Example #7: Why the U.N.'s Arms Trade Treaty Is a Bad Idea

In Pursuit of Arms Trade Treaty, Slogans Substitute for Sanity, Heritage Foundation Foundry, May 28, 2010. "Amnesty International has a new slogan designed to drum up support for the U.N.’s Arms Trade Treaty: it’s calling on its supporters to demand a “bullet-proof” treaty. That’s cute. Unfortunately, what’s cute is not necessarily good policy, as Amnesty’s slogan illustrates all too clearly."

What the Euro Crisis Means for State Legitimacy

The Euro and Euro-Legitimacy, Contentions, May 28, 2010. "Ambrose Evans-Pritchard in the Telegraph and Francis Cianfrocca in the New Ledger have must-read analyses of the Euro crisis. Evans-Pritchard’s essay resists easy summary, but it makes the broad and depressing point that, in Europe, the left has offered a more persuasive analysis of the crisis than the center-right."

Beinart, Pollak, and Liberal Nationalism

Re: Peter Beinart and the Destruction of Liberal Zionism, Contentions, May 27, 2010. "Noah Pollak’s superb piece on Beinart prompts, first, my regret that I left Yale just before he arrived, so I can’t claim to have taught him anything. But it, along with Benjamin Kerstein’s essay on “Liberalism and Zionism,” prompts a further reflection. Both Noah and Ben argue that Beinart exemplifies the vacuity of liberalism. As Noah puts it, “Because the history of the peace process repudiates so many of liberalism’s most cherished premises, liberalism is increasingly repudiating Israel. . . . In this way, the failure of the liberal vision is transformed from being a verdict on liberalism to being a verdict on Israel.” True. But it is both more and less than that."

The British Parallel to Gates' Proposals

British Example Shows Danger Facing American Forces, Heritage Foundation America at Risk Memo #10-05, May 26, 2010. "In a recent speech at the Eisenhower Library in Kansas, U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates stated that “Given America’s difficult economic circumstances and parlous fiscal condition, military spending on things large and small can and should expect closer, harsher scrutiny.” Secretary Gates is right to point to the dangers of America’s soaring budget deficits, but his implication that the U.S. defense budget contributes significantly to the problem is incorrect. The measures that he and the Administration propose are the same ones that have already been tried, and failed, in Britain. The British example shows the danger facing the U.S. forces."

Once Again, Misleading Claims About Guns on the Border

President Calderon's Misleading Claim, Heritage Foundation Foundry, May 21, 2010. "In his speech before a Joint Session of Congress yesterday, President Felipe Calderon of Mexico made a bold claim."

Calderon's Visit and CIFTA

What We Shouldn't Be Doing to 'Help' Mexico, Foxnews.com, May 20, 2010. "Mexican President Felipe Calderón is in Washington for a two day state visit from May 19-20. He and President Obama have a lot to talk about, ranging from reaffirming a shared commitment to the North American Free Trade Agreement to the vital need for both countries to emphasize competitiveness, technological innovation, and creative entrepreneurship. In Mexico, these policies will increase growth and employment and reduce the economic pressures that drive illegal immigration across the U.S. border."

President Calderon's Visit and the OAS Convention

President Calderón’s Visit Should Not Lead to Support for the OAS’s Firearms Convention, Heritage Foundation WebMemo #2905, May 19, 2010. "On May 19, Mexican President Felipe Calderón will arrive in Washington for a two-day state visit, during which he is likely to urge U.S. ratification of the Inter-American Convention Against the Illicit Manufacture of and Trafficking in Firearms (commonly known by its Spanish acronym, CIFTA). The convention is purportedly necessary to stem the flow of firearms legally purchased in the U.S. and then illegally exported to Mexico."

On Trade Offs and Liberalism

The Politics of False Promise: New Labour and Barack Obama, New Ledger, May 19, 2010. "The lesson of New Labour’s fall has been lost in the United States. It should not be, for New Labour’s fate will also be Barack Obama’s. Unlike Tony Blair, Obama won high office at a time of foreign and domestic crisis. But he has doubled down by applying New Labour’s political and governing strategies nonetheless."

