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
Ukrainians React to Iran’s Admission of Guilt in Shooting Down Airliner
KYIV, Ukraine—Ukrainians of all generations know what it’s like to have a war in their homeland. In World War II, Ukraine was the deadliest battlefield of the deadliest war in human history. And today, just 400 miles southeast of Ukraine’s capital city of Kyiv, Ukrainian soldiers remain hunkered down in trenches and improvised forts, facing…Nolan Peterson -
- Opinion
North Korean Christian Martyr: ‘Even If I Die, I Do Not Have Any Regrets’
Her name isn’t Hae Woo, but—like a lot of traumatized North Koreans—she doesn’t want to take any chances. “I’m a believer,” she says, “because of my husband, because of the things he told me and my children about Jesus. ‘You cannot see Him,’ he would say, ‘but He is alive and working.’” That became harder…Tony Perkins -
- Opinion
Why Putin’s Government Just Resigned
On Wednesday, Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev announced that he and his government were resigning to allow for new constitutional changes by President Vladimir Putin. The announcement was completely unexpected, and yet the outlook for Russia’s future looks the way many have expected. Putin has been in power for 20 years and will probably continue…Alexis Mrachek -
- News
Trump Administration Illegally Withheld Aid From Ukraine, GAO Finds
The Trump administration violated the law by withholding $214 million in security assistance to Ukraine in the summer of 2019, according to a legal opinion by the nonpartisan Government Accountability Office. “Today, GAO issued a legal decision concluding that the Office of Management and Budget violated the law when it withheld approximately $214 million appropriated…Andrew Kerr -
- Opinion
How Europe Made Itself Dependent on Nefarious Oil Powers
Despite its cool Green parties and ambitious wind and solar agendas, Europe remains by far the world’s largest importer of oil and natural gas. Oil output in the North Sea and off the coast of Norway is declining, and the European Union is quietly looking for fossil fuel energy anywhere it can find it. Europe…Victor Davis Hanson -
- Opinion
To Keep African Americans Safe, Target Criminals, Not Police
Criminal activity imposes huge costs on black residents in low-income neighborhoods of cities such as Chicago, Baltimore, Detroit, St. Louis, Philadelphia, and many others. Thousands of black Americans were murdered in 2019. Over 90% of the time, the perpetrator was also black. Leftists and social justice warriors charge that what blacks have to fear most…Walter E. Williams -
- News
Iran Admits to Shooting Down Ukrainian Airliner
KYIV, Ukraine—U.S. officials say Iran likely shot down a Ukrainian airliner by accident Wednesday morning, just hours after the Islamist regime launched a barrage of ballistic missiles at bases in Iraq housing U.S. troops. >>> Update: Iranian President Hassan Rouhani admitted Saturday morning local time that Iranian forces unintentionally shot down the airliner. “The Islamic Republic…Nolan Peterson -
- News
Questions Mount as Ukrainian Airliner Crashes in Iran, Killing All Onboard, Hours After Missile Attack
KYIV, Ukraine—A Ukrainian International Airlines Boeing 737-800 crashed Wednesday morning only minutes after takeoff from Tehran and only hours after Iran launched a barrage of ballistic missiles at U.S. forces based in neighboring Iraq. Data from Flightradar24, a website that tracks aircraft, indicates the Ukrainian airliner crashed roughly two minutes after taking off from Imam Khomeini…Nolan Peterson -
- News
Trump Opts for More Sanctions, Not Military Action, After Iran’s Attack
Less than 24 hours after Iran fired 15 missiles at U.S. military facilities in Iraq, President Donald Trump signaled a strong desire to deescalate by announcing new sanctions instead of a military response. Trump also urged allies to put more pressure on Iran’s Islamist dictatorship. “As long as I am president of the United States,…Fred Lucas -
- Opinion
European Islamists’ Not-So-Happy Holidays Terrorism Plots
We are just one week into 2020, and already Europe has suffered its first Islamist terrorist attack of the year. On Friday, a 22-year-old French citizen named in the press as “Nathan C.” began stabbing joggers in a park in Paris. One man died while trying to protect his wife, who was also seriously injured….Robin Simcox -
