Speaking today at The Heritage Foundation, Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) called for Congress to reassert itself in foreign policy.
“Since the Korean War, Congress has ignored its responsibility to restrain the President,” Paul explained to a packed crowd in Heritage’s Allison Auditorium. “Congress has abdicated its role in declaring war.”
He outlined his vision of America’s role in the world: Continue Reading »
The recent U.S. embassy attacks and Iran’s nuclear endeavors are only the latest threats our nation faces.
But our country’s weakened defenses limit our ability to handle such a tumultuous environment–and future cuts would make the problem worse.
The planned cuts under the Budget Control Act, completed under a process known as sequestration, would pose further risks to our nation’s defenses, according a panel of experts speaking at The Heritage Foundation. Sequestration threatens to cut $500 billion from our already pared back defense budget. Continue Reading »
Photo: White House
President Obama should take advantage of British Prime Minister David Cameron’s visit to Washington next month to recommit to America’s “Special Relationship” with the United Kingdom, Heritage Foundation scholar Luke Coffey says.
“This visit will be an important opportunity for the two leaders to discuss the U.S. – U.K. defense relationship in light of recent defense cuts on both sides of the Atlantic,” explains Coffey, Heritage’s Margaret Thatcher Fellow.
Maintaining this relationship is in both countries’ interest:
It is in America’s interest to have a strong British military partner. On the military level, the desire to increase cooperation is there. President Obama and Prime Minister Cameron need to help facilitate this cooperation. Like all relationships, the U.S.–U.K. defense relationship needs nurturing and direction. Both leaders should use this visit as an opportunity to expand military cooperation.
Read Coffey’s full report here.
What do you think should be the most important topic of the agenda for President Obama and Prime Minister Cameron’s visit?
Last week at the Pentagon, President Obama made the claim that the world is a safer place thanks to his efforts with the war on terror. In his speech, he declared victory over our enemies and paved the way for draconian cuts to the U.S. military.
In short, we’ve succeeded in defending our nation, taking the fight to our enemies, reducing the number of Americans in harm’s way, and we’ve restored America’s global leadership. That makes us safer and it makes us stronger. And that’s an achievement that every American — especially those Americans who are proud to wear the uniform of the United States Armed Forces — should take great pride in.
This success has brought our nation, once more, to a moment of transition. Even as our troops continue to fight in Afghanistan, the tide of war is receding. Even as our forces prevail in today’s missions, we have the opportunity — and the responsibility — to look ahead to the force that we are going to need in the future.
Providing for “the force that we are going to need in the future,” however, does not mean cutting half a trillion dollar in defense funding, as the President proposes.
Writing in the New York Post, Heritage Foundation national security expert James Carafano explains why the United States is not in any kind of position to slash military funding, especially with things so volatile in the Middle East. Continue Reading »
Iranian Nuclear Missile. Photo: AslanMedia/Flickr
The Obama administration once promised to impose “crippling sanctions” on Iran’s hostile regime. But now they’re aiming to dilute the economic sanctions Congress is proposing.
“[Congress’s] proposed sanctions, contained in an amendment to the Fiscal Year 2012 National Defense Authorization Act, would penalize foreign financial institutions that do business with the Central Bank of Iran (CBI), which is a major financier of Iran’s nuclear, ballistic missile, and terrorism efforts,” says James Phillips, a leading expert on Middle Eastern affairs at The Heritage Foundation.
The sanctions, he explains in a new analysis, are intended to pressure Iran to halt its nuclear weapons program and decrease the chances that Israel or the United States will be forced to take military action against Iran.
Photo: Wikimedia/US Navy
Creating a robust missile defense system would not only prevent America’s enemies from being able to harm us or our allies. It would also demonstrate our desire to rely on something nobler than mutually assured destruction for our safety–a concept central to the American idea.
In a new Heritage Foundation report, Baker Spring and Michaela Bendikova discuss the steps needed to enact comprehensive missile defense in the United States. Continue Reading »
James Phillips
At 2:45 p.m. Eastern on FoxNewsLive.com, Middle East expert Jim Phillips will discuss developments in Libya, Bahrain and Iran. (Read Phillips’ take on Libya in yesterday’s Morning Bell.)
Earlier today on Fox News’“Happening Now,” foreign policy analyst Peter Brookes offered his take on the situation in the Middle East.
Update: At 6:00 p.m. on CNN’s “Situation Room,” and also on Fox News’ “Special Report,” Phillips will discuss Libya and what will happen if Qadhafi leaves.
And in the 8:00 p.m. hour on Fox Business Network’s “Freedom Watch,” foreign policy analyst Peter Brookes will weigh in on Libya.