Britain's Skint. Are We Next?

"I’m Afraid to Tell You There’s No Money Left," Heritage Foundation Foundry, May 19, 2010. "When Britain’s new Chief Secretary to the Treasury, David Laws, walked into his office last week, he found a letter from his predecessor, Liam Byrne. Laws assumed it contained useful advice. But when he opened the envelope, he found that the letter – which he characterized as “honest but slightly less helpful” than he had expected – had only a single line . . ."

The OAS's Firearms Convention

The OAS Firearms Convention Is Incompatible with American Liberties, Heritage Foundation Backgrounder #2412, May 19, 2010. "President Barack Obama has called on the Senate to ratify CIFTA, the Inter-American Convention Against the Illicit Manufacture of and Trafficking in Firearms, but the convention poses serious prudential risks to liberties guaranteed by the First and Second Amendments. The convention appears to be an end run around domestic obstacles to gun control. Furthermore, ratification of the convention would undermine U.S. sovereignty by legally binding it to fulfill obligations that some current signatories already disregard. The U.S. would be best served by continuing existing programs, cooperating with other countries on a bilateral basis, and making and enforcing its own laws to combat the traffic in illicit arms."

When New Labour's Luck Ran Out

New Labour Was Lucky, Then the Luck Ran Out, Foxnews.com, May 14, 2010. "The only problem with relying on luck is that, sooner or later, it runs out. And that, looking back, sums up much of New Labour’s time in power."

On Weak British Election Analysis in Foreign Affairs

What the British Elections Were All About, New Ledger, May 12, 2010. "It’s not fair to say that Mark Blyth and Jonathan Hopkin’s piece in Foreign Affairs on “Labour Pains: Why the British General Election is a Referendum on Its Past,” is the worst piece of commentary I’ve read on the subject."

Lessons from Churchill to Cameron on May 10

In Britain, Cometh the Hour, Cometh the Man?, FoxNews.com, May 10, 2010. "May is a momentous month in British political history. By virtue of the respite it offers from Britain’s legendarily gloomy weather, it has witnessed more than its fair share of elections. And by virtue of the fact that good campaigning weather is also good fighting weather, May marks the most historic handover of power in modern British political history. Today is the seventieth anniversary of the beginning of France’s defeat at the hands of the German Army, of Winston Churchill’s entry into Number 10 Downing Street, and of Britain’s salvation."

Ten Recommendations to Britain on Defense

Ten Recommendations for the Next British Secretary of State for Defense, Heritage Foundation WebMemo #2893, May 10, 2010. "The May 6 election in Britain has produced an inconclusive result. But no matter what the political color of the government, the next British Secretary of State for Defense will face challenges graver than any that have confronted the Ministry of Defense since 1940."

On May 10, From Churchill to Cameron

Churchill's Anniversary Offers Insights on Coalition Government in Britain, Heritage Foundation Foundry, May 10, 2010. "No matter what happens, the result is likely to be a coalition government. But the British experience of coalition governments has not been a happy one. And this is a particularly appropriate day to reflect on that fact, because it was seventy years ago today – May 10, 1940 – that the last successful coalition government in Britain was formed."

Preliminary Reactions to the UK Election

So, What’s the British Outcome Mean?, Contentions, May 7, 2010. "Jokes abound. One colleague tells me it’s a Mick Jagger election: no one got any satisfaction. I’m reminded of Zhou Enlai’s response when asked about the significance of the French Revolution: it’s too soon to tell. But at the risk of being proved wrong by political developments over the next few hours, and analysis of the results over the next few years, let me offer a take. First, one really heartening fact: as Martin Bright points out, it was a bad night for Islamists and fascists."

What America Thinks (If Anything) About Britain's Election

America Shies Away from Britain’s Woes, Yorkshire Post, May 7, 2010. "By and large, Americans are not much interested in foreign elections. Britain has always been the exception that proves the rule. That's partly because Britons and Americans speak the same language – or so Americans believe. But, of course, the Canadians and the Australians speak English, and their elections pass by quietly in the U.S."

Does Free Trade Promote Democracy? Yes But.

