The United States has long supported the evolution of a Europe made up of prosperous and free countries that no longer go to war with each other. Yet recent decisions by the European Union, particularly the effort to carve out a defense identity separate from NATO, pose increasing challenges to transatlantic relations and U.S. interests around the world.
The removal of American tactical nuclear weapons from European and NATO bases would spell the end of the alliance and the concept of indivisible security. Read More.
In December 2009, Heritage Expert Sally MacNamara testified before congress about the implications of the Lisbon Treaty Read More.
The European Union (EU) has repeatedly failed to designate Hezbollah as a terrorist organization. This failure makes Europeans and the Euro-Atlantic region less safe. It also shows the EU’s shortcomings when it comes to agreeing on common positions and demonstrates why individual European countries need to develop their own policies regarding national security. Since…
Introduction The United States has a strong and continuing interest in a prosperous and stable Europe, but the policies and pronouncements of President Barack Obama and the U.S. Department of State are making that goal less, not more, attainable. This is especially true as regards current, very public U.S. pressure on Britain to stay inside the European Union, apparently…
I would like to begin by thanking the CATO Institute for hosting this event and for inviting me to participate. I am going to offer an alternative view of Europe today. I am a pro-states-rights American. I believe that power should be shifted to, and decisions should be made at, the lowest level closest to those most affected. My views on Europe are shaped first and…
From February 24 to March 6, John Kerry will make his first trip overseas since being appointed U.S. Secretary of State. During this period, he will be visiting the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, Turkey, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Qatar. The Obama Administration has too often taken America’s relations with Europe for granted. Secretary…
In the coming weeks, the United States Senate will begin the confirmation process for three key Administration positions: Senator John Kerry (D–MA) for Secretary of State, former Senator Chuck Hagel (R–NE) for Secretary of Defense, and White House Chief Counterterrorism Advisor John Brennan for Director of the CIA. All three have been prominent backers of President…
Abstract: The 2003 Extradition Treaty between the United States and Great Britain is intensely controversial in the United Kingdom. The treaty resulted from a British process and is a modern and praiseworthy approach to extradition that is based on an objective evidentiary test, requires dual criminality in all cases, and has a proportionality standard. The European…
On Monday, the European Union announced that it is resuming direct aid to Zimbabwe’s government and that sanctions on some targeted individuals and entities (excluding President Robert Mugabe) will be suspended following the country’s constitutional referendum that could come as early as October. This decision is flawed, and it is unlikely to contribute to…
The Obama Administration has attached little importance to the transatlantic alliance, and Europe has barely figured in its foreign policy. The Administration’s highly touted “pivot to Asia” is simply a belated admission that it has less interest in Europe than any post–1945 U.S. Administration. While Europe is the home of some of America’s most important allies, the…
Abstract: In May 2010, the U.K. general election resulted in a hung Parliament from which emerged a Conservative–Liberal Democrat coalition with Conservative leader David Cameron as Prime Minister. The experiment was widely justified by the evident need to cope with the economic crisis and, in particular, the unsustainable budget deficit inherited from the outgoing Labour…
Abstract: Promoting economic freedom at home and abroad is essential to revitalizing the U.S. economy. In 2010, for the first time ever, the United States fell from the ranks of the economically free in the Index of Economic Freedom, and economic freedom in the U.S. has continued to decline. The U.S. influence can be decisive in promoting property rights and…
Chairman Warner, Ranking Member Johanns, thank you for the opportunity to testify today. My name is J.D. Foster. I am the Norman B. Ture Senior Fellow at The Heritage Foundation. The views I express in this testimony are my own, and should not be construed as representing any official position of The Heritage Foundation. The European Economic Crisis is no accident. It is…
Europe’s socialist (or “social democratic”) welfare state is collapsing under the load of unsustainable debt. There is no chance European politicians will ever make good on the many costly and unfunded entitlements they have promised their citizens. The fundamental problem in the European Union is a monetary policy failure. In conjunction with the debilitating…
Abstract: In several ways, Russia’s proposed new European Security Treaty would undermine European security—the opposite of its stated purpose—not least of all by sharply limiting NATO’s ability to act and to accept new members. Instead of adding to the existing European architecture and treaties, the U.S. and its European allies should work to advance relations with…
Testimony before the Subcommittee on Europe and Eurasia Committee on Foreign Affairs United States House of Representatives May 5, 2011 My name is Sally McNamara. I am Senior…
On July 11–15, the United Nations held a third meeting of the Preparatory Committee for the Arms Trade Treaty. The committee discusses the content of the treaty in advance of a meeting of the conference in 2012 to finalize the treaty and open it for ratification. This treaty is purportedly intended to address the absence of commonly agreed international standards for the…
Apparently the bureaucrats in the European Union Commission’s corporate social responsibility (CSR) department were not content to see the EU’s burdensome regulatory requirements dragging EU economies into recession and financial crisis, so they came up with a new CSR strategy. Released on October 25, it fundamentally redefines the EU’s approach to CSR and signals a new…
President Obama will host British Prime Minister David Cameron at the White House on March 13–14. The official visit will be dominated by the eurozone crisis, developments in Syria, Iran’s nuclear program, and Afghanistan. For the U.K., the Falkland Islands will also be an important agenda item. In addition, this visit will be an important opportunity for the two leaders…
Germany is moving closer to supporting a move by the European Union (EU) to list Hezbollah as a terrorist...…
Earlier this week the Arctic Council met in Sweden for its biannual meeting. At this time, the applications of 14...…
Definition of an American neo-conservative: A liberal mugged by reality. The new poster child for the budding...…
Results from Parliamentary elections in Iceland last week reflect public concern over the nation’s application to join...…
Hezbollah, a Lebanon-based Shia terrorist organization, engages in numerous illicit activities around the world,...…
Turnout in Croatia’s first European Union (EU) parliamentary elections on April 14 was a meager 21 percent. The low...…
During an eloquent and poignant funeral service earlier today in London’s St. Paul’s cathedral, the world said its...…
The world has reacted to the Boston marathon bombings with horror and compassion, much as it did to the terrorist...…
The life of the late Margaret Thatcher, former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, offers many interesting and...…
European troops have begun training Malian forces to help ensure security and stability following a planned French...…
Senior Research Fellow in Anglo-American Relations
Director, Margaret Thatcher Center for Freedom
Distinguished Fellow
Director, Center for International Trade and Economics and the Mark A. Kolokotrones Fellow in Economic Freedom