- Opinion
China’s Repression of the Uighurs Merits a Strong Human Rights Response
Last year, I had the privilege of taking a private tour of the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum’s Americans and the Holocaust exhibit. The purpose of the exhibit is to highlight the role of average Americans and their response to the events of the Holocaust. As I wandered the halls of the museum, my eyes were…Olivia Enos -
- News
Why Ukrainians Are Skeptical About Peace With Russia in 2020
KYIV, Ukraine—This is Ukraine’s sixth consecutive New Year at war. In the frigid steppes of the country’s southeastern Donbas region, tens of thousands of Ukrainian troops remain engaged in a defensive, limited conflict against a Russian invasion force. Europe’s only ongoing land war has so far killed more than 13,000 people and casualties still occur…Nolan Peterson -
- Opinion
North Korea Starts the New Year With the Threat of a Big Bang
No, North Korea didn’t launch an intercontinental ballistic missile on Dec. 25, as predicted by some observers disturbed by its recent hints about a “Christmas present” for the U.S. But we shouldn’t breathe a sigh of relief just yet. Pyongyang, after all, marked the culmination of its highly anticipated end-of-year deadline with a strident threat…Bruce Klingner -
- Opinion
Chinese Pastor Sentenced to 9 Years in Prison Amid Renewed Persecution
Wang Yi, a renowned Christian pastor in China, was quietly sentenced on Monday to nine years in prison, stripped of his political rights for three years, and fined 50,000 yuan. His sentence is harsh and symptomatic of a broader crackdown in China on Christians and people of all faiths. Wang was taken into custody just…Olivia Enos -
- Opinion
How Beijing Controls Chinese Citizens Through Family, Education, and Speech
You may have read about China’s practice of foot-binding. It’s an ancient custom dating back to the supposedly pleasing aesthetic sense of the 10th century. To improve their marriage prospects, women would bind their feet with bandages from an early age to stunt the growth of them. The tradition was damaging to the development of…Lee Edwards -
- Opinion
China Fires Shot Across Bow With New Aircraft Carrier
The People’s Republic of China this week officially became a producer of aircraft carriers. The Shandong entered service, introducing the first domestically produced aircraft carrier to the People’s Liberation Army Navy. It’s a stark reminder that this is a competitive world when it comes to pursuit of national interests. The U.S. has to keep up…Dean Cheng -
- Opinion
Britain’s Brexit Delay Is Foolish for Free Trade
Britain’s House of Commons has voted to request a delay in Britain’s exit from the European Union. It’s like a kid who removes a Band-Aid slowly hoping it’ll hurt less. Far better to rip it off and be done with it. The people of the United Kingdom voted in June 2016 to leave the EU….Ted Bromund -
- Opinion
Scholar Disinvited as Speaker for NATO Celebration Shouldn’t Have Planned to Criticize President
I recently came across Stanley Sloan’s Dec. 7 Facebook post, in which he let his friends and followers know that his planned address for the Dec. 10 celebration of NATO’s 70th anniversary was abruptly canceled by the Danish Atlantic Council. The cancellation was due to the decision by the U.S. Embassy in Copenhagen not to support…Yvonne Davis -
- Opinion
The Several Meanings of the Conservative Victory in the UK
The socialist gamble in Great Britain failed miserably. That’s the main takeaway of the Labour Party’s stunning defeat Thursday in the British general election, with some polls suggesting it has won its fewest seats in Parliament since 1935. The socialists thought they could win a majority in Parliament by leaning far left and promising to…Lee Edwards -
- News
In Round 1 of Ukraine Peace Talks, Zelenskyy Holds His Own With Putin
KYIV, Ukraine—These days, it gets dark around 4 p.m. here in Ukraine’s capital city. The leaves are all gone from the trees, and the skies are often gray. The Dnieper River hasn’t iced over yet. However, about 400 miles southeast of Kyiv in Ukraine’s embattled Donbas region, the front lines of Europe’s only ongoing land…Nolan Peterson