A fascinating paradox emerges from the news that U.S. Special Forces on Sunday killed terrorist mastermind Osama bin Laden in a superbly well-planned and executed raid on his Pakistani compound. The Obama administration rightfully celebrates the most important victory in the 10-year global war on terrorism, basking in the glory of justice done to a man who plotted the murder of more than 3,000 people on U.S. soil—mostly American citizens, but also citizens of many other nations. “His demise should be welcomed by all who believe in peace and human …
Even though it has been several years since any new detainees have been transferred to Guantanamo Bay, the intelligence extracted from them is still proving its worth—in major and surprising ways. Buried in the flood of information on the extraordinary operation to locate and kill Osama bin Laden is the critical role of strategic interrogations of detainees, including those at Guantanamo. According to a number of published reports, Gitmo detainees provided key pieces of information that ultimately lead to the location and death of Osama bin Laden. Those reports are …
Moscow recently announced its aspirations to have one of the five best militaries in the world. This ambitious plan will require that Russia replace 70 percent of its military materiel with modern military equipment by 2020. Such optimistic statements are not a rare occurrence, as the Kremlin has made similar statements on numerous occasions in the past. According to Sayid Aminov, editor of the Russian air force magazine, “missile troops are the cornerstone of Russia’s defense capability.” As such, Russia’s Ministry of Defense plans to acquire 36 ballistic missiles, 20 …
Advocates of big-government health care have ruthlessly attacked Representative Paul Ryan’s (R–WI) proposal to reform Medicare, which would give seniors a contribution to apply to the health plan of their choice. Under this “premium support” system, insurers would compete in newly created Medicare exchanges and would face pressure to offer high-value coverage at the best price possible. According to opponents, this would force seniors to pay for a growing portion of their health coverage as medical costs rise. But real-world examples prove that applying free-market principles to health care can …
The elimination of Al Qaeda founder Osama bin Laden vindicates U.S. strategy in the region. It will be seen as a major success for the U.S. and show the world that America will remain committed to hunting down its enemies for as long it takes. The operation also highlights that Pakistan is truly at the epicenter of global terrorism. The fact that the world’s most wanted terrorist was captured in a major Pakistani city 60 miles from the nation’s capital should silence those Pakistanis who rejected the idea of bin Laden being in the country as a western conspiracy. It …
House Cloakroom: May 2-8, 2011 The House returns from a two week recess on Monday to begin tackling various issues across the policy spectrum. A possible raise of the debt ceiling will be the hot topic of the coming weeks as lawmakers begin deliberations on what serious measures will have to be included to receive their support for the raise. Other issues will be the main focus of the floor this week, though, as House leadership has signaled bills involving the healthcare, abortion funding, and gas prices. On Monday evening, …
Justice has been done. Nearly 10 years since the 9/11 attacks that left more than 3,000 Americans dead, Osama bin Laden was killed by a small team of U.S. military personnel operating under the authority of the Central Intelligence Agency. We first want to congratulate the men and women of our military and intelligence communities, past and present, who worked tirelessly across three Administrations to bring ultimate justice to the man who killed so many. The war on terror, though, is not over. Bin Laden’s death is the most significant victory in …
Several U.S. political leaders have recently reiterated their desire to punish countries that undervalue their currencies. News flash: Since June 7, 2010, the value of the U.S. dollar has fallen 17.3 percent. If the United States gives countries a green light to designate low currency rates as an unfair trade practice, which of these trading partners (above) would be the first to impose big tariffs on U.S. exporters?
California is teetering on the edge of economic and social collapse. According to an Economist special report, this is largely the result of decisions to implement direct democracy reforms during the Progressive era, such as poplar recall, initiatives, propositions, and referenda — reforms that have “inflamed” the passions of the people — “James Madison’s worst nightmare.” The insidious influence of factions (groups united by passions or interests that are contrary to the rights of individuals or the wellbeing of the community as a whole) helped to cause California’s downward spiral …