Free Trade, But Not Only Free Trade, New Ledger, May 6, 2010. "Let me begin by agreeing, in part, with Greg Scoblete’s response on Real Clear World to my piece on humanitarian intervention and sovereignty in TNL last week. I’m happy to add freer trade to my list of ways that, depending on the circumstances, we may be able promote democratic change in foreign tyrannies or autocracies. Indeed, as I’ve pointed out elsewhere, a free and open economy is not just good at generating economic growth: it’s also a broader social and political good."

British Politics Need to Return to Traditions, Not Break Them

Something Must Be Done, Contentions, May 4, 2010. "A.A. Gill’s much-forwarded piece in the Times on Britain’s election is a delightfully readable mixture of wrong-headedness, error, and sputtering confusion, with some sensible ideas and superb acidity mixed in. There is a case to be made that the House of Commons is too big — though reducing it would only mean larger constituencies, and thus an even more tenuous connection between MPs and those constituencies. And there is an even better case to be made that, as the expenses scandal revealed, the Commons has been far too concerned with feathering its own nest. On the other hand, some of his ideas are revealing in their errors."

Reply to Max Boot on UK Defense Budget

Re: Not Your Father's Tories, Contentions, May 4, 2010. "Max Boot is worried about the future of Britain’s armed forces under the Conservatives, should they be so lucky as to win the election on Thursday. He’s right to worry, but this isn’t a Conservative problem. It’s a British problem."

Reply to Larison

Charles Lindbergh, Call Your Office, New Ledger, April 30, 2010. "Earlier this week, I published a piece [1] in TNL on “Sovereignty and Humanitarian Interventions.” In it, I argued that Prof. Mark Mazower’s “new realism” – as I put it – “comes down to a quest for stability and unenforced ‘legal norms’ at the expense of human rights. It is a call for détente with the world’s dictators, . . . .if U.S. policy is not based on a preference for democracy over dictatorship, the pursuit of stability will lead the U.S. to cold shoulder its friends and sidle up to its enemies." Daniel Larison has taken considerable exception to my thesis in a piece in the American Conservative."

More Good Choices at Yale

Yale Names Its World Fellows, Contentions, April 30, 2010. "Yale’s just announced its 2010 class of World Fellows, its pallid imitation of the Rhodes. Two biographies caught my eye . . . ."

Birds Of A Feather, Part 2

The League of Totalitarians, Contentions, April 30, 2010. "As a coda to my earlier post on the flocking together of the far left and the far right under the banner of the Palestinian Telegraph, you should read Nick Cohen’s superb piece in Standpoint magazine, which explores in painful detail the unwillingness of the BBC to tell the truth about recently deceased actor Corin Redgrave. The BBC memorialized him as a fighter against 'all forms of injustice and oppression.' Redgrave was actually a devotee of the Workers Revolutionary Party, a Trotskyist cult led by Gerry Healy, who reveled in what 26 of his female followers described as 'cruel and systematic debauchery.'"

Birds of a Feather . . .

Conspiracy Theorists Flock Together, Contentions, April 29, 2010. "You may remember Baroness Jenny Tonge. Back in February, she was sacked as the Liberal Democratic spokeswoman on health in the House of Lords after she publicly called for an inquiry into allegations that the Israeli relief mission in Haiti was a front for organ-trafficking. It wasn’t the first time she’d been shown the door: in 2004 she was sacked as spokeswoman on children’s issues after she said she would consider becoming a suicide bomber if she lived in the Palestinian territories. The Lib Dems would appear to have a high tolerance for repeat offenders, at least as long as they’re anti-Israel."

Mr. Brown and the 'Bigoted' Voter

Uh, Mr. Brown, the Microphone's Live, Contentions, April 29, 2010. "Shades of Frank Drebin: Gordon Brown may have sunk his chances in Britain’s general election with an unguarded comment into a microphone he didn’t realize he was still wearing. After campaigning in Rochdale in northern England, he muttered, amid a stream of invective directed at his aides, that 61-year-old Labour supporter Gillian Duffy was a “bigoted woman” for questioning him about the impact on the British job market of immigration from Eastern Europe."