PUBLICATIONS BY Steven Groves
Research
Commentary
Media Appearances
2009 Research
November 17, 2009
The "Kyoto II" Climate Change Treaty: Implications for American Sovereignty
By Steven Groves
(Special Report #72)
The Copenhagen conference's proposed "Kyoto II" successor agreement poses a clear threat to American sovereignty.
November 12, 2009
Copenhagen and Beyond: Is There a Successor to the Kyoto Protocol?
By Steve Groves
(Testimony #9999)
As the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen approaches, the United States must determine the definition and limits of American leadership within the context of post-Kyoto international climate change negotiations. The United States must first establish the circumstances under which it would commit itself to making major changes to its domestic energy policy, and whether and to what extent it is surrendering its sovereignty in making international commitments to a post-Kyoto agreement.
November 09, 2009
The U.N. Human Rights Council: No Better for Obama's Engagement
By Brett D. Schaefer and Steven Groves
(Backgrounder #2339)
The record of the U.N. Commission on Human Rights was a disgrace. Three years ago, the commission was replaced by the Human Rights Council, and its record has been equally dismal. The Obama Administration sought a seat at the council in an attempt to reform the council from within. Evidence from the first council sessions with the U.S. as a member demonstrates that the Obama Administration has failed to improve the human rights body. "Defamation of religions" resolutions continue to threaten free speech around the world. Brutal regimes continue to influence council deliberations. Israel remains unfairly targeted.
September 14, 2009
The ICC Investigation in Afghanistan Vindicates U.S. Policy Toward the ICC
By Brett D. Schaefer and Steven Groves
(WebMemo #2611)
The Obama Administration is reportedly close to announcing a change in U.S. policy toward the ICC. This decision would jeopardize America's ability to protect its officials and servicemen from illegitimate claims of ICC jurisdiction.
August 21, 2009
The U.N.'s Arms Trade Treaty: A Dangerous Multilateral Mistake in the Making
By Ted R. Bromund, Ph.D., and Steven Groves
(Backgrounder #2309)
The treaty contemplated by the U.N.'s October 2008 arms trade resolution would be a license to almost all states, no matter how irresponsible, to buy and sell arms. It would endanger U.S. arms export control policy, clash with the Constitution, offer a dangerous justification for dictatorial rule, and make it illegal under international law for the U.S. to support freedom fighters abroad.
August 21, 2009
Executive Summary: The U.N.'s Arms Trade Treaty: A Dangerous Multilateral Mistake in the Making
By Ted R. Bromund, Ph.D., and Steven Groves
(Executive Summary #2309)
The treaty contemplated by the U.N.'s October 2008 arms trade resolution would be a license to almost all states, no matter how irresponsible, to buy and sell arms. It would endanger U.S. arms export control policy, clash with the Constitution, offer a dangerous justification for dictatorial rule, and make it illegal under international law for the U.S. to support freedom fighters abroad.
August 18, 2009
The U.S. Should Not Join the International Criminal Court
By Brett D. Schaefer and Steven Groves
(Backgrounder #2307)
Unless the ICC's serious flaws are addressed fully, President Obama should continue to insist that the U.S. is not bound by the Rome Statute and exercise great care when deciding to support the court's actions. The Obama Administration should not "re-sign" the Rome Statute or take any other steps that would weaken protections of U.S. nationals, military personnel, and officials from illegitimate claims of ICC jurisdiction.
August 18, 2009
Executive Summary: The U.S. Should Not Join the International Criminal Court
By Brett D. Schaefer and Steven Groves
(Executive Summary #2307)
Unless the ICC's serious flaws are addressed fully, President Obama should continue to insist that the U.S. is not bound by the Rome Statute and exercise great care when deciding to support the court's actions. The Obama Administration should not "re-sign" the Rome Statute or take any other steps that would weaken protections of U.S. nationals, military personnel, and officials from illegitimate claims of ICC jurisdiction.
July 06, 2009
Questions for Judge Sotomayor on the Use of Foreign and International Law
By Steven Groves
(WebMemo #2525)
If Judge Sotomayor intends to join her colleagues already on the Court in relying upon something other than U.S. legal precedent and American norms in interpreting the Constitution, then she has an obligation to explain and defend her position at the forthcoming confirmation hearing.
