Nine months ago, Egyptians were protesting in Tahrir Square, calling for former president Hosni Mubarak to step down from office. Today, Egyptians are demanding that the country’s military, a once revered entity, return the country to civilian rule in next month’s parliamentary elections. Since Mubarak’s fall, the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF), Egypt’s interim government, has mismanaged the country, stirred sectarian tensions, and used a ham-fisted approach when responding to demonstrations. The army’s brutal response to last weekend’s protests by Coptic Christians was a wake-up call for Egyptians …
Iran’s foiled plot to assassinate the Saudi ambassador in Washington underscores the thuggish nature of Iran’s predatory regime, its willingness to accept high risks to punish its enemies, and its contempt for the United States as well as for international law. The plot was apparently hatched by the top officers within the Quds Force of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps. Named after Jerusalem (al-Quds), this elite unit made up of approximately 2,000 personnel plays a leading role in covert operations to advance Iran’s Islamic revolution. The Quds Force combines the …
When President Barack Obama began his Midwest “jobs tour” in August, he set out to campaign for the passage of a yet-to-be-released plan to turn around the country’s stagnant economy. But after the details of that plan emerged–more stimulus spending and higher taxes–and when the Democrat-controlled Senate put the measure up for a vote this week, the President’s plan was defeated. Even members of the President’s own party opposed more taxing and spending as a way of pulling America out of its unemployment ditch. Take Senator Jim Webb (D-VA), for example. The …
The recent passing of Steve Jobs, while sad, is a good reminder that the freedom to innovate is, after all, one of the things that make this country so great. Those who criticize free-market economies fail to remember that this system has always made people free to dream big and equipped with the resources to make it happen. The U.S. rose to international prominence in large part thanks to its entrepreneurial spirit, and its economic recovery depends upon the rediscovery of what made it great in the first place. The …
Now that Congress has passed free trade agreements with Columbia, Panama and South Korea, it’s a good time to ask why the United States should support and expand free trade. The chart below shows that the benefits of free trade are hard to deny. Countries that have more trade freedom also enjoy stronger economies, less hunger, and better care of the environment. Opponents of free trade complain that it leads to “unfair” foreign competition and that it destroys jobs, but the truth is a much different story. “Countries with the …
Richard Cordray, President Obama’s pick to lead the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, won approval from the Senate Banking Committee last week on a party-line vote. His confirmation to run the new agency faces fierce opposition from Republicans, who have vowed to block Senate approval until reforms are made to the agency. Sen. Richard Shelby (R-AL) is leading those calls for reform. As the ranking Republican on the Banking Committee, Shelby has maintained a hard line with Obama and Democrats on Cordray’s confirmation. In an interview at Heritage, Shelby criticized Obama for failing …
Speaking to a gathering of Hispanics in Washington, D.C., hosted by the American Latino Heritage Forum, President Obama predictably took the opportunity to inject class warfare and partisan politics. President Obama appears to be taking off his gloves and urging Hispanics to join him in continuing to support failed economic policies that have failed to lower a Hispanic unemployment rate stuck in double digits. Rather than heeding to the palatable call from the majority of Americans weary of continued federal spending to grow the economy, including many in his own …
Citing recent revelations in the investigation into a failed sting operation against Mexican drug cartels, the House’s lead investigator served Attorney General Eric Holder with a subpoena on Wednesday, requesting a range of documents related to the cross-border law enforcement effort. “Top Justice Department officials, including Attorney General Holder, know more about Operation Fast and Furious than they have publicly acknowledged,” Darrell Issa, chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee said in a statement. Fast and Furious was an operation conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms …
Today, an Iranian Christian pastor’s life hangs in the balance as he sits in a prison in Iran. Yousef Nadarkhani was handed a death sentence in 2009 after questioning the Muslim teachings that his children were receiving at school. While that was the original charge, the Iranian government now claims that Nadarkhani illegally converted from Islam to Christianity as well. The list of alleged crimes is growing. Despite signing the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Iran does not recognize the freedom to change religion. Sadly, worldwide religious persecution, specifically …
In this week’s Heritage in Focus, regulatory fellow Diane Katz discusses a provision in the regulatory reform bill, also known as Dodd-Frank, that is leading banks to increase debit card fees. Listen here. The provision, known as the “Durbin amendment,” limits the amount banks can charge retailers when consumers swipe their debit cards. As a result, Bank of America is set to start charging users $5 per month, while other banks are considering increased fees, as well. How will this affect jobs and economic growth? Will it encourage people to …
