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."

And the Abuse Keeps Coming

Interpol Abuse By Palestinian Authority And Others Shows Strengths And Weaknesses Of The System, Forbes, May 31, 2019. "Over the past few days, four cases of Interpol abuse, or attempted abuse, have demonstrated several of the weaknesses, and strengths, of the Interpol system. Interpol is supposed to be limited to ordinary crime. Interpol abuse happens when it is used for political, racial, religious, or military purposes."

Yet Again, No Definitions . . . .

Alleged Russian Violations Of Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty Make New Case For U.S. Withdrawal, Forbes, May 30, 2019. "It is impossible to say for certain whether or not Russia is violating the CTBT because while the CTBT bans explosive nuclear testing, it does not define that term. The U.S. interpretation is that the CTBT bans testing to a “zero yield” standard – because the CTBT bans “any nuclear weapon test explosion or any other nuclear explosion” -- but that is only the U.S. interpretation."

The Dull Side of International Relations

Treaties in the Age of Donald Trump, Newsday, May 28, 2019. "When President Donald Trump said last month that the United States was dropping out of the arms trade treaty, The Washington Post sighed that it was “the latest illustration of his aversion to international agreements and world governance.” Obviously, Trump doesn’t like some treaties. But would it surprise you to learn that he’s approved only one fewer treaty in his first two years than President Barack Obama did in his last two?"

Good Riddance

Prime Minister Theresa May to Resign, Daily Signal, May 24, 2019. "The reason for May’s fall is simple. She was given responsibility for negotiating Britain’s exit from the European Union, and she made a mess of it by arriving at an agreement that virtually no one in Britain likes. Her efforts to pass the agreement ended up trying to cut a deal with Jeremy Corbyn, the leader of the Labour Party and deeply despised by Conservative voters."

Bound to Vagueness

Trump’s Rejection of the Arms Trade Treaty is Based on Reality, The Hill, May 23,2019. "Why is the treaty so vague? The ATT’s negotiators wanted to get all the world’s nations on board. The only way to do this was to make the treaty as vague as possible. But treaties are contracts that bind the United States. Being bound to vagueness is inherently dangerous."

A Tip For the British Conservatives

In Australia, Conservatives Won A Shock Victory. There’s A Lesson Here for Conservatives Worldwide, Daily Signal, May 22, 2019. "Here’s a tip for our British Conservative friends: Conservative parties that do conservative things win elections. Conservative parties that don’t do them, or don’t know what to do, don’t win elections."

How to Keep Winning on the ATT

Key Steps for the U.S. After the Unsigning of the Arms Trade Treaty, Heritage Foundation Issue Brief #4963, May 22, 2019. "President Trump’s decision to unsign the Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) is legal, correct, and wise. The Administration should now take the steps necessary to make this decision fully effective. By following through at the United Nations and in the U.S. Senate, putting financial and diplomatic pressure on the ATT, and withdrawing from the U.N. network of related institutions, the U.S. can put severe pressure on this severely flawed agreement."

Above All, A US-UK FTA

Six Key Priorities for President Trump’s State Visit to the United Kingdom, with Nile Gardiner, Heritage Foundation Issue Brief #4962, May 22, 2019. "President Trump’s state visit to the United Kingdom from June 3 to 5, 2019, offers a vital opportunity to strengthen the Special Relationship and transatlantic alliance, advance U.S. leadership in Europe, reaffirm powerful U.S. backing for Brexit, and underscore that a U.S.–U.K. free trade deal will be a top priority for the U.S. Administration post-Brexit. The President should emphasize plain speaking and serious actions. Above all, he must make it clear to the next British government and to the British people that an independent and sovereign Britain will continue to be the United States’ closest ally."

Cowling Redux

Fearful Levity, review of Robert Crowcroft, The End is Nigh: British Politics, Power, and the Road to the Second World War, Finest Hour, Number 184, Spring 2019.

A Tail Is Not A Leg

Debate: Is An EU Army Possible?, Begin-Sadat Center for Strategic Studies, May 20, 2019. "In 1862, Abraham Lincoln asked, “If I should call a sheep’s tail a leg, how many legs would it have?” His wise answer: the sheep still has only four legs, “for my calling the tail a leg would not make it so.” So yes, Europe can have an army. But calling a thing an army does not make it one."

