Tensions are still high in Pakistan after a tragic NATO strike on Pakistani troops two weeks ago. Where is the U.S.-Pakistan relationship headed? What are U.S. policy options vis a vis Pakistan? How does the situation in Pakistan affect U.S. forces in Afghanistan? Click here to join us right now for our “Lunch with Heritage” online chat where we are joined by Heritage’s Senior Research Fellow for South Asia, Lisa Curtis. Lisa is taking your questions about the way forward for the U.S. with Pakistan and Afghanistan. Lunch with Heritage …
Former Governor Jon Huntsman (R–UT) was at The Heritage Foundation this week answering policy questions. In his talk, he emphasized budget discipline, tax reform, and education. He also made a powerful argument for free trade, stressing that we have vastly underused our international options in helping address economic challenges. There are many such options. One of them is to promote free trade with our friendliest and most important partners. The U.S. currently has three contrasting approaches to trade. The first is protectionism, which advocates government interference to take choices away …
Since South Sudan gained independence last January, the world’s newest country has many challenges to face. The government in Juba must quickly and efficiently address some of the most basic issues that many in the West take for granted, such as roads, clean water, and electricity. In short, it must deliver on the hopes promised by independence. While the international community has lavished attention on South Sudan, it has largely ignored a set of brewing internal crises in the north. Sudan’s president, Omar al-Bashir, has suffered a loss of influence …
Congress rarely considers a bill that would change the way Washington works. But this is exactly what the Regulations from the Executive In Need of Scrutiny (REINS) Act would do. The REINS Act (H.R.10) would require Congress to approve all “major” regulations—those costing $100 million or more annually—before they take effect. On December 7, it passed the House of Representatives by an impressive vote of 241–184. It is now headed for consideration in the Senate. The Current Process Currently, Congress passes laws with overly broad or intentionally vague statutory language. …
Hispanics are rapidly becoming one of the most influential groups in American politics. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, they make up 16.3 percent of the total population and have become increasingly active in elections. Although Hispanics have tended to vote Democratic, their strong commitment to traditional values, families, and religion and their remarkable self-reliance makes them a powerful swing vote in any election. Heritage Libertad, our Spanish-language division, recently published a Spanish version of Matthew Spalding’s essay on American exceptionalism, thereby making America’s founding principles more accessible to Hispanics …
In the latest exercise in fact-twisting, General Nikolai Makarov, Russian Chief of the General Staff, said that Russia is being pushed toward an arms race because of U.S. plans to deploy missile defenses in Europe. Markarov continued, “We are prepared to cooperate, to build a missile defense together. Why don’t they meet us halfway?” In fact, the United States has gone more than half way, and similar accusations are nothing but an exercise in bellicose rhetoric. These and similar threats are an attempt to restrain the U.S. missile defense capability. …
President Obama got his hand slapped when he famously stretched it out to the Iranian regime in the early days of his presidency. Now the U.S. State Department has, figuratively speaking, gotten its nose punched by the Iranian clenched fist as it tried to communicate with the Iranian people. On December 6, State Department spokesman Victoria Nuland announced the launch of Virtual Embassy Tehran, “a new and exciting engagement opportunity between the peoples of Iran and the United States.” On December 7, Iranian officials, losing little time, shut down the …
Another day, another new subsidy for renewable energy. This time it’s a feed-in tariff, as Senator Dianne Feinstein (D–CA) recently inserted language supporting feed-in tariffs into the 2012 Energy and Water Appropriations bill. Feed-in tariffs subsidize renewable energy by forcing utilities to purchase renewable energy at fixed, above-market prices. The extra cost is then passed to the consumers. Feed-in tariffs are simply another subsidy that props up a selected industry and damages the economy, industry, and consumers. As of 2010, more than two dozen European countries had implemented feed-in tariffs, …
The Washington Post put together a handy infographic examining the distribution of $36 billion in Energy Department financing for renewable energy companies. Solar power generation companies were the largest beneficiaries of DOE’s “investments,” with twelve companies having received a third of the financing under the program.
In an exclusive interview with The Heritage Foundation, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) sharply criticized President Obama for engaging in class warfare and accused him of shifting the focus away from his own failed policies in advance of next year’s election. “My view is he’ll have a hard time convincing Americans he deserves four more years of this,” McConnell said. “There’s nothing he’s done that the American people approve of, so of course, he’s trying to change the subject.” McConnell addressed a range of issues during the interview, from …
