What, Me Worry? Well, Yes.

So, You Worry About Russia’s Vladimir Putin, Newsday, January 30, 2017. "The left has a new boogeyman: Vladimir Putin’s Kremlin. Russian hackers, many liberals say, cost Hillary Clinton the election. Russia is certainly a bad actor. I only wish the left had noticed years ago. And no, I don’t excuse conservatives who fall for the Russian lure: They should know better."

Really, It's Not Just Another Country

How Trump Can Advance the Special Relationship with Britain, with Nile Gardiner, Daily Signal, January 26, 2017. "Just seven days after taking office, President Donald Trump will meet with British Prime Minister Theresa May in Washington on Jan. 27. It will be the first visit to the White House by a foreign leader since Trump’s inauguration, and the meeting sends a clear signal that the Anglo-American alliance will be at the heart of strategic thinking in the new Trump administration."

SHOT Wonders if Trump Will Hit the Target

With Obama Gone, Firearms Industry Hopes for New Freedom for Gun Owners, Daily Signal, January 26, 2017. "In past years, the SHOT Show—the Shooting, Hunting, and Outdoor Trade Show; organized annually by the National Shooting Sports Foundation, held this year in Las Vegas—has been marked by delight at the booming firearms market, clouded by concerns about impending executive actions by now-former President Barack Obama. This year, SHOT was the exact opposite: hopes for regulatory relief from President Donald Trump, tempered with regret at the end of—or at least a pause in—the remarkable sales run of the past eight years."

Not Just Another Country

The Trump-May White House Meeting: Five Key Recommendations for Advancing the Special Relationship, with Nile Gardiner, Heritage Foundation Issue Brief #4649, January 25, 2017. "On January 27, just seven days after taking office, President Donald Trump will meet with British Prime Minister Theresa May in Washington. It will be the first visit to the White House by a foreign leader since Trump’s inauguration, and the meeting sends a clear signal that the Anglo–American alliance will be at the heart of strategic thinking in the new Trump Administration."

Bin the ATT

A Simple Plan in 2017 for the Arms Trade Treaty: Return to Sender, Heritage Foundation Issue Brief #4648, January 24, 2017. "Though then–Secretary of State John Kerry signed the Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) on behalf of the United States on September 25, 2013, the Obama Administration waited until December 9, 2016, to transmit the treaty to the Senate. The strength of the opposition to the treaty and the fact that the Administration only acted when it had less than six weeks left in office make clear that the ATT has no chance of receiving the advice and consent of the Senate. Therefore, like a number of other treaties, it will await action by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee (SFRC) when the next Administration enters office."

Broadening the River

Brexit and the Arrival of Trump Signal the Beginning of an Exciting New Era of Closer and Deeper US-UK Relations, BrexitCentral, January 19, 2017. "So let’s try something new: focusing on reality. Let’s get a few solid accomplishments under our belt – starting, but not ending, with that trade deal – and then see how we feel about each other, and ourselves. I’d love to go back to the era of Roosevelt and Churchill, or Reagan and Thatcher, because they all combined great rhetoric with great achievements, but that’s not happening. Yet we do have the chance – because you now have the freedom, and we appear to have the desire – to break the mould, to do things that used to be impossible, or merely unthinkable. If politics allow us to make Churchill’s river that little broader for both our benefit, and for the years that will follow our new administrations, it would be folly not to take it."

Grade: Must Improve, But Didn't

Obama Did Not Learn from Foreign Policy Mistakes, Newsday, January 14, 2017. "During their time in office, most presidents learn. And usually their actions reflect what they’ve learned. That’s good: Learning is a vital part of being an effective leader, and it’s essential if you’re president. Regrettably, President Barack Obama doesn’t appear to be a good learner."

