Today at 10 a.m. the House Armed Services Committee will host a hearing on the evolving instability in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and the implications for national security. Heritage’s Jim Carafano, Ph.D., vice president for foreign and defense policy studies, will provide testimony on the Obama administration’s …
Governments eager to use the recently concluded International Telecommunication Union (ITU) conference to bolster their efforts to censor and govern the Internet successfully inserted a provision to aid their cause. Although the Obama Administration is known to support most international treaties, this proved to be a bridge too far. As …
The statement Tuesday from the U.S. embassy in Cairo apologizing to Muslims and condemning “the continuing efforts by misguided individuals to hurt the religious feelings of Muslims”—even as an angry, threatening mob was gathering outside the embassy compound—was no aberration. Though subsequently denounced by both the White House and the …
After the dictatorial circus of the morning, the afternoon session of the ATT Conference was comparatively calm. The lowlight was the address by Saudi Arabia, which seemed to be doing its best to outbid Egypt in the “we support Palestine” sweepstakes. No demand was too extreme: Palestinian state membership in …
The second day of the U.N.’s Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) Conference, July 3, opened much as the first day had closed: with a very delayed start. The issue, still, was the Palestinian demand—instigated by Egypt—to be included as full participants in the conference, which continued to meet staunch resistance from …
Yesterday, Senator Jerry Moran (R–KS) gave an important speech at The Heritage Foundation on the U.N. Arms Trade Treaty (ATT), negotiations on which will open on July 2 in New York. Through letters to the Administration, legislation, and amendments, Moran has played the leading role in seeking to ensure, with …
Earlier this year, the Obama Administration trumpeted the recently passed United Nations regular budget as a triumph of fiscal discipline. To some degree, it is justified in that claim. The initial appropriations for the 2012–2013 budget (at $5.15 billion) are $263 million lower than the final expenditures for the 2010–2011 …
Internal ethnic strife, a deep-rooted but often overlooked challenge facing newly independent South Sudan, has recently emerged as a threat to the country’s stability. Last month, the South Sudanese army and United Nations reinforcements were sent to the town of Pibor in Jonglei state to prevent attacks by members of …
