As jubilant Libyans take to the street to celebrate the imminent fall of Muammar Qadhafi, the fate of Libya’s leader remains uncertain: trial or exile? Press resources speculate that he may be headed to a friendly country. Russia, Zimbabwe, and Venezuela are mentioned. Richard Spencer of The Telegraph reported that “the main possibility of exile outside the Arab world is in Venezuela, whose leader Hugo Chavez is an old friend. Last week a Venezuelan envoy was in the Tunisian resort island of Djerba, talking to Qadhafi representatives.” Throughout Libya’s civil …
Sign up for the daily email update from Scribe. The dust has not yet settled over the Libyan capital of Tripoli since rebels took control over the weekend. But already, a draft constitutional charter for the transitional state has appeared online (embedded below). It is just a draft, mind you, and gauging its authenticity at this point is difficult. There is also no way to know whether this draft or something similar will emerge as the final governing document for a new Libyan regime. As both the Morning Bell and …
The concept of a Keynesian stimulus never seems to tire among politicians eager to grow the economy artificially by spending other people’s money. Recently, Obama’s Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack encouraged expanding SNAP, the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program aimed to help the poor, as a way to stimulate the economy. “Every dollar of SNAP benefits generates $1.84 in the economy in terms of economic activity. If people are able to buy a little more in the grocery store, someone has to stock it, package it, shelve it, process it, ship …
Given the overwhelming evidence that parental divorce takes a heavy toll on children—in areas ranging from emotional well-being and academic achievement to delinquency, substance abuse, and sexual activity—the nation had cause to breathe a collective sigh of relief when data showed that the incidence of divorce has dropped steadily since peaking in 1979. In fact, today’s divorce rate is nearly as low as that of the late ’60s. But this moment in the sun has been overshadowed by a dark cloud. Research recently released by The National Marriage Project and …
Driving the conversation: Col. Muammar Qaddafi was swept from power by Libyan rebel forces over the weekend. While rebels hold most of Tripoli, the country’s dictator remains at large, and the Libyan military reportedly still holds the area around the president’s compound. The Heritage Foundation, in today’s Morning Bell, is already asking: what next? Heritage Fellow Jim Phillips writes: If the regime suddenly collapses, the United States must be ready to help the rebel Transitional National Council to stabilize Libya, restore the rule of law and prepare the way for an …
All across the world, leaders are hailing the news that Libyan rebels have advanced into the capital city of Tripoli, poised to bring to an end to the decades-old dictatorship of Colonel Muammar Qadhafi. The end of Qadhafi’s regime is welcome news, but now the United States must focus on developing a strategy for a way forward. The Heritage Foundation’s Jim Phillips explains: The Obama Administration, which stumbled into the war in Libya with no clear military plan or exit strategy, now must fashion a suitable and acceptable way forward. The Administration’s short-sighted effort …
Libyan rebels converged on the capital city of Tripoli early on Monday with reports that the forces arrested two of Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi’s sons, that the presidential guard protecting Qadhafi surrendered, and that the rebel forces controlled much of the city with the exception of Qadhafi’s leadership compound. Meanwhile, President Obama released a statement saying the U.S. believes Qadhafi’s regime is nearing its end and that it recognizes the Transitional National Council “as the legitimate governing authority in Libya.” The Obama Administration, which stumbled into the war in Libya with no …
Providing for the defense of the United States is Congress’ constitutional obligation. Lawmakers should recognize defense is a necessity, if not the federal government’s most important responsibility. In recent years, however, defense spending has continued to decline as entitlement spending increased. Priorities are being misplaced as the gap between entitlement spending and defense spending continues to widen. This chart is part of Heritage’s 2011 Budget Chart Book, featuring infographics on federal spending, revenue, debt and deficits, and entitlement programs.
On Saturday, an Iranian court sentenced two innocent American hikers to eight years in jail for allegedly straying across the Iran–Iraq border two years ago. The politicized verdict once again underscores the Islamist regime’s twisted sense of “justice,” which is meted out against Iranians as well as foreigners to advance the interests of a ruthlessly brutal regime. The show trial of the hiker/hostages is one more slap in the face of the Obama Administration, whose eager rush to engage Tehran has produced no tangible results. The two American hikers, Shane …
The New York Times public editor is reviewing Rep. Darrell Issa’s request for a front-page retraction to a story with as many as 13 errors, according to Issa’s office. Meanwhile, the reporter and editor responsible for the story broke their silence after nearly a week of criticism from the California Republican. “Congressman Issa’s office forwarded us the request for retraction that was sent last evening to Times editors, so we will have to review it like we do any other complaint we receive,” Joseph Burgess, assistant to the Times’s public …
