The echo chamber of Washington is hard at work. The consensus is growing that the U.S. military will need to aim for a slimmer but still perfectly effective military, thanks to the budget and capability cuts of the past three years. However, given the magnitude of ongoing defense budget cuts, a hollowing force simply does not translate into a “meaner” military. For the past half-century and more, America has taken a leadership role in the world. This has manifest vital national interests all around the globe. As a result, the …
In his straightforward and scathing piece for today’s New York Post, Heritage senior fellow Peter Brookes discussed the devastating impact a sequestration of the defense budget would have on America’s military. If the congressional “super committee” cannot find $1.5 trillion in budget savings over the next 10 years by November 23, the law would trigger automatic spending “sequestration” cuts of $1.2 trillion—of which roughly half a trillion or more would be from the defense budget. This spells major trouble for U.S. national security. Since President Obama has been in office, …
In this week’s Heritage in Focus, foreign policy expert James Carafano fills us in on the latest news throughout the Middle East. Click here to listen. Now that Libyan leader Muammar Gadhafi is gone, what’s next? President Obama has announced the withdrawal of all troops from Iraq by the end of the year. What does the future hold there? Will any troops remain? How does this affect other countries in the region? Listen to answers to these questions and more! To get regular updates on Heritage in Focus podcasts, visit …
In a recent paper published by the Begin-Sadat Center for Strategic Studies, Uzi Rubin, former head of Israel’s Missile Defense Organization, discusses the significant contribution that the Iron Dome defense system has made to Israel’s security and its implications for the future. America can learn from Israel’s cost–benefit analysis for the effectiveness of the system. Iron Dome is an anti-rocket active defense system that made its debut during the rocket attacks launched from Gaza into Israel this past April and August. Without even being declared to have initial operational capability, …
Whatever became of President Barack Obama’s vaunted foreign policy czars, who were to transform America’s international relations through soft power diplomacy? The answer is nothing good. One by one the czars have fallen by the wayside, leaving a trail of bureaucratic irritation and diplomatic failure behind them. The Administration now at least tacitly acknowledges that the whole operation was a mistake. Last week’s resignation of Stephen Bosworth as special representative for North Korea marks a milestone in the czars’ decline and fall. In the words of Foreign Policy magazine’s blog, …
The illegal immigration of Mexicans to the U.S. has “sputtered to a trickle” due to an increase in economic and educational opportunities in Mexico coupled with a surge in border violence. At least, that is what The New York Times reported earlier this year. Ignoring that the apprehension of 447,500 illegal immigrants along the southwest border in fiscal year 2010 can hardly be called “trickle,” has the economy in Mexico really seen such drastic improvements that economic conditions are pushing fewer and fewer Mexican citizens to head to the U.S.? …
Russia is bemoaning the passing of Libyan dictator Muammar Qadhafi, an old friend and client of the Soviet Union and a reliable customer for Russian arms sales. But Qadhafi belongs to the 20th century. In the 21st, Russia has new interests in Africa, and the Libyan strongman’s passing will not derail them for long. Russia is creating a new economic platform that will allow cross-investment between its members: Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa (BRICS). The Wall Street Journal reports that exchanges from Brazil, Russia, India, Hong Kong, and …
To hear President Barack Obama describe the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq, you’d think it was a long-anticipated political victory, the fruition of a promise he made when campaigning for the White House. But his announcement last week that American troops in Iraq will return by the end of the year is a result of a serious Obama Administration failure that will undermine U.S. security interests in the Middle East. Speaking on Friday from the West Wing, President Obama wasted no time in reminding the American people that, “As …
After denying last week that the negotiations to extend the U.S. troop presence in Iraq were failing, the Obama Administration pivoted on Friday as President Obama announced that the U.S. troop presence would not be extended. The President sought to turn a dangerous outcome for Iraq’s security and the war against terrorists into a political boost for his reelection campaign by declaring in a televised speech: “Today, I can say that our troops in Iraq will definitely be home for the holidays.” The rapid drawdown of the U.S. military presence …
The word is out that all U.S. troops will be withdrawn from Iraq by the end of the year. While every American shares the conviction that we don’t want any U.S. troops stationed in a Middle East country a day longer than they need to be, it is tragic to see a premature exit of U.S. troops that might jeopardize the progress that has been made in Iraq. Rather than a symbol of success, the withdrawal of U.S. troops seems more like the outcome of an Administration in retreat. With …