June 10, 2009
Durban II: Lessons for U.S. Engagement with the U.N. on Human Rights
By Brett D. Schaefer and Steven Groves
(Backgrounder #2284)
The Durban II conference is a testament to a fundamental problem of U.N. conferences and other U.N. efforts to advance human rights. The experience of Durban II should lead the Obama Administration to revaluate its default position of supporting and participating in U.N. conferences and bodies, such as the U.N. Human Rights Council, and not lend undeserved legitimacy to their often destructive efforts.
April 27, 2009
State Department Legal Adviser Nominee Harold Koh: Questions on the Role of International Law in the U.S. Legal System
By Steven Groves and Ted R. Bromund, Ph.D.
(WebMemo #2414)
President Obama has nominated Harold Koh to be the next Legal Adviser, which is the top legal position at the U.S. Department of State. While Koh has had a distinguished career in government service and legal academia, his views raise serious national security and constitutional questions.
April 19, 2009
The U.S. Is Right to Boycott the U.N. Durban II Conference on Racism
By Brett D. Schaefer and Steven Groves
(WebMemo #2399)
On April 18, the U.S officially announced that it would not attend Durban II. The U.S. was right to ignore outside pressure and refuse to grant Durban II the legitimacy that U.S. participation would provide.
March 04, 2009
The United Kingdom Must Lead Europe's Withdrawal from the U.N.'s Durban Review Conference
By Ted R. Bromund , Ph.D., and Steven Groves
(WebMemo #2324)
The United Kingdom must withdraw from Durban II immediately and unconditionally and supply the leadership in action that has so far been lacking in Europe.
March 04, 2009
U.S. Boycott of U.N. Durban II Conference on Racism: The Right Decision by the Obama Administration
By Brett D. Schaefer and Steven Groves
(WebMemo #2326)
In a welcome recognition of the limitations of multilateral engagement, the Obama Administration announced that it would not participate in the upcoming Durban Review Conference.
February 24, 2009
Oil-for-Food Revisited: The U.N. Should Not Pay Benon Sevan's Legal Fees
By Nile Gardiner Ph.D. and Steven Groves
(WebMemo #2308)
The U.N.'s decision to pay Benon Sevan's legal fees should be condemned by both the U.S. Congress and the Obama Administration.
February 02, 2009
Deputy Attorney General Nominee David Ogden: Questions on Interpretation of the U.S. Constitution
By Steven Groves
(WebMemo #2258)
The Committee on the Judiciary should not ignore David Ogden's opinions on the use of foreign laws in American jurisprudence.
January 14, 2009
Key Questions for Susan E. Rice, Nominee for U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations
By Steven Groves and Brett D. Schaefer
(WebMemo #2221)
On January 20, 2009, the incoming Administration will confront a multitude of international issues. The primary challenge facing the new Representative of the United States of America to the United Nations is a U.N. suffering from confused purposes and competing interests among member states. In order to determine where the next U.S. ambassador to the United Nations stands on this and other crucial issues, the following questions should be put to the nominee during her confirmation hearing on January 15.
January 13, 2009
Reforms Needed for a More Effective United Nations
By Brett D. Schaefer and Steven Groves
(Special Report #41)
President-elect Obama, while we may disagree with your view that the United Nations is "indispensable," we do agree that it is imperfect and in need of substantial reform. We also believe that, as President, you should never give the U.N. a veto over American action to protect American national interests.
January 12, 2009
Key Questions for Senator Hillary Clinton, Nominee for Secretary of State
By Steven Groves
(WebMemo #2201)
On January 20, 2009, the incoming Administration will confront a multitude of international issues. In order to determine where the next secretary of state stands on these crucial issues, these questions should be put to the nominee during her confirmation hearing.
2008 Research
November 10, 2008
Why the U.S. Should Oppose "Defamation of Religions" Resolutions at the United Nations
By Steven Groves
(Backgrounder #2206)
The U.N. has passed several "defamation of religions" resolutions over the past 10 years seeking to establish an international ban on speech that disparages religion. Such a ban would not withstand legal scrutiny under the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. The U.S. government should resist any attempt to legitimize the "defamation of religions" concept.
