Several weeks ago, Tunisia began what has become a trail of protests and uprisings in the Arab world. Tunisia had a number of characteristics that leant it to uprising, including empowered and educated people and few economic prospects for those people. The country needs improved economic freedom. Tunisia in recent years has made great strides investing in its human capital—educating its people and providing some basic health care. According to the U.N.’s Human Development Indicators, Tunisia has outpaced the rest of the Arab world over the last three decades. Other …
There was a time when the U.S. government boldly supported democratic movements and spoke out unabashedly in favor of political and human rights. It wasn’t even that long ago—under the Bush and Reagan Administrations, actually—but it seems like eons. Consider President Obama’s comment in the State of the Union speech that the United States “stands with the people of Tunisia” (whatever this code means) while ignoring that at that very moment tens of thousands of demonstrators had taken to the streets of Cairo and other Egyptian cities, protesting the 30-year …
This Sunday marks the 100th anniversary of President Ronald Reagan’s birth. A man of many talents and accomplishments, his sense of humor and contagious optimism are perhaps most missed today as our nation faces a host of difficult challenges. As we recall in our new video celebrating his birthday, when Reagan took office our nation was in a similarly precarious situation. With high unemployment and inflation at home and the looming threat of communism abroad, America was at a crossroads. But in the face of all these obstacles, President Reagan …
Last Friday on a conference call with reporters about the Obama Administration’s long-term energy proposals, Energy Secretary Steven Chu responded to a question about the situation in Egypt, saying: “Certainly any disruption in the Middle East means a partial disruption in the oil we import. It’s a world market and [a disruption] could actually have real harm of the price. The best way America can protect itself against these incidents is to decrease our dependency on foreign oil, in fact to diversify our supply.” This is a nice sentiment. Unfortunately, …
One by one, all but seven states have succumbed to pressure to adopt national academic standards. But in a recent bid to retain local control, members of a regional school board in Massachusetts asked state officials to reconsider that decision, according to Education Week. The Massachusetts school board expressed concerns that the Common Core State Standards, endorsed by the Obama administration, would result in the loss of local control. Its opposition is the latest knock on national standards, following criticism from leaders in South Carolina, Texas and Virginia. (Click here …
Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak announced on Tuesday night that he would not run for re-election in September in a last-ditch effort to placate the opposition. Speaking after massive protests paralyzed Cairo and other major cities for the eighth straight day, the embattled president stated: “My first responsibility is providing security to the country to peacefully transition the power in a safe way for Egypt and give the country to those whom Egypt chooses in the coming elections.” Mubarak’s limited concession is unlikely to satisfy the demands of opposition leaders buoyed …
President Hosni Mubarak continues facing enormous pressure to step down from power. As rioting continues, a host of otherwise disparate interest groups unite in their opposition to the president. With U.S. and Middle East geopolitics contingent upon what happens in Egypt, in a recent podcast Heritage expert Jim Carafano gives his insight as to what this really means for America, and what the administration should be doing in response. How will this uprising affect our foreign policy with allies such as Israel? Will it affect global oil prices? And more …
It’s been only a month since the Senate gave its nod to ratifying New START, a strategic arms control treaty with Russia that the Administration hopes to bring into force next week. But already Moscow is discounting the clarifications the Senators stipulated and added to their resolution of ratification. Senator Jon Kyl (R–AZ) wisely raised concerns about this in his latest floor statement. He pointed out that Russia’s ratification law cites “understandings” that the Russian and U.S. officials came to during negotiations that justify Russia’s claim that the treaty limits …
As a rising international power, Brazil under President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva outlined a comprehensive national defense plan aimed at controlling and defending national territory, extending its maritime reach, and developing cutting-edge defense technology. The plan calls for reorganization of the army, air and space capabilities to cover Brazil’s extensive territory (including the Amazon), and augmented maritime defense capabilities reportedly designed to project Brazil’s offshore oil deposits. Brazil’s original shopping list included a nuclear-powered submarine and as many as 36 advanced fighter aircraft. Proposals to update the Brazilian air …
The French Institute of Public Opinion recently asked people in several countries whether the market system and capitalism work quite well and should be retained or if they are malfunctioning and should be abandoned. By a four-to-one margin, Americans believe the market system should be retained. Overall, 55 percent believe the capitalist system works quite well, 32 percent believe it does not work very well but there is no better alternative, and just 13 percent believe it should be abandoned. But guess who really likes free economies? People who aren’t …
