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  • U.K. Defense Spending Increases: Welcome, but Not Enough

    American commentators are beginning to react to a British announcement of a modest increase in defense spending. Any increase is welcome, but there is unfortunately a good deal less to this increase than meets the eye. Start with the amount of the increase, which has been reported in the U.S. … More

    Obama’s UK Speech: Rhetoric Cannot Substitute for Achievement

    President Obama’s address to Britain’s Parliament in historic Westminster Hall was of a piece with many of his speeches: a mixture of soaring generalities and devils in the details, with some dubious history thrown in. The President’s entire visit to Britain has delivered a mixed message. Both leaders have evidently … More

    Back to the Future, Again: A Mini-Marshall Plan for Egypt?

    Earlier this week, former National Security Adviser Jim Jones was promoting “a type of Marshall Plan for emerging democratic states like Egypt.” The White House has now stated that in his speech on the Middle East this morning, President Obama will announce a new foreign aid package for Egypt. Egypt’s … More

    Tensions Ahead Over U.S.–U.K. Extradition Treaty

    It’s a common-sense idea that criminals should not be able to escape justice in one country simply by fleeing to another. In this Internet age, it’s also common sense that citizens of one country should not be able commit crimes electronically in another without fear of punishment. This is the … More

    Libyan Revolution Reveals Foolishness of Arms Trade Treaty

    The Obama Administration has declared its support for the U.N.’s efforts to negotiate an arms trade treaty (ATT) that would regulate the transfer of conventional arms. This is unwise for many reasons. The following stories show just how an ATT, far from saving civilians, would actually tie the hands of democracies … More

    Secretary Rumsfeld, Ronald Reagan, Margaret Thatcher, and the Law of the Sea Treaty

    Former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld on Tuesday spoke in conversation at The Heritage Foundation with Heritage President Edwin J. Feulner about his long career in public service and private enterprise and on his recently published and best-selling memoir Known and Unknown. The memoir is a fascinating read, as reviewers … More

    As in Britain, Discontent Portends Danger for Defense

    According to George Will, some Republicans in both the Senate and the House are unhappy with financial controls at the Defense Department. No question: The Defense Department should produce auditable financial statements. In fact, it deserves credit for how far it has come toward that goal since 2001. But a … More

    Is New Start Compatible with the U.S.–U.K. Mutual Defence Agreement?

    The Special Relationship between the U.S. and Britain has many facets, but at its core is close cooperation in the military and intelligence realms. And at the heart of our military cooperation is the U.S.–U.K. Mutual Defence Agreement. Signed in 1958, and renewed every 10 years—most recently in 2004—the agreement … More

    New START and the Special Relationship: A Case to Answer

    Last Friday, British newspapers reported that the U.S. had agreed to supply Russia with sensitive information on Britain’s nuclear deterrent in order to win Russian agreement to New START. Over the weekend, State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley described this claim as “bunk” and asserted that New START simply “carried forward … More

    CIFTA: Treaty Without a Purpose

    The Organization of American States (OAS) is an enthusiastic backer of its CIFTA treaty, the Spanish-language abbreviation for the Inter-American Convention Against the Illicit Manufacturing of and Trafficking in Firearms, Ammunition, Explosives, and Other Related Materials. President Clinton signed CIFTA in 1997, but it has not been ratified by the … More