More WaPo Exaggerations on CIFTA

Yet Again, Media Exaggerates Scale of Gun Smuggling from U.S. Into Mexico, Foundry, December 13, 2010, "The Washington Post today ran a lengthy front-page story headlined “As Mexico drug violence runs rampant, U.S. guns tied to crime south of border.” The title pretty much sums it up: the Post states that an “unprecedented number of American guns [are flowing] to the murderous drug cartels across the border” and that this is fueling the violent battle between drug runners and the Mexican government."

My Take on Wikileaks

Forget About Leaks, The Real Problem is Slipshod Diplomacy, Yorkshire Post, December 8, 2010. "If you work in the government, and you disagree with a policy, you have only two honorable choices: follow the policy and keep your mouth shut, or resign and speak out. Over the past decade, U.S. officials – and in particular the State Department and the intelligence services – have cultivated a third way, an ethic of irresponsible leaking."

CIFTA, Again

CIFTA: More Than A Bad Treaty, National Security Policy Proceedings, vol. 3, Fall 2010. "My subject today is the CIFTA Convention, which has been negotiated under the auspices of the Organization of American States (OAS). CIFTA, in turn, is a Spanish abbreviation for the “Inter-American Convention Against the Illicit Manufacturing of and Trafficking in Firearms, Ammunition, Explosives, and Other Related Materials.” CIFTA is a bad treaty, but it is not simply a bad treaty. It raises three broader issues about the process and purpose of U.S. diplomacy that we should all be concerned about."

The US Election in British Eyes

In Britain, Shock and Awe at the Election Wave, Foxnews.com, November 10, 2010. "The British follow our politics far more closely than we follow theirs. That’s because what the U.S. does matters to everyone. Still, reading British coverage of American elections occasionally reminds me of the old joke that our two countries are divided by a common language."

Four Ways to Think About the Tea Party

Tea and Sympathy for America's Disillusioned Voters, Yorkshire Post, November 4, 2010. "The White House's conspiracy-mongering is not surprising, but it is depressing. This country is too big, too diverse, to be deeply swayed by a conspiracy, on the right or the left. President Obama did not win in 2008 because of a left-wing conspiracy: he won because he ran a good campaign, because John McCain ran a mediocre one, and because people were tired of George W. Bush. Rather than indulge in the sickness of inventing conspiracies, it is more helpful to seek to understand why the Tea Party sprang to prominence."

Many (Sensibly) Not All That Enthusiastic About CIFTA

The CIFTA Enthusiasm Gap, Heritage Foundation Foundry, November 1, 2010. "In a “no news is news” story, The Washington Post reports that, in spite of nominal support from President Obama in April 2009, neither Senate Democrats nor the White House is enthusiastic about seeking ratification of the CIFTA treaty. That is good news."

Zombie Treaties!

This Halloween, Undead (Treaties) Haunt the Halls of the Senate, Heritage Foundation Foundry, October 29, 2010. "No, the undead aren’t Senators worried about the outcome of next Tuesday’s election. Nor are they the bodies of the departed, reanimated to feast upon the living. Citizens in the U.S. Capitol aren’t in any danger —well, no more danger than usual, anyhow—of having their brains sucked out and devoured. Rather, the undead in this case are treaties signed by Presidents past, treaties that are dead but yet still alive. Call them zombie treaties."

Yet More Unreality on Arms Trade Treaty

In Unreal Session. U.N. Promises to Press Ahead with Arms Trade Treaty, Heritage Foundation Foundry, October 29, 2010. "The Obama Administration believes that its demand for consensus-based negotiations will protect it against such an outcome. But in the end, its demand for consensus will be used against it, as the U.S. is the state that is most likely to object to any consensus that results from the negotiations. The crunch will come when the negotiations cross a U.S. red line. Given the pace at which the U.N. and its supporters are driving the ATT along, that will happen soon enough."

An American View of Britain's Spending Cuts

"From America, the Cuts Do Not Look Too Drastic," Yorkshire Post, October 29, 2010. Not available on the Yorkshire Post site due to technical issues. "In short, every Labour government since 1945 has run afoul of the skepticism of the markets. But yet, according to the left, there is never a good time to spend less. When the economy is up, it’s time to spread the wealth by spending more on the social services. When the economy is down, cutting spending will drive the nation into a depression and inflict untold horrors upon the poor. If that’s true, then the poor really must have been suffering under Labour, because Osborne’s plan is to reduce spending to the level it was at in 2007. In anything other than the shortest of terms, that will not be enough. Like the U.S., Britain has an aging population, and its entitlement programs are massively indebted. Saving billions of pounds now will not pay for trillions of pounds worth of benefits in the coming decades."