What the US Should Do in Europe

Recommitting the United States to European Security and Prosperity: Five Steps for the Incoming Administration, with Luke Coffey and Daniel Kochis, Heritage Foundation Issue Brief #4646, January 12, 2017. "Since the end of the Cold War, U.S. policy toward Europe has drifted far from its initial premises; Europe itself has changed beyond recognition. The U.S. needs to recognize this fact. President Trump should direct the National Security Council (NSC) to oversee a comprehensive study of U.S. policy toward Europe, a study based on enduring American interests in Europe, the lessons of the post-1945 era, and on the new features of Europe that have emerged since 1991."

Accountability Time

My Questions for the New Year, Newsday, January 1, 2017. "Commenting on current affairs is an ongoing lesson in humility. It’s a big world, and anyone who writes about it should be prepared to be wrong a lot. So at the end of the year, I like to practice some accountability by looking back to my last New Year’s column, and forward to the coming year."

Books to Read in 2017

Here Are 21 Books You Should Read in 2017, edited by Daniel Davis, Daily Signal, December 29, 2017. "“Why Knowledge Matters: Rescuing Our Children From Failed Educational Theories” by E.D. Hirsch Jr."

The Obama Administration's Curious Record on Firearms

What’s The Obama Administration Up To On Firearms?, Forbes, December 28, 2016, "The Obama Administration’s record on firearms is curiously mixed. On the one hand, the President deserves an award – which he is unlikely to receive or want – as America’s greatest gun salesman. All of his musings about gun control have gone hand in hand with boom times for the firearms industry."

A Very Charitable Post About President Obama

President Obama’s Many Missed Opportunities, Newsday, December 27, 2016, "Everyone makes mistakes, and the Obama administration has made its fair share. But harping on mistakes is easy. The tragedy of most presidential administrations rests not in the errors they make, but in the opportunities they miss — and in the belief that no one else can seize them."

My Annual Land Mines Rebuttal

No, Land Mine Casualties Aren’t Increasing. Wars Are, Forbes, December 13, 2016, "Every year, the International Coalition to Ban Landmines (ICBL) publishes its Landmine Monitor. And every year, journalists run their press release as a story without, apparently, bothering to read the report. This year, no surprises, it’s the turn of The New York Times, which in late November reported that “Land Mine Casualties Jump 75% as Funding for Their Removal Declines.”"

Return the ATT to Sender

The Obama Administration Just Sent the Arms Trade Treaty to the Senate. Here’s Why It Doesn’t Matter, Daily Signal, December 12, 2016, "Last week, the Obama administration took a step that conservatives have been anticipating for three years: it transmitted the Arms Trade Treaty to the Senate for ratification. This move doesn’t matter."

Interpol and the Authoritarians

Way To Go, Interpol, Newsday, December 4, 2106, "At its latest meeting, the General Assembly voted four new members to the executive committee. That’s where the trouble starts. The new president of the committee is Meng Hongwei, the vice minister of public security in China. In other words, he’s in charge of enforcing the world’s biggest police state, a police state with a history of abusing Interpol for its own purposes."

Interpol, the Palestinians, and Standards for Membership

Will Interpol Be Able to Create Fair Standards for Membership?, Forbes, November 30, 2016, "Contrary to media reports, a Palestinian effort to win admission to Interpol has not been rejected. As I noted in my previous post, it has been postponed, pending a report on membership criteria to be conducted by Hans Corell, former Under-Secretary-General for Legal Affairs and Legal Counsel of the United Nations."

Interpol, the Palestinians, and the Chinese

Interpol Did Not Reject the Palestinian Authority’s Bid for Membership, Forbes, November 30, 2016, "It’s been widely reported that Interpol rejected a Palestinian bid for membership at the latest meeting of its General Assembly, which concluded in Bali on November 10. This is, at best, only a half truth."

Free Trade in People

, Newsday, November 19, 2016, "Around the world, globalization is supposedly under attack. From Brexit in Britain, to Donald Trump in the United States, we’re told we’re facing a rebellion against it. Yes, it’s a rebellion. But what’s driving it isn’t free trade in goods. It’s free trade in people."

