The Obama Administration recently made its strongest statement yet in support of free trade agreements. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton commented on the challenges of implementing trade agreements: It does mean you have to take on entrenched interests and respond to concerns about new competition, while making the case over …
President Obama has kept at least one campaign promise: agreeing to meet with nefarious world leaders. Yesterday, President Ali Bongo Ondimba from Gabon added his name to the guest book at the White House. As director of Heritage’s Margaret Thatcher Center, Nile Gardiner, states, “In yet another display of extraordinarily …
At yesterday’s joint press conference with British Prime Minister David Cameron, President Barack Obama ruled out any deadline for ending NATO’s air assault in Libya. “Qadhafi and his regime need to understand that there will not be a let-up in the pressure that we are applying,” Obama said. “Ultimately,” he …
In January, Heritage Senior Research Fellow Jim Phillips predicted that Tunisia’s Jasmine Revolution would spark uprisings throughout the Arab world. Four months later, North Africa and the Middle East are experiencing substantial governmental transformations, and there is no end in sight. Tunisia As the first leadership casualty of the “Arab …
Almost immediately after it was announced that President Goodluck Jonathan won Nigeria’s presidential election this past weekend, violence erupted in many northern states. This post-election violence unfortunately tarnishes the nationwide vote that most observers deemed to be an improvement over previous elections, although it is evident that some rigging did …
Early this morning, former president of Côte D’Ivoire Laurent Gbagbo was finally forced out of power. Seeking refuge in the bunker of his Abidjan residence, opposition forces and international peacekeepers took the African strongman into custody. Although there are conflicting reports as to who actually arrested Gbagbo, one thing is …
African Union chairman Jean Ping’s recent op-ed espouses China as the model of economic excellence to which African countries should aspire. Ping praises China’s globalization, particularly in enterprise development, trade, and investment in Africa. However, Ping structures his argument around a misinformed premise. He assumes that since China is a …
The ballots have been tallied and the results are in: Southern Sudanese voted overwhelmingly for independence from the government in Khartoum. With a total turnout of 97 percent and 99 percent of voters casing their ballot in favor of secession, southern Sudan is on its way to becoming the world’s …
“You know, my people told me I should never meet with you,” Sudan’s President Omar al-Bashir told Richard Williamson, former U.S. special envoy to Sudan, during the Bush Administration. Clearly, it’s no easy task conducting diplomatic relations with Khartoum’s government. Yet two days from the referendum that will likely split …
In the months leading up to the referendum in southern Sudan, scheduled for January 9, the United States and its international partners have been scrambling to prepare for the challenges a divided Sudan might bring. The referendum, born from the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA), presents an opportunity for the …
