According to press reports, the foreign ministers of the 10-nation Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) bloc have approved Burma’s request for the 2014 chairmanship. The approval comes after a series of reforms from the quasi-civilian government in Naypyidaw, such as the release of Nobel Peace Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi from house arrest, the amnesty of some political prisoners, and modest reforms to the political system. The steps that the Burmese government has taken are certainly very welcome. It could be that these reforms are real and not …
In a floor speech yesterday, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D–NV)claimed that “only a tiny fraction of layoffs have anything at all to do with tighter regulation.” In fact, he said, “last year, only three-tenths of 1 percent of people who lost their jobs were let go principally because of government regulation or intervention.” It’s an impressive sounding stat. The same or similar figures have been picked up in media outlets ranging from The New York Times to Mother Jones as proof that regulation is not a contributing cause of …
Americans have heard all about how the Obama Administration gave a $535 million loan guarantee to the now-bankrupt solar company Solyndra, but details are emerging about others who have won a windfall on the taxpayers’ dime. The latest example? President John F. Kennedy’s nephew, Robert Kennedy, Jr., who secured a $1.4 billion bailout for his company, BrightSource, possibly through political connections. BigGovernment.com reports on the story which was uncovered by Breitbart editor Peter Schweizer in his new book, Throw Them All Out: The details of how BrightSource managed to land its ten-figure taxpayer …
In its latest strategic move, billed smART Power, the State Department is sending abroad on Americans’ behalf not more Foreign Service officers but a cadre of elite artists. Their mission: to use visual arts as a medium for winning the hearts and minds of foreign populations all over the globe. The impetus for this initiative comes right from the top, for Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has crafted the new approach to U.S. foreign policy around what she dubs “smart power.” Cultural diplomacy is, of course, a good thing. So, …
House investigators are alleging a White House double standard in its rhetoric toward executive compensation for large financial institutions. The allegations appear in a report released in advance of a hearing on government-back housing giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. President Obama ramped up the populist rhetoric in 2009 with respect to bonuses for executives at private financial companies, but has been silent on comparably large bonuses for officials at Fannie and Freddie, according to the report, released Wednesday by House Oversight and Government Reform Chairman Darrell Issa (R-CA). The …
The scene from “Casablanca” says it all. “I’m shocked-shocked to find that gambling is going on in here,” Police Inspector Renault declares. Immediately, the croupier hands the chief inspector his roulette table winnings. Renault’s disingenuousness disclaimer could be the tag line for U.S. cyber security policy. Just last month, the Director of National Intelligence delivered a report to Congress – “Foreign Spies Stealing U.S. Economic Secrets in Cyberspace.” Its “shocking” conclusion: China and Russia are stealing us blind. Quelle surprise! Chinese beachheads in U.S. cyberspace have turned up time and again for …
Just as the Supreme Court has decided to take up the court cases challenging the constitutionality of Obamacare, a new Gallup poll shows that the plurality of Americans–including even a plurality of independents–want to see the law repealed. Meanwhile, a new survey by the PwC Health Research Institute shows that health care and the deficit are tied as the second-most important issue in the presidential election, after jobs. Gallup reports that, “Given a choice, 47% of Americans favor repealing the 2010 Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, while 42% want it kept …
The killing of Osama bin Laden was a hard-won victory for the United States, but the gains made in pursuit of that day of justice and in waging the war in Afghanistan–including putting al-Qaeda on its heels–could be squandered if the Obama Administration continues its plotted course. When Republican presidential candidates lay out their foreign policy agendas in next Tuesday’s debate hosted by The Heritage Foundation and the American Enterprise Institute on CNN, they should pay significant attention to this seminal war that is so crucial to America’s struggle against terrorism. In …
Facing mounting pressure, the Arab League called for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to immediately cease the brutal hostilities against his people. By a near-unanimous vote, the Arab League expressed its hard-line position against Damascus through the threat of economic and political sanctions if the ultimatum is not responded to by Wednesday. This decision demonstrates the urgency of the regional states to resolve this conflict through peaceful means. And the latest attempt to isolate Damascus is a belated affirmation by the Arab League that such disregard for human rights will not …
Last Thursday marked the closing of the 38th Baghdad International Trade Fair, an annual event intended to showcase international corporations to Iraqis and Iraqi corporations to the world. This year’s installment, lasting 10 days and drawing more than 1 million visitors, was made all the more special by the fact that the U.S. participated for the first time in 20 years. Coming on the heels of President Obama’s announcement of a total U.S. troop pullout by the end of the year, U.S. participation at the Trade Fair is sending mixed …
