’s Changing Investment Patterns
A new and growing shift in China’s outward foreign direct investment (OFDI) from developing to developed world is well underway, and according to The Heritage Foundation and American Enterprise Institute’s China Global Investment Tracker, the prime target in the first half of 2014 was once again the United States. Until a few years ago, Chinese… -
opinion
Would Restricting Trade with China be Tough, or Just Stupid?
In his famous “Time for Choosing” speech, Ronald Reagan observed: “This is the issue of this election: whether we believe in our capacity for self-government or whether we abandon the American revolution and confess that a little intellectual elite in a far-distant capitol can plan our lives for us better than we can plan them… -
opinion
U.S. Shortwave Broadcasting to Asia Is Muted
Once again, the U.S. government’s international broadcasting is at the center of a storm of its own making. The Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG) announced deep cuts in services for Voice of America (VOA), Radio Free Europe, and Radio Free Asia shortwave transmissions to Asia, effective end of business June 30. These cuts include programs…