August 07, 2008
The Inequities of the U.N. Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination
By Steven Groves
(Backgrounder #2168)
By ignoring U.S. reports and submissions in favor of the baseless accusations of a highly ideological NGO, the U.N. Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination has demonstrated that it is not a legitimate partner in the effort to address racial discrimination in the U.S. Barring a major improvement in the committee's procedures, withdrawal from the U.N. review process would be fully justified.
June 16, 2008
LOST in the Arctic: The U.S. Need Not Ratify the Law of the Sea Treaty to Get a Seat at the Table
By Steven Groves
(WebMemo #1957)
Last month at the Arctic Ocean Conference (AOC) in Ilulissat, Greenland, high-level diplomats from the United States and the other four nations that border the Arctic region—Canada, Denmark, Norway, and Russia—met to discuss territorial claims regarding the Arctic Circle.
May 01, 2008
The U.S. Should Reject the U.N. "Responsibility to Protect" Doctrine
By Steven Groves
(Backgrounder #2130)
Advocates of "responsibility to protect" believe that the international community has an obligation to intervene, militarily if necessary, in another country to prevent acts of genocide and ethnic cleansing. To preserve its national sovereignty, the United States must maintain a monopoly on decisions to deploy U.S. military forces and to use diplomatic pressure, economic sanctions, and/or political coercion.
May 01, 2008
Executive Summary: The U.S. Should Reject the U.N. "Responsibility to Protect" Doctrine
By Steven Groves
(Executive Summary #2130)
Executive Summary: Advocates of "responsibility to protect" believe that the international community has an obligation to intervene, militarily if necessary, in another country to prevent acts of genocide and ethnic cleansing. To preserve its national sovereignty, the United States must maintain a monopoly on decisions to deploy U.S. military forces and to use diplomatic pressure, economic sanctions, and/or political coercion.
April 22, 2008
Furthering the U.N.'s Leftist Agenda: The U.N. CERD Committee Report
By Steven Groves
(WebMemo #1899)
In 1994, the U.S. Senate ratified the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (CERD). As a party to the CERD, the United States commits to prohibit racial discrimination in all its forms and is required to submit reports periodically to the CERD Committee outlining its compliance with the treaty.
February 08, 2008
Congress Should Ignore Budget Requests Relating to the Law of the Sea Treaty
By Steven Groves
(WebMemo #1804)
LOST is a flawed treaty that should not be ratified, much less funded prior to ratification.
January 26, 2008
Congress Should Withhold Funds from the U.N. Development Program
By Brett D. Schaefer and Steven Groves
(WebMemo #1783)
A new Senate report confirms the serious problems plaguing UN activities in North Korea.
January 15, 2008
Advancing Freedom in Burma
By Steven Groves
(Backgrounder #2099)
The United States should lead a broad international effort to isolate the Burmese junta economically, militarily, and diplomatically by persistently placing the matter of Burma before the U.N. Security Council and the U.N. General Assembly, encouraging the Association of Southeast Asian Nations to act against the junta, and raising the matter in bilateral U.S. relations with China.
January 08, 2008
Kenyan Election Signals Need to Overhaul U.S. Policy Toward Nascent Democracies
By Brett D. Schaefer and Steven Groves
(WebMemo #1769)
The U.S. must overhaul its policy of issuing official statements following elections and adopt new measures to bolster democracy in developing nations.
2007 Research
December 13, 2007
Heritage Foundation Statement to the United Nations Human Rights Council
By Steven Groves
(WebMemo #1744)
This speech was delivered in response to a recent report on human rights and counterterrorism.
November 28, 2007
Advancing Freedom in Russia
By Steven Groves
(Backgrounder #2088)
Individual freedom and human rights have declined sharply in Russia over the past decade and at an accelerated pace under President Vladimir Putin. The United States should attempt to stem this decline by promoting a diverse freedom agenda, strengthening public diplomacy, expanding U.S.–Russia student exchanges, and bolstering democracy-promotion efforts in Ukraine, Georgia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan.
