Secretary of State John Kerry originally refused to characterize the coup in Egypt as a coup. Rather, he effectively endorsed the new military regime: “In effect, they were restoring democracy.” Too bad the hundreds shot dead on Cairo streets won’t be able to vote in the new restored democracy. Washington needs to “reset” relations with Egypt.
President Obama recently announced the appointment of a completely unqualified Caroline Kennedy as U.S. ambassador to Japan. This is a mistake. If there ever was a time to have an experienced ambassador with solid credentials, it is now. The increasingly important Japanese market, the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), which is the largest free-trade agreement in history, challenges posed by China, and a dangerous North Korea are a few of the issues Ms. Kennedy would face.
The House of Representatives is pursuing a piecemeal approach to immigration reform. They are trying to pass small immigration bills that deal with different portions of reform — legalization, enforcement, and legal immigration. So far, those bills double down on failed strategies that will do next to nothing to stem unauthorized immigration.
SPECIAL REPORT—Political tensions that had been simmering ever since the Muslim Brotherhood-affiliated Freedom and Justice Party (FJP) romped to victory at legislative elections held in late 2011 and early 2012 finally boiled over in early July 2013. In a scene reminiscent of the events that brought the downfall of the entrenched autocratic regime headed by Hosni Mubarak in February 2011, millions of anti-government protestors gathered in Cairo’s Tahrir Square and other cities demanding the resignation of the president.
Just one year since his triumph in the 2012 election, French President Francois Hollande is struggling to reverse the collapse of popular support. His abandonment of key planks of the Socialist platform has contributed to a sense of betrayal among his left-leaning base, while the government’s lack of action on key structural reforms has fostered a sense of buyer’s remorse among centrist voters who took a chance on the Parti Socialiste candidate.
America’s “shale boom” is poised to revolutionize global energy markets. It could transform the nation from a longtime net oil importer into an export powerhouse. Consider that the 2012 increase in U.S. crude oil production, announced recently, was the largest not just in U.S. history, but the world.
Once again the Obama administration is picking winners and losers when it comes to energy. The president has vowed that America will be a net energy exporter. There's only one roadblock: Obama himself.
The coalition government led by President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner’s FPV faction of the Justicialist (Perónist) Party is suffering a steady erosion of its support among a constituency disillusioned by worsening economic trends, corruption scandals, and an overbearing style of governance. The FPV’s diminishing popularity has negative implications for rumored plans to amend the constitution so as to permit Fernández to seek a third term in 2015.
As I tried to suppress my anger over the recent news unfolding regarding possible corruption within the Obama administration, I looked back to see if our Founding Fathers had anticipated this. It didn't take long to find a quote from Thomas Jefferson, who wrote: “Experience has shown that even under the best forms of government those entrusted with power have, in time, and by slow operations, perverted it into tyranny.”
Despite a series of potentially damaging scandals, President Barack Obama continues to enjoy a positive net approval rating for his overall job performance and is viewed more favorably than the leaders of the opposition Republican Party on his handling of most issues of greatest concern to voters. Approval of Obama’s management of the economy, although below 50 percent, is surprisingly high for two reasons.
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