Accounting for Defense Cost Inflation

How Much Will Defense Spending Shrink in Britain?, Heritage Foundation Foundry, October 28, 2010. "Defense cost inflation is not easy to measure, let alone calculate in advance. But the fact is that the British government admits its existence, but does not appear to include it in its calculation of the declining purchasing power of the money it plans to spend on defense through 2014–15. That means that, by that date, Britain will be buying even less defense than it says it plans to. That is not a good thing for Britain, for the U.S., for NATO, or even for the cause of accurate accounting on defense spending."

UK Cuts, Should Have Cut More

The U.K. Budget Cuts: Lessons for the United States, Heritage Foundation WebMemo #3043, with Nile Gardiner and J.D. Foster, October 26, 2010. "The British cuts will be closely watched by policymakers in the United States, who are keen to address the bloated budget deficit on this side of the Atlantic. And with good reason: Public spending in the U.S. has ballooned in recent years, and America is heading for a rude awakening of Greek-style proportions unless it reverses course—and rapidly. But for several reasons, the U.K. cuts cannot simply be used as a blanket role model for the U.S. to follow."

British Defense Cuts Are Too Deep

Spending Cuts in British Defense Review: Less Than Expected, But Still Damaging, Heritage Foundation WebMemo #3039, October 22, 2010. "On October 19, British Prime Minister David Cameron announced the results of Britain’s Strategic Defense and Security Review. This review, the first since 1998, has resulted in substantial reductions in Britain’s defense spending that will have dangerous long-term consequences."

The Defense Review Represents Continuity, Not Change

Hitler's Nemesis Still Carries a Big Stick, Blooomberg.com, October 21, 2010. "The British defense review, announced this week, has given critics an opportunity to misjudge the U.K. again, and many have made the most of it. But even if the cuts are carried out in full, Britain will still be a major military power. The review isn’t flawless, but it represents continuity, not change."

Osborne Needs to Focus on Growth, Not Just Cuts

A Lesson and a Warning from Britain, Foxnews.com, October 20, 2010. "Today, George Osborne, Britain’s Chancellor of the Exchequer – the man responsible for Britain’s budget –announced the results of a high-profile spending review. He promised cuts, and he delivered. The question is whether the cuts will be deep enough, and Osborne’s other policies wise enough, to restore Britain to financial stability."

Security and Growth in the U.S. and Europe

Europe Needs Security. Europe Needs Growth. So Do We., Foreign Policy Digest, October 2010. "In one sense, the challenge facing Europe, and the United States, is the need for political leaders to present a coherent and sustained case for a stable and adequate defense budget. But both the U.S. and Europe face a more vital and more fundamental challenge."

Labour Got What It Wanted In US-UK Extradition Treaty

Don’t Blame US for This ‘Wretched’ Treaty Saga, Yorkshire Post, September 29, 2010. "The simple fact is that Labour thought extradition from Britain was too hard. It acted, domestically and internationally, to make it easier, both for the EU and for many countries, including the United States. The Left thought this was a brilliant idea. Now everyone is shocked that extradition from Britain is easier. But that was the point of the exercise. Only one thing has not changed: the US still gets most of the blame."

The U.S.-U.K. Defense Trade Cooperation Treaty Moves Forward

Senate Action on U.S.-U.K. Defense Trade Cooperation Treaty Represents Important Progress, Heritage Foundation WebMemo #3029, September 28, 2010. "The committee’s favorable report on the two treaties with the U.K. and Australia, and on the Defense Trade Cooperation Treaties Implementation Act, is a step forward, and a victory for the commonsense belief that the U.S. should treat Britain and Australia as the close allies that they are."

John Howard to Deliver Thatcher Freedom Lecture

Former Australian Prime Minister John Howard to Deliver Thatcher Freedom Lecture, Heritage Foundation Foundry, September 24, 2010. "On Tuesday, September 28, at 4 pm, the former Prime Minister of Australia, the Hon. John Howard, will deliver the seventh Margaret Thatcher Freedom Lecture at The Heritage Foundation, under the auspices of the Margaret Thatcher Center, on The Anglosphere and the Advance of Freedom."

