Philip H Gordon, US Assistant Secretary for European and Eurasian Affairs, has just delivered a speech in Berlin outlining “the state of transatlantic relations”. His remarks, given at the Korber Foundation on January 11, are a scene-setter for the Obama administration’s European policy in “its final year in office before elections this November.” Like most pronouncements on Europe coming from the Obama presidency, it is fixated on Washington’s dealings with the European Union, as well as with Hillary Clinton’s “reset” of relations with Moscow. This is hardly surprising coming from a … More

There’s more bad news in the continuing saga of the Chevy Volt. The Associated Press is reporting today that General Motors will recall 8,000 Volts in order to make modifications to keep them safe during crashes, all on the eve of the North American International Auto Show kicking off in the Motor City next week. (Bear in mind that only about 8,000 Volts were sold last year.) Guess who’s headed to the auto show, likely to bask in the glory of the industry they claim to have saved? The Obama … More

As the ball dropped in Times Square and bells across the globe rang in the new year, the cyber world reminded us, yet again, that the new year brings significant new challenges. To recap quickly, Stuxnet was a wild, malicious computer virus that infected the Iranian nuclear program, causing the machines that Iran uses to purify nuclear fuel to malfunction. By all accounts, Stuxnet set back the Iranian nuclear weapons program by a year. But it also infected servers around the globe in India, Indonesia, and the United States. Nobody … More

The U.S. military and America’s national security stands at the brink. This week, a congressional “super committee” was due to develop a plan to reduce the federal deficit by more than $1.2 trillion over the next 10 years. Failing to enact the plan by January 15, 2012, would result in automatic cuts to military spending–a scenario that Defense Secretary Leon Panetta describes as “devastating.” The super committee’s ability to succeed remains in serious doubt, with reports of its deadlock and failure headlining newspapers this morning. Meanwhile, Republican presidential candidates are … More

Sixty years ago this November, a recent Yale graduate published a book that outraged the distinguished university’s administration and launched a young conservative’s career. The book was God and Man at Yale. The man was William F. Buckley, Jr. The book’s success led Buckley to found National Review in 1955, which quickly became the preeminent conservative publication in the United States. As conservative historian George Nash noted, “Without Buckley, the movement might have floundered indefinitely in its search for sophisticated leadership.” Before there was a Tea Party, Ronald Reagan, or even … More

The Al-Nahda (“Renaissance”) Party, a long-banned Islamist movement that was legalized after the ouster of Tunisia’s autocratic President Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali in January, is emerging as the big winner in Sunday’s elections. Although the final results have not yet been announced, Al-Nahda has reportedly won 27 out of the 62 seats, over 40 percent of the seats filled so far, in the 217-member constituent assembly. The landmark election—the first genuinely free election to be held in Tunisia since it gained independence in 1956—will determine the members of the assembly … More

The promises of the “Arab Spring” wilted in many Arab countries during the long, hot summer, and now these nations face uncertain prospects in the autumn. As Tunisia and Egypt take the initial steps toward democratic transition, they face significant challenges, including the need to revive slumping economies, address sectarian tensions, and build transparent and accountable democratic governments. This three-part series provides analysis on six countries affected by the Arab Spring and their prospects for a democratic future. Tunisia Next Sunday, Tunisia, the country that started the Arab Spring, will … More

The Heritage Foundation is proud to wish the United States Air Force a happy 64th birthday. Sixty-four may not sound old in the context of American history, considering that some of the founding members of the Army Air Corps are still living. Yet the history of these men and women goes back to early aviation itself. The U.S. Air Force (USAF) has much to boast. It developed aerial combat and produced the nation’s first Ace. From World War I and the plains of western Europe, it conquered the skies. In … More

Next month, Tunisians will go to the polls for the first time since former president Zine El Abidine Ben Ali fled the country last January. Voters will determine the members of the National Constituent Assembly, which will be tasked with re-writing the constitution and determining the selection process of the next president and prime minister. One of the likely winners of the election is the Hizb Al-Nahda (translation: Renaissance Party) Islamist movement, which was once banned under the Ben Ali regime but is now a frontrunner in the upcoming election. … More

By most accounts, President Obama’s $800 billion “stimulus” bill that was passed in February 2009 with the promise of keeping unemployment below 8 percent was an absolute failure. However, last night in a speech to a joint session of Congress, the President demanded that it spend another $450 billion on more of the same “stimulus” that has left America with zero job growth and continued economic stagnation. But don’t worry. His top economic adviser Gene Sperling told NBC that this one would likely get us down to 8 percent. Despite … More