Step One . . .

Want Populism? Here’s How to Get It, Newsday, May 12, 2019. "Earlier this month, Britain went to the polls in local elections. So far, it’s been immune to the electoral turmoil that has affected Europe from Greece to France. But not this time. The British elections show that a simple way to create a political disaster is for the major parties to not keep their word."

The Facts of the Special Relationship

Pompeo Sends the Message Britain Needs to Hear, Daily Signal, May 9, 2019. "The essence of Pompeo’s remarks was that Britain is a great and global power, with which the United States enjoys a special relationship—and that it needs to remember that. Throughout, the secretary was careful not to fall into the trap of telling Britain what to do. Instead, he reminded it of its strengths, its interests, and its friends, and left Britain to draw the correct conclusions."

Neither the Power Nor the Glory

The End Of The Arms Trade Treaty, An End To Illusion, Forbes, May 7, 2019. "The Arms Trade Treaty (ATT), which President Donald Trump announced on April 26 that he would unsigned, is fundamentally unserious. It embodies the fantasy that the path to a better world rests in the piling up of unverifiable promises. Its illusions are a distraction from the problem it purportedly seeks to solve."

Seventh Time Lucky? Not Likely.

Russia Requests Interpol Action on Bill Browder, For Seventh Time, Forbes, April 30, 2019. "arlier this month the Russian Federation made its seventh request for action through Interpol against Bill Browder . The odds that Interpol will grant this request are very low, and the odds that Browder will actually be sent to Russia from his home in Britain are far lower. But the request nonetheless illustrates Russia’s assiduous efforts to abuse the Interpol system, and the need to take action to deter abuse."

I Told You So

Reflections on President Trump’s Unsigning of the Arms Trade Treaty, Forbes, April 30, 2019. "On Friday, President Trump announced that he will unsign the Arms Trade Treaty . The reactions tell you all you need to know about the treaty and its supporters. But to me, the biggest surprise — though it shouldn’t have been a surprise— was the way that the Treaty was assumed to be beyond criticism, and obviously a good thing, merely because it’s an example of multilateral diplomacy."

Well, I Like A US-UK FTA

Donald Trump Can Deliver Britain A Post-Brexit Trade Boost, with Michael Auslin, Financial Times, April 29, 2019. "While the world waits to see if the US and China can call a truce in their tariff war, President Donald Trump is quietly making potentially major trade moves with the UK and Japan. Halfway through his term, Mr Trump may finally begin to make good on his oft-repeated goal of concluding bilateral fair trade pacts."

The Big and Bad Ones

Bad Ideas Led to Libya Civil War, Newsday, April 28, 2019. "In 2011, the United States led an intervention that deposed Libyan dictator, terrorist, and crackpot Muammar Gaddafi. Since then, U.S. and Western policy toward Libya has embodied every big, bad idea in our arsenal."

Time for a Victory Lap

Trump Just Ditched A UN Arms Treaty, and He Was Right to Do It, Heritage Daily Signal, April 26, 2019. "On Friday, at the annual meeting of the National Rifle Association, President Donald Trump announced that he was un-signing the Arms Trade Treaty. As he put it, “The United Nations will soon receive a formal notice that America is rejecting this treaty.” He then pulled out a pen and, in front of the entire audience, signed a message asking the Senate to end its consideration of the treaty."

It's Not An Arrest Warrant

Challenging a Red Notice: What Immigration Attorneys Need to Know About INTERPOL [PDF], AILA Law Journal, volume 1, number 1, April 2019.

This was my 1000th piece at Heritage.

"The International Criminal Police Organization—officially ICPO-INTERPOL, commonly known simply as INTERPOL—plays an important role in international law enforcement, and its publications are often used in U.S. immigration and asylum cases. But neither INTERPOL nor its publications, such as its famous “Red Notice,” are well understood. This can lead attorneys to fail to appropriately challenge Department of Homeland Security (DHS) or immigration judge (IJ) assertions about INTERPOL that are often incorrect. For example, too often IJs uncritically defer to INTERPOL publications in their decisions, resulting in extended detention time or denials of bonds and other requests for immigration benefits, and in general causing serious damage to an individual’s U.S. immigration case."