November 28, 2007
Executive Summary: Advancing Freedom in Russia
By Steven Groves
(Executive Summary #2088)
Executive Summary: Individual freedom and human rights have declined sharply in Russia over the past decade and at an accelerated pace under President Vladimir Putin. The United States should attempt to stem this decline by promoting a diverse freedom agenda, strengthening public diplomacy, expanding U.S.–Russia student exchanges, and bolstering democracy-promotion efforts in Ukraine, Georgia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan.
October 24, 2007
Why Reagan Would Still Reject the Law of the Sea Treaty
By Steven Groves
(WebMemo #1676)
Reagan's objections to LOST have been neither addressed nor resolved.
September 25, 2007
The Top Five Reasons Why Conservatives Should Oppose the U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea
By Baker Spring, Steven Groves, and Brett D. Schaefer
(WebMemo #1638)
Twenty-five years after President Reagan rejected it, the convention remains a threat to U.S. interests.
September 24, 2007
Treatment of Detainees and Unlawful Combatants: Selected Writings on Guantanamo Bay
By James Jay Carafano, Ph.D., Steven Groves, and Janice Smith
(Special Report #17)
The research presented in The Heritage Foundation’s Guantanamo Bay collection clearly indicates that Congress should not interfere with the U.S. military’s policy of detaining unlawful alien enemy combatants at Guantanamo Bay. The United States is engaged in an ongoing armed conflict against al-Qaeda in Afghanistan and therefore has no obligation—legal, moral, or otherwise—to release captured enemy soldiers so that they may return to the battlefield. Short-sighted legislation extending unprecedented rights to foreign terrorists and other enemy combatants undermines U.S. troops deployed in the field in Afghanistan and Iraq. These detainees should not be released until the cessation of hostilities in Afghanistan and elsewhere.
August 28, 2007
The United States Must Demand Accountability from U.N. Peacekeeping Operations
By Steven Groves
(Heritage Lecture #1041)
Although U.N. peacekeeping missions may, in certain limited circumstances, align with the national interests of the United States, it is premature to discuss whether U.S. taxpayer dollars should be used to pay "arrearages" allegedly owed to the U.N. The United States cannot be seen as the underwriters of sexual abuse in the world's most desperate, war-torn nations.
July 30, 2007
Advancing Freedom in Iraq
By Steven Groves
(Backgrounder #2056)
A secure and stable Iraq is in America’s national interest, and Iraq's best chance for long-term stability is to develop democratic institutions that protect the civil, political, and human rights of the Iraqi people. Congress should not interfere with ongoing military efforts to secure and stabilize Iraq or legislate restrictions on the use of U.S. military force.
July 13, 2007
Dispelling Misconceptions: Guantanamo Bay Detainee Procedures Exceed the Requirements of the U.S. Constitution, U.S. Law, and Customary International Law
By Steven Groves and Brian W. Walsh
(WebMemo #1556)
Contrary to the claims of the Bush Administration's critics, the detainees held at Guantanamo actually receive the most systematic and extensive procedural protections afforded to foreign enemy combatants in the history of armed conflict.
June 13, 2007
U.N. Peacekeeping Forces: A Force Multiplier for the U.S.?
By Steven Groves
(Testimony #9999)
It is premature to discuss whether and under what circumstances U.N. peacekeeping could serve as a "force multiplier" for U.S. armed forces or even whether peacekeepers could complement the vital national interests of the United States. Only after the U.N. Department of Peacekeeping Operations has been reformed in such a manner that it may perform its important duties at the highest level of professionalism should those matters be addressed.
June 07, 2007
U.N. Rapporteur Scheinin Issues Wrong Opinion on U.S. War on Terrorism
By Steven Groves
(WebMemo #1491)
Scheinin appears to have placed the agenda of the international human rights community over the right of the United States to defend itself against international terrorism.
May 24, 2007
The U.S. Deserves a Fair Report from the U.N. Human Rights Envoy
By Steven Groves
(WebMemo #1470)
Will yet another U.N. official ignore U.S. sovereignty, law, and traditions in favor of vague international norms?
May 04, 2007
Preventing Repressive Regimes from Using the U.N. to Advance Their Interests
By Brett D. Schaefer and Steven Groves
(WebMemo #1445)
The United States should take steps within and outside of the U.N. to prevent bad actors like Iran from exerting undue influence on international processes.
