RIGHT BIAS, MIXED, think tank in Washington, D.C
Year-End Spending Deal Contains Troubling Provisions, Busts the Budget
Discussion of the year-end continuing resolution, or spending deal, has hinged on two topics: whether additional funding will be provided for border security, and whether there will be a government shutdown. Although the real-life impact of a partial government shutdown would be minimal, its prospect facilitates end-of-the-world rhetoric that the 24/7 news cycle thrives on. What’s not talked about as much are the provisions legislators are sneaking into this bill to circumvent fiscal rules and continue racking up deficits on the backs of America’s children.
Trump Administration Unveils New Africa Strategy at The Heritage Foundation
National Security Adviser John Bolton spoke at The Heritage Foundation to discuss the Trump administration’s new strategy for Africa. The strategy is focused on three priorities, all of which have long been advocated by foreign policy experts at The Heritage Foundation. These priorities include advancing U.S. trade across the region, continuing to combat terrorism, and making sure U.S. money for aid is used as most effectively that it can be.
Now Is Not the Time to Repeat Obama’s Iraq Mistake in Afghanistan
There have been recent media reports that up to 7,000 U.S. troops, roughly half of the number of troops there, will be removed from Afghanistan. There has been no official statement from the Trump administration confirming this and it is important to stress that senior officials are saying privately that no final decision has been taken. After more than 17 years of a U.S. military presence in Afghanistan it is only natural to question the value of the mission. However, most of the criticism about the mission today comes from failing to see the mission for what it now is: a training, advising, and assisting mission for the Afghanistan National Defense and Security Forces (ANSDF).
Key Questions Remain Unanswered About Trump’s New Syria Policy
President Donald Trump signaled a major shift in U.S. policy on Syria with a short tweet on Wednesday: “We have defeated ISIS in Syria, my only reason for being there during the Trump Presidency.” The president subsequently tweeted that it was time for U.S. troops to come home and that this should not be a surprise in light of his campaign promises to reduce U.S. military involvement in the Middle East. Bringing the troops home for Christmas and fulfilling campaign promises are laudable goals, but the administration must be careful not to do this at the expense of long-term U.S. security interests in Syria and the Middle East.
Washington Should Be Alarmed at Middle Belt Conflict in Nigeria
Nigeria boasts Africa’s largest population and largest economy, and is also home to one of Africa’s bloodiest conflicts. Violence this year in Nigeria’s Middle Belt region was six times deadlier than the far-flung mayhem created by Boko Haram, the infamous Nigerian Islamist terrorist group. The complexity of the Middle Belt conflict, its growing religious element and the fast approach of general elections early next year combine to present a pressing danger to Nigeria. And that should concern Washington. What’s the fighting about? Much of it is herdsmen versus farmers. The herders are primarily nomadic, Muslim and Fulani — a large tribe spread across 21 African countries — while the farmers are settled, primarily Christian and non-Fulani.
A Victory for Free Speech
Conservatives at the University of California at Berkeley got an early Christmas gift this year: a victory for free speech. It’s been a rocky road lately for the First Amendment on campus, at least for those who don’t hold to the usual liberal orthodoxy. Invite a controversial speaker, as certain student groups have done, and you’re courting trouble.
U.S. Base in Poland Flashes Hands-Off Signal to Putin
Throughout the Cold War, NATO fielded enough conventional forces – ships, planes, and soldiers – that Moscow never crossed the line. The U.S. should learn from this experience as it considers Poland's request to permanently forward deploy American forces in their country. To be fair, there are respectable arguments against building what that Polish President Andrzej Duda famously labelled "Fort Trump" when pitched the idea to the U.S. president in September.
We Need Trump’s Border Wall Plus Other Measures to Reduce Illegal Immigration
Congressional Democrats have made it clear that they will oppose President Trump’s commonsense request for $5 billion to expand fencing and begin work on a wall along our southern border. But the fight over the wall is just a small skirmish in a war to decide the future of our country and whether we can control our own borders.
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from HumanProgress.org Education Website
Follett: How Markets Empower Women
Over the last 200 years, economic progress has helped to bring about both dramatically better standards of living and the extension of individual dignity to women in the developed world. Today the same story of market-driven empowerment is repeating itself in developing countries. Competitive markets empower women in at least two interrelated ways. First, market-driven technological and scientific innovations disproportionately benefit women. Timesaving household devices, for example, help women in particular because they typically perform the majority of housework. Healthcare advances reduce maternal and infant mortality rates, allowing for smaller family sizes and expansion of women’s life options. Second, labor market participation offers women economic independence and increased bargaining power in society. Factory work, despite its poor reputation, has proven particularly important in that regard.
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