Which Way Does the Wind Blow Today?

Barack Obama’s A Finger-In-The-Wind Policy on Syria, Newsday, August 31, 2013. "As Karl Marx observed, when history repeats itself, it’s tragedy the first time and farce the second. If the Iraq War was the tragedy, then Syria is certainly the farce. The White House is still agonizing about whether it will launch missile strikes on Syria. As its nightmare of consideration continues, it should remember something: If you want to use military force, you are practically and morally obligated to think about what you are trying to achieve with it."

As U.S. Prepares to Sign ATT, Events Elsewhere Move On

The Impending U.S. Signature of the U.N. Arms Trade Treaty, Heritage Foundation Foundry, August 28, 2013. "The ATT was negotiated in English, and initial translations of it into the U.N.’s other official languages were flawed. Revised translations have since been circulated, and unless objections to the new language have been received, the final translation – into Russian – was formally completed yesterday, August 28. Thus, by the standard Secretary Kerry has set, the U.S. may now be free to sign the ATT."

The Top Ten, But Not the Only, Reasons Not to Sign the ATT

Top 10 Reasons Why the U.S. Should Not Sign the U.N. Arms Trade Treaty, Heritage Foundation Issue Brief #4028, August 27, 2013. "Once the U.S. signs the treaty, and even without the advice and consent of the Senate, the U.S. will consider itself obliged not to violate the treaty’s object and purpose. The top 10 reasons why the U.S. should avoid putting itself in this dangerous position by not signing the ATT are . . . ."

The U.S., Sadder But Wiser, Maybe

Optimistic America Deludes Itself About Democracy, Newsday, August 16, 2013. "American enthusiasm for foreign upheaval is as old as Thomas Jefferson's naive admiration of the French Revolution. But that led to the Reign of Terror, and then the Napoleonic Wars. We will be lucky if the Middle Eastern war spawned by the Arab Spring does not spread beyond Syria."

First the Falklands, Now Gibraltar

U.S. Should Condemn Spain’s Bullying Tactics Over Gibraltar, with Nile Gardiner and Luke Coffey, Heritage Foundation Issue Brief #4007, August 6, 2013. "Spain’s recent antagonistic behavior toward Gibraltar, a British Overseas Territory on the Iberian Peninsula, for recently constructing an artificial reef inside the limits of its territorial waters is unbecoming of a NATO ally in 21st-century Europe."

Three, Two, One . . .

Saudi Arabian Missile Base Is A Sign of Waning U.S. Influence, Newsday, August 2, 2013. "The U.S. retreat from Iraq and its handoff policy on Syria and Iran are creating a security vacuum that regional powers are already filling. Last month IHS Jane's, Britain's famed defense and intelligence firm, announced that it had spotted a missile base in the heart of Saudi Arabia. Designed to launch Chinese-made DF-3 missiles, the base targets both Iran and Israel."

This Isn't the Africa Policy You're Looking For

Obama Travels in Style But Fails to Reach the Right Conclusions, Yorkshire Post, July 26, 2013. "Barack Obama is one of the best-travelled Presidents in US history. During his first term in office, he visited 35 countries, and he’s made another 12 trips since his re-election. But quantity does not imply quality. Indeed, given the results of his travel, he’d be better off staying home."

Nice Work, If You Can Buy it

How To Become a U.S. Ambassador, Newsday, July 19, 2013. "Last week, President Barack Obama appointed a new ambassador to the Court of St. James's (most of us call it Britain). It's our most prestigious diplomatic post. It also had a "for rent" sign on it: the new ambassador, Matthew Barzun, was the chief fundraiser for Obama's re-election campaign."

Analyzing A Leaked NGO EMail on the UN ATT

How Liberal Anti-Gun Activists View the American Constitution, Foxnews.com, July 8, 2013. "Last month, the House of Representatives unanimously adopted an amendment to the 2014 National Defense Authorization Act to prohibit funding for the implementation of the U.N. Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) for one year. The Obama administration says it will sign the ATT soon. The House amendment was vigorously opposed by a group of Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) led by Oxfam America, and including Amnesty International, the Arms Control Association, and the National Association of Evangelicals."

U.S. Promotes Corporate Crony Capitalism in Africa

This Isn’t the Africa Policy Americans Need, Newsday, July 5, 2013. "Every presidential trip abroad is designed to produce signature moments and deliverable achievements. President Barack Obama's recent visit to Africa was no exception. His deliverables will do little to help Africa -- but they will fatten big business at home."

