U.S. House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Subcommittee Testimony on US-EU Trade

Testimony in hearing on “Transatlantic Policy Impacts of the U.S. – EU Trade Conflict,” hearing in the House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Europe, Eurasia, Energy, and the Environment, June 26, 2019.

Britain's Activist Courts and the ATT

Britain’s Foolish Advocacy of the Arms Trade Treaty Bites Back, Forbes, June 25, 2019. "The British Court of Appeal has ruled that British arms sales to Saudi Arabia are unlawful, on the grounds that British ministers had “made no concluded assessments of whether the Saudi-led coalition had committed violations of international humanitarian law in the past, during the Yemen conflict, and made no attempt to do so.” This ruling offers further proof, if any is needed at this point, that the primary – and indeed, the only – purpose of the Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) is to constrain the Western democracies."

Operation Whoops I Shouldn't Have Said That

China Confesses To Abusing Interpol System In The United States, Forbes, June 25, 2019. "Meng Qingfeng’s open acknowledgement that China is using Interpol to procure back-door extraditions from the United States, while not genuinely new, is nonetheless shocking, and the U.S. should take immediate action to end this practice of collaborating with the police state of Communist China."

Brexit in the Times (and Democrat)

U.K. Should Exit the EU, Times and Democrat (Orangeburg, SC), June 24, 2019. "It was the largest exercise of democracy in Britain’s long democratic history. On June 23, 2016, the people of the United Kingdom voted to leave the European Union. The best single reason for the U.K. to leave the European Union at the end of October is that this is what the British people voted to do."

We Got Lucky

When Inheritance Is Everything, Newsday, June 23, 2019. "The protests in Hong Kong that begin in April reflect the courage of the people of Hong Kong. But they also reflect Hong Kong’s British inheritance. And as we approach the Fourth of July, they remind us how lucky we are to enjoy both that inheritance and our freedom."

It's Not No Deal

Why the U.S. Is Right to Back the ‘Mini-Deal Brexit', Heritage Foundation Issue Brief #4971, June 20, 2019. "The dichotomy between a Brexit governed by outgoing Prime Minister Theresa May’s withdrawal agreement and a “no-deal” exit is a false choice. A network of mini-deals among Britain, the European Union, and the U.S. is already in place. The U.K.’s economy has enjoyed unprecedented strength, and it is in an excellent position to leave the EU on the basis of this “mini-deal Brexit.” The U.S. can play a valuable role in facilitating Brexit by continuing to make it clear that it is ready to conclude an ambitious free trade area with the U.K., and by urging both the U.K. and EU authorities to conclude an agreement facilitating free trade after Brexit."

Theresa Couldn't Do It

A Leader, But Not for All Seasons, Newsday, June 9, 2019. "I have often commented that May could have been a successful prime minister in a different age, because she has genuine talents. Above all, inside a settled system, she was an effective administrator. Unfortunately, she was tasked with presiding over Brexit, an unsettled system."

Here's the Media Script for a Presidential Trip

Trump’s UK Visit Was A Glowing Success, Daily Signal, June 6, 2019. "The media has a simple script. When the president is a Republican abroad, the correct approach is to blame everything on him and play up as many negatives as possible. But when the president is a liberal, anything less that fulsome applause is a betrayal of the tradition that politics stops at the water’s edge."

So, Why Not Boris?

Theresa May Will Be Gone in Days. Why Not Meet With Boris Johnson?, Daily Signal, June 3, 2019. "There are big issues at stake in this visit, as there always are in the Anglo-American relationship. And big issues are often controversial ones. From Britain’s relationship with Huawei to its support for the Iran nuclear deal, and most importantly of all, Brexit, the president has lots to discuss."