March 26, 2007
Advancing Freedom in Iran
By Steven Groves
(Backgrounder #2019)
Neither U.N. sanctions nor diplomacy will advance freedom and democracy in Iran, end Iran’s support for terrorist organizations, or stop Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons. Because a peaceful democratic transformation of the Iranian government is in America’s national security interests, the United States should focus its funding and public diplomacy efforts on supporting a national referendum on Iran’s constitution.
February 06, 2007
Congress's Iraq Resolutions: Without Resolve or Constitutional Purpose
By Todd Gaziano, Steven Groves, and Brian Walsh
(WebMemo #1347)
The proposed Iraq resolutions are an abuse of Congress's authority and an unreasonable interference with the President's exclusive authority to make strategic military decisions during wartime.
January 22, 2007
The UNDP North Korea Scandal: How Congress and the Bush Administration Should Respond
By Nile Gardiner, Ph.D., Brett D. Schaefer, and Steven Groves
(WebMemo #1318)
The United States must demand an immediate, fully independent inquiry into this latest scandal.
January 16, 2007
The United States Must Act to End Abuses by U.N. Peacekeepers
By Nile Gardiner, Ph.D., and Steven Groves
(WebMemo #1314)
Congress and the Bush Administration must act to help ensure that those responsible are brought to justice and that future abuses are prevented.
2009 Commentary
July 13, 2009
Justice is not a popularity contest, Judge Sotomayor
By Steven Groves
Is a U.S. Supreme Court judgeship big enough to suit Sonia Sotomayor? Or will she settle for nothing less than a seat on the Supreme Court of World Opinion?
May 18, 2009
7 Invisible Footnotes to State's Official Line
By Steven Groves and Brett D. Schaefer
Talk about trying to read between the lines. The Obama administration committed more than a few howlers in State Department spokesman Ian Kelly's press release Tuesday on the United States' election to a seat on the corrupt UN Human Rights Council.
April 29, 2009
Harold Koh Is the Wrong Man For the Job
By Steven Groves
Ordinarily, a president should have a free hand in selecting a policy team. Winning elections means you set the agenda.
April 27, 2009
Durban II Circus: Ringmaster Ahmadinejad set the tone of the 'anti-racism' conference.
By Brett D. Schaefer and Steven Groves
United Nations conferences are often likened to "three-ring circuses." That description was more accurate than usual when the Durban Review Conference commenced here this week.
April 21, 2009
Dispatches from Durban II: To the UN and the NGOs, any criticism of any Muslim is "racism."
By Brett D. Schaefer and Steven Groves
Americans are growing increasingly skeptical of the United Nations. A recent Rasmussen poll found that a mere 27 percent of American voters regard the U.N. as an ally of the United States. If you wonder why that is, or whether it is deserved, take a look at the U.N. Human Rights Council. It does a wonderful job of serving as a platform for notorious regimes like China's or Iran's to criticize Israel and the U.S., but a terrible job of actually promoting human rights.
February 06, 2009
Question David Ogden
By Steven Groves
On Jan. 6, then President-elect Barack Obama nominated David Ogden to be the next deputy attorney general of the United States, the second-highest position in the Department of Justice. Mr. Ogden's Senate confirmation hearing is Feb. 5. Reportedly hanging in Mr. Ogden's office when he was nominated was a plaque commemorating his victory in a controversial 2005 death penalty case before the U.S. Supreme Court.
2008 Commentary
May 22, 2008
Burma outside the U.N. umbrella
By Steven Groves
The body count continues to rise in Burma (or "Myanmar" if you accept the name used by the brutal military junta that rules the nation). An estimated 100,000 people were killed by a cyclone that hit May 2. Another million are at risk.
2007 Commentary
September 14, 2007
How the Surge Advances Freedom in Iraq
By Steven Groves
Even before Congress got an encouraging update on security in Iraq from Gen. David Petraeus, some senators and congressmen kept urging that the United States rush for the exits with a quick pullout of troops.
August 30, 2007
The United States Must Demand Accountability from U.N. Peacekeeping Operations
By Steven Groves
With southern Lebanon in the near past and Darfur looming ahead, the issues relating to the utility and proper role of U.N. peacekeeping operations are certainly ripe for debate.
November 20, 2009
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