Churchill's Understanding of the Glorious Fourth

Churchill on the “Practical Truth” of the Declaration of Independence, Heritage Foundation Foundry, July 4, 2013. "As a statesman, an author, and a friend of the United States, Winston Churchill was regularly called upon to offer his sentiments on the meaning of the Fourth of July. In his remarks over the years, as Lewis E. Lehrman points out, he emphasized a similar theme: Though the Declaration of Independence signaled the American political break from Britain, it was inspired by a shared Anglo–American political tradition of resistance to tyranny."

Another Extradition Play to the Gallery

Assessing the New Legislation on Extradition, with Andrew Southam, The Commentator, July 2, 2013. "Campaigners have long argued that Britain should have a “forum bar” that would limit the extradition of individuals from Britain to other jurisdictions. In April, they got their wish. The Crime and Courts Act introducing the forum bar, with other measures, received Royal Assent on 25th April 2013. The issue now is whether these measures improve the effectiveness of Britain’s extradition arrangements, including those with the United States, or whether they are a misguided attempt to play to the public gallery."

Yes, the ATT Does Indeed Impinge on the Reagan Doctrine

Syria: Would the U.N. ATT Ban Aid to the Rebels?, Heritage Foundation Foundry, June 27, 2013. "There are indeed good reasons to be skeptical about arming the rebels in Syria. But by arguing the broader case that the ATT bans aid to non-state actors, the treaty proponents are rejecting a bipartisan tool of U.S. foreign policy, one that we may not want to use now but should not abandon. They are validating the concerns of treaty opponents, who have long argued that the ATT was a device to transform U.S. arms export policy. They are also effectively putting themselves on the side of the well-armed totalitarian regimes that kill unarmed people. And there is a final irony. The ATT is being promoted by an Administration that is seemingly intent, in Syria, on seeing the treaty their way. Other governments are likely to do the same, which implies that the ATT – to the extent that it does not over time constrain the U.S., as its advocates argue it should and will – is likely to achieve nothing at all."

Against All Enemies, Mostly Domestic

Obama Sets His Sights on the Enemies Within, Yorkshire Post, June 26, 2013. "We want safety, and not just from terrorists, which is reasonable. We want it everywhere. The vast bureaucracies of the modern world, whether they are intelligence agencies or benefit payers, are all about trying to prevent unpleasantness. It is a strange kind of mind that finds this troubling when it comes to our security, but still welcomes the advance of the state everywhere else."

Obama's Irrelevant Rhetoric in Berlin

Barack Obama Still Sees World Through a Cold War Lens, Newsday, June 21, 2013. "The fact that the United States has nuclear weapons has nothing to do with the scarcity of peace and justice in the world. Our nuclear weapons did not cause the war in Syria. They do not make al-Qaida hate us. They have no connection with the lack of justice in Iran. The president’s words have no contact with reality."

When It Comes to Treaties, I Don't Believe in Magic

The Magical Thinking Behind the U.N. Arms Trade Treaty, Heritage Foundation Foundry, June 14, 2013. "The problem with the world’s arms trade is not, as treaty defenders like Oxfam America President Raymond Offenheiser like to claim, that there are “loopholes in the current, irresponsible global arms trade.” The problem is that some nations deliberately sell arms to terrorists and dictators, and many others are corrupt. If a nation cannot maintain democratic law and order, it will not be able to implement the ATT. A treaty cannot make the incompetent competent. Nor can it make the malicious responsible."

What Apple and Budweiser Have In Common

Of Bacon and Apple and Taxes and Beer, Newsday, June 7, 2013. "Last week Shuanghui International, China's largest pork producer, announced a surprise agreement to buy Smithfield, the largest such U.S. firm, for $7.4 billion, including debt. We can expect more deals like this in the future. The reasons tell us a lot about what is right, and what is wrong, with the U.S. as an economic power."

The Latest on the Arms Trade Treaty from the Hill

As U.N. Arms Trade Treaty Opens for Signature, Opposition Rises on Hill, Heritage Foundation Foundry, June 3, 2013. "The ATT is badly flawed in substance, and the way it was adopted in the U.N. General Assembly and the speed of the U.S. review process of the treaty poses further serious problems. In part for those reasons, the treaty has drawn considerable skepticism on the Hill. A Concurrent Resolution offered by Senator Jerry Moran (R–KS) and Representative Mike Kelly (R–PA) has 35 bipartisan cosponsors in the Senate and 144 in the House. Kelly has also released a Dear Colleagues letter opposing the ATT, with 129 co-signatories. Finally, Kelly has the support of 50 of his colleagues for an amendment to the fiscal year 2014 State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Appropriations Bill that would ban funding for the ATT."