What Brings Nuclear Disarmament?

Democracy, Not the U.N., Brings Nuclear Disarmament, Heritage Foundation Foundry, September 23, 2010. "If the President wants to move towards reducing the undoubted dangers that nuclear weapons pose to the security of the U.S. and its allies, the place to start is not the United States, or Britain or France or Israel—it is with understanding where, and why, nonproliferation has worked in the past."

Obama's Decline and the Elite

Obama's Political Elite Leaves the Voters Behind, Yorkshire Post, September 1, 2010. "The graph of President Barack Obama’s popularity is stark. In January 2009, 70 per cent of the American people approved of the job he was doing. Only 20 per cent disapproved. Now, 50 per cent disapprove. Only 45 per cent approve. That is not just what conservative pollsters find. It is what they all find."

The U.S.-U.K. Extradition Treaty

The U.S.-U.K. Extradition Treaty: In the Interest of Both Nations, Heritage Foundation Backgrounder #2456, August 30, 2010. "Extradition treaties serve an essential function in cases that cross international borders. When the United States delayed ratification of the 2003 extradition treaty between the United States and Great Britain, the delay was heavily criticized in Britain. More recently, the ratified treaty has come under intense criticism in Britain. But the perceived problems are not inherent in the treaty or the fault of the U.S.; they stem from the fact that the past Labour government deliberately set out to make it easier, both bilaterally and through use of the European arrest warrants (EAWs), for foreign nations to extradite individuals from Britain. At the same time, Britain’s acceptance of EU judicial supremacy and the consequent erosion of British sovereignty mean that it is now harder to extradite a terrorist than it is to extradite individuals accused of less serious offenses. The new British government should defend British liberties and put an end to privileges for accused terrorists by asserting its sovereignty and creating a “reasonable basis” minimum standard for all extraditions—a standard that, though incompatible with the EAWs, is compatible with the 2003 treaty."

Churchill on Fitness and Leadership

On Winston Churchill and Former Gov. Blagojevich, Contentions, August 27, 2010. "On Fox News Sunday, a slightly incredulous Chris Wallace asked former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich if he was serious when he compared himself to Winston Churchill in his ability to come back from political oblivion. Blagojevich replied “You’re right, I’m not serious. I don’t smoke cigars or scotch, and I think I can run faster than him.” As Sir Winston died in 1965, it would be most surprising if the Governor was not fleeter of foot. But Churchill would have smiled at Blagojevich’s observations on smoking, drinking, and running."

George Washington, First Principles, and Foreign Policy

Yes, the Founding Fathers Have Foreign Policy First Principles, Heritage Foundation Foundry, August 26, 2010. "James Downie, standing in for Jonathan Chait at The New Republic, believes that The Heritage Foundation’s view of the relationship between first principles and foreign policy is wrong, and contrary to George Washington’s vision. Inevitably, he seeks to prove his point by quoting Washington’s Farewell Address. His case would be even less persuasive if he’d read a little more, or a little more thoroughly."

The Rule of the People and Foreign Policy

First Princples and Foreign Policy, Heritage Foundation Foundry, Augsut 24, 2010. "One common way of thinking about foreign policy is that it exists in its own world, separate from domestic policy or the first principles on which a nation is founded. According to this view , the job of the foreign policy expert is to deal dispassionately with the world as it is, making no distinction between democracies and dictatorships, and shaping policy solely by cold-hearted consideration of the national interest. The Heritage Foundation has never accepted this way of thinking."

Adminstration Still Backs CIFTA and ATT

Confused Administration Keeps Pushing Conventional Arms Treaties, Heritage Foundation Foundry, August 23, 2010. "The State Department has posted a speech by Ann K. Ganzer, Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary for Threat Reduction, Export Controls, and Negotiations. Delivered on August 4 at the South American Conference on Interdiction and Regional Security of Small Arms & Light Weapons, Ganzer’s speech sheds valuable light on the Administration’s intentions on several treaties, including the U.N.’s Arms Trade Treaty, and reveals serious contradictions and flaws in the Administration’s position."