The Sting In The Tail of Cancun

In Cancun, the U.S. Gets Played, Weekly Standard, August 31, 2015. "The Conference of States Parties—the first meeting of nations that have ratified the controversial Arms Trade Treaty (ATT)—wrapped up in Cancun on Thursday. Because it’s wisely not ratified the ATT, the U.S. was there as an observer. So was I. And on Thursday, I got to observe as the U.S. got played."

Unhappy Families and Bad Agreements

Obama Deals are Heavy on Hopes, Light on Enforcement, Yorkshire Post, August 31, 2015. "Like unhappy families, bad agreements are each bad in their own way. And of course there are degrees of badness: no trade deal, no matter how implausibly dreadful, could be worse than a nuclear deal gone wrong. But bad agreements do have a few features in common."

An Absence of Standards Is A Standard Absence

How Do You Know This Treaty’s Working?,, Weekly Standard, August 28, 2015. "Supporters of human rights treaties tend to pour a remarkable amount of energy into promoting treaty ratification, while spending remarkably little time thinking about the problems of assessing compliance and, ultimately, whether the treaty is actually working. That’s certainly been the case with advocates of the Arms Trade Treaty (ATT). The consequences of this modus operandi are evident here in Cancun, where the states signed onto the pact are holding their first meeting."

Another Broken Red Line

In Treaty Negotiations, Obama Administration Broke Own Red Line and Alienated China, Daily Signal, August 27, 2015. "When the negotiations for the Arms Trade Treaty began, the Obama administration promised that they’d be conducted by consensus. In the U.N., that means that no one objects. But when the negotiations couldn’t reach a consensus agreement, the U.S. supported jumping to the U.N. General Assembly, which adopted the treaty by majority rule. The issue isn’t so much that China’s worried about the Arms Trade Treaty, or, indeed, that this treaty would actually change China’s behavior. But as the Chinese delegate said, the move to the General Assembly 'sets a bad precedent.'"

The Failures of Cancun

In Cancun, the Air Leaks Out of the ATT’s Balloon, Weekly Standard, August 26, 2015. "But in spite of the sandcastle tank and similar inspired silliness, there’s a distinct sense that the air is coming out of the ATT’s balloon. The U.S., China, and India are here only as observers, and Russia didn’t show up at all. With only 121 attendees, there are 72 U.N. member states missing. True, a few delegations were apparently held up by visa problems (it’s rumored that some of the African delegations that Control Arms funded to attend were denied transit rights by the U.S., on the grounds that they’d committed human rights violations). But the blunt fact is that this room is filled mostly with nations that play, and can play,virtually no role in controlling or participating in the international arms trade."

Global Economic Freedom Agenda

2015 Global Agenda for Economic Freedom, section on "Europe," with other Heritage authors, Heritage Foundation Special Report #160, August 26, 2015. "The promotion of economic freedom at home and abroad is essential not only for a genuine and sustained revitalization of the U.S. economy, but also to strengthen U.S. national security. In 2010, the United States fell from the highest category of economically free countries in the Index of Economic Freedom and has been stuck in the ranks of the “mostly free,” second-tier economic freedom category ever since. The message for the U.S. in the 2015 edition of the Index is simple: to avoid further decline Americans must press for more economic freedom at home and abroad. This Heritage Foundation Special Report describes in detail concrete plans to promote global economic freedom. It describes many actions that nations around the world need to take, and offers Washington a blueprint for a practical and effective global strategy. American leadership can be decisive in promoting property rights and anti-corruption measures in other countries. In addition, the report urges the U.S. government to pursue more vigorously agreements with partner countries around the world that reduce barriers to trade and investment, as opposed to any that might only create additional regulatory hurdles to doing business. It also stresses the importance for all governments (including in the U.S.) to promote opportunity for all and to identify and reduce support for state-owned enterprises that are breeding grounds for cronyism and favoritism. This global agenda can and should be implemented—starting today."

In Cancun, Blame America First

Arms Trade Treaty: The Blame America First Crowd Goes to Cancun, FoxNews.com, August 25, 2015. "The first annual meeting of the nations that have ratified the 2014 Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) opened on Monday, August 24 at a spa in Cancun, Mexico. The treaty’s been controversial in the U.S. from the moment negotiations on it began, and this meeting will surely stoke the suspicions of those who think the treaty’s real aim is to crimp America’s sovereignty and constitutional liberties."

The Down Sides of Transparency

The Arms Trade Treaty and the Paradoxes of Transparency, Weekly Standard, August 24, 2015. "The first Conference of States Parties (CSP) to the Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) opens today in Cancun. Evidently, treaty signatories believe a seaside resort is a suitable location to discuss the international arms trade. Perhaps they’re right. This treaty is so ridiculous, so silly—in a word, so unserious—that it’s fit for beach reading."

Sport Shooting's Not the Problem, It's an Answer

Walter Palmer Isn’t Africa’s Biggest Problem, Newsday, August 23, 2015. "Walter Palmer, the Minnesota dentist who shot Cecil the lion, has emerged from hiding. He should never have had to go into it. Hunters like Palmer aren't the problem: they're part of the solution."

The ATT Limits the US Must Uphold

The U.S. Must Uphold the Arms Trade Treaty’s Limits at the First Conference of States Parties, Heritage Foundation Issue Brief #4456, August 21, 2015. "The first Conference of States Parties (CSP) to the Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) will be held in Cancun, Mexico, on August 24–27, 2015. This CSP will establish the rules of procedure for this and all future CSPs, decide how to organize and fund the treaty secretariat, adopt procedures for the reporting mandated by the treaty, and perhaps begin the campaign to amend the treaty. At the CSP, the U.S. needs to resist efforts to set precedents and create institutions that could be used to expand or reinterpret the treaty. The U.S. delegation should respect Congress’s opposition to funding the secretariat and, above all, emphasize that the treaty is the creation of U.N. member states and is to be implemented by only those states, not by the treaty secretariat or by a coalition of nongovernmental organizations (NGOs)."

Poorly Made in China

Stock Prices Aren’t All That’s Poorly Made in China, Newsday, August 9, 2015. "The well-reported gyrations in China's stock market have many Americans wondering whether China itself is heading for a fall. In his newly updated and exceptionally readable "Poorly Made in China: An Insider's Account of the China Production Game," Paul Midler says it's not just China's stock prices that were too good to be true."