The Process of Implementing the ATT Poses New Risks

New Risks, Dangers Loom as UN Arms Trade Treaty Opens for Signature, Foxnews.com, June 3, 2013. "The U.N. Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) opens for signature on June 3. Well over 30 nations will sign it immediately, and the U.S. has announced it will follow suit. Once 50 signatories ratify the treaty, implementation begins 90 days later. And implementation will present new risks to the U.S. U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Tom Countryman insists implementation will bring “no change in legislation, policy, or procedures.” That promise will be nearly impossible to keep, since key terms in the treaty have no fixed meaning. As they evolve, the U.S. will change its policies accordingly. But the ATT was never designed to stand on its own. It will be fleshed out in innumerable ways. That process that will end up determining what the treaty actually means."

The Rise of the Part-Time Job

“U.S. Must Learn Jobs Lesson from the Plight of Part-Time Europe,” not available online, Yorkshire Post, May 25, 2013. "Part-time jobs aren’t all bad. But Europe’s reliance on them rests on its failure to be flexible enough to create full-time jobs. One of the secrets of the U.S.’s success has been its extraordinarily flexible economy. Obamacare was inspired by Europe’s example. It’s no surprise that it mirrors Europe’s destructive pattern of inflexibly pricing full-time work out of existence."

In the Middle East, Focus on Iran, Not the Syrian Rebels

"Focus on Iran," Newsday, May 24, 2013, not available online. "On Tuesday, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee voted 15-3 for a bill that would provide U.S. weapons to Syrian rebels. An Assad victory in that war would indeed be its worst possible outcome. But the conditions the bill attaches to U.S. aid show how tough it will be to help the right rebels. Rather than focus on the rebels, we should focus on Syrian President Bashar Assad’s friends in Iran. If we had been tougher on Tehran since 2009, we might not be worrying about Assad now."

On ATT Review, Start Over

U.N. Arms Trade Treaty: U.S. Decision to Sign Treaty Shows Review Process Was Rushed, Heritage Foundation Issue Brief #3944, May 20, 2013. "On May 15, Assistant Secretary of State Thomas Countryman stated that the U.S. would sign the U.N. Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) “in the very near future.” The treaty opens for signature at the United Nations on June 3. The fact that this decision was announced only six weeks after the treaty was negotiated shows that the U.S. rushed its internal review process. Before it actually signs the ATT, the U.S. should retract this statement and conduct a full and careful legal and policy review of the treaty."

What Obama Should Do To Restore the Special Relationship

In Meeting with Cameron, Obama Should Advance the U.S.-U.K. Special Relationship, with Nile Gardiner and Luke Coffey, Heritage Foundation Issue Brief #3933, May 10, 2013. "President Barack Obama will host British Prime Minister David Cameron at the White House on May 13. Publicly, it has been announced that the visit will be dominated by events in Syria, economic cooperation, countering terrorism, and priorities for the next meeting of the G-8. Privately, David Cameron is likely to raise a number of sensitive issues, such as the U.S. position on the Falkland Islands and the future relationship between the United Kingdom and the European Union (EU). This visit offers an opportunity for President Obama to get the Special Relationship back on track."

From Internet Tax to VAT

Senate Takes A Step Toward the VAT, Newsday, May 10, 2013. "If the Senate has its way, online sales taxes are coming to a computer near you. The so-called Marketplace Fairness Act sailed through the Senate on Monday by a 69-27 margin. If approved in the House, the act won’t just cost you money. It will also put the United States on the road to adopting a European-style national sales tax."

Another Reason for Britain to Leave the ECHR

European Court Errs in Decision on Terrorist Suspect Extradition, with Andrew Robert James Southam, Heritage Foundation Issue Brief #3930, May 7, 2013. "The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) has given an interim ruling that Britain cannot extradite Haroon Aswat to the United States. Aswat has been indicted in the U.S. on conspiracy charges related to the establishment of a terrorist training camp for radical Islamists in Bly, Oregon in 1999. By this decision, the ECHR, unless its decision is overturned, will have done significant damage to the Anglo-American extradition system, and to the ability of both sovereign nations to try and punish serious offenses, including terrorism."