Oops, They Did It Again

This Would Be A Serious Mistake for Interpol, Newsday. November 6, 2016, "Just because the United States is in the final days of its election campaign doesn’t mean nothing important is happening anywhere else. Next week, the General Assembly of Interpol, the worldwide federation of law enforcement agencies, will meet in Bali, Indonesia. The General Assembly is Interpol’s governing authority, and it decides who joins Interpol. Both Taiwan and the Palestinian Authority are seeking admission. It’s time Interpol welcomes Taiwan — but letting the Palestinians in would be a serious mistake."

Remember Winston Churchill

Churchill Comes to Washington, Weekly Standard, November 6, 2016, "Monuments to Winston Churchill abound in the United Kingdom. You can remember the greatest man of the 20th century at his birthplace, Blenheim Palace, or by his grave nearby at Bladon. Then there are the Cabinet War Rooms in London, his country house, Chartwell, and, of course, the magnificent Churchill Archives Centre in Churchill College at Cambridge University. As the simple memorial in Westminster Abbey—next to the statue of Churchill in Parliament Square—puts it, there is no shortage of occasions to "remember Winston Churchill" in Britain."

Why Remain Has Learned Nothing

Assessing Why Remain Lost The Brexit Vote, Forbes, October 30, 2016, "Daniel Korski, deputy director of former British Minister David Cameron’s policy unit, has published a fascinating and intelligent, if inevitably partial and partisan, assessment of why Remain lost the Brexit referendum last June. Journalism of this quality is the first draft of history. It shouldn’t be the last."

The NHS: Not Great for Health

Britain’s National Health Service Isn’t A World Beater, Forbes, October 30, 2016, "Last week, UK2020, a think tank founded by Conservative MP Owen Paterson, published a major study of “The UK Health System – An International Comparison of Health Outcomes,” by Dr. Kristian Niemietz of the Institute of Economic Affairs. It provides extensive and sober evidence for the contention that, regardless of what Britons (and others) think of it, the National Health Service (NHS) is not particularly good at reducing preventable deaths . Dr. Niemietz finds that over 46,000 people die annually in Britain who would have been kept alive if they had been treated by the best health system in the world. Even if they had been treated by the 12th best system in the world, 17,000 more people a year would live. The study quotes the Guardian’s assessment that “the only serious black mark against the NHS was its poor record on keeping people alive.” Quite."

On The Need To Control Territory

"ISIS' True Weakness," Newsday, October 21, 2016, "The start of an Iraqi and Kurdish offensive to liberate Mosul is a milestone in the defeat the so-called Islamic State. But winning the fight will be hard, and winning the peace far harder. Brutal though ISIS undoubtedly is, Mosul’s residents understandably don’t trust their would-be liberators."

Foreign Policy In The Age of Multiculturalism

"This Is No Way to Run Foreign Policy," Newsday, October 11, 2016, "Last week, the Chicago Council on Global Affairs released its annual survey of American public opinion and foreign policy, titled “America in the Age of Uncertainty.” Predictably, the council focused its polling on the issues that appear to be shaping the 2016 presidential campaign. But its most revealing findings run deeper."

Cheerful Conservatives in Birmingham

"The Conservatives Are Actually Happy in the United Kingdom," Weekly Standard, October 6, 2016, " in London by train from Gatwick Airport, you pass Battersea Power Station on your right. Derelict for more than 30 years, it is an iconic, vast, roofless, brick structure, with tall white smokestack towers. In the years since it last produced a watt of power, it has hosted raves, Dr. Who episodes, and James Bond movies. What it has not done is anything of enduring use. But this time, as I trundled past, there were modular apartments going up around the power station, and cranes working on the inside. The next day, the reason for the activity was announced: The power station, renovated and reconstructed at no small expense, is to be Apple's new U.K. headquarters, and a new center of retail and life besides. We were told that, after Brexit, no one would want to invest in Britain. Evidently someone forgot to tell Apple."