In the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year (FY) 2013, the House of Representatives passed an amendment that called for the removal of all four U.S. Army Brigade Combat Teams (BCTs) currently based in Europe. It is likely that a similar amendment will be considered in the upcoming FY 2014 NDAA. The sponsors of the amendment, Representatives Mike…
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…
In November 2013, NATO will conduct a military training exercise called Steadfast Jazz 2013. The exercise will be held in Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Poland. According to NATO, the primary purpose of the exercise is to certify command and control elements of its NATO Response Force. However, considering the size, timing, and location of the exercise, it will also help…
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…
In January 2012, the Obama Administration reversed an earlier decision to remove one Brigade Combat Team (BCT) permanently based in Europe sometime after 2015 and announced new plans to remove two BCTs by 2014. The current plan is to replace the two BCTs with a single U.S.-based rotational battalion. The re-election of President Obama makes these troop reductions from…
Abstract: Europe’s economic problems are already affecting the U.S. economy. An expanding European crisis could affect the U.S. through the financial sector, reduced demand for U.S. exports, disruption of global supply chains, and political disruption in Europe. The U.S. can best help Europe by pursuing sound economic policies at home, starting with pulling back from the…
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…
Abstract: The 2012 Summer Olympic Games and the Paralympics will be held from late July through early September in London. They are an obvious target for attacks by radical Islamist terrorists, as well as anti-capitalist anarchists, supporters of various national causes, and other groups. Britain is one of the world’s most experienced and capable practitioners of…
(Archived document, may contain errors) 441 June 26, 1985 WHY ROMANIA NO LONGER DESERVES TO BE A MOST FAVORED NATION INTRODUCTION We were outfoxed." This is how David Funderburk, the recent United States Ambassador to Romania, describes U.S. relations with that Soviet bloc country. Bucharest has enjoyed special treatment from Washington for decades…
In just over a generation, Ireland has evolved from one of the poorest countries in Western Europe to one of the most successful. It has reversed the persistent emigration of its best and brightest and achieved an enviable reputation as a thriving, knowledge-driven economy. As a result of sustained efforts over many years, the past of declining population,…
When Margaret Thatcher came to power in 1979, many in the West had come to believe that the Cold War could not and should not be won, that anti-Communism was morally wrong, and that the future lay in détente between the superpowers and the evolution of democracy into ever-deepening state socialism. By the time she left office, the Berlin Wall had fallen and Eastern…
Executive Summary As part of a policy that is shrinking America’s military presence in the world, the Obama Administration’s recent defense cuts heavily impact the U.S. military footprint in Europe. These cuts are sending the wrong signal on America’s commitment to transatlantic security and will embolden U.S. adversaries in the Euro–Atlantic region. Most…
A common theme that runs through President Obama's statements is the idea the United States must atone for its past policies, whether it is America's application of the war against Islamist terrorism or its overall foreign policy. At the core of this message is the concept that the U.S. is a flawed nation that must seek redemption by apologizing for its past…
A new economic buzzword is on the loose. “Austerity” is meant to describe the spending cuts by governments in Europe. Such “austerity” is much reviled by newly elected French President Francois Hollande and by the radical parties elected in Greece. American liberals don’t like it either. Washington Post columnist Eugene Robinson calls austerity a “dangerous,…
In April 2009—less than three months into his term of office—President Barack Obama laid out the centerpiece of his foreign policy vision for his Administration: the global eradication of nuclear weapons. Citing America’s atomic strikes against the Japanese Empire during World War II, President Obama stated that America has a “moral responsibility” to walk the “road to…
The Obama Administration’s “culture of intimidation,” as Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R–KY) has called it,...…
The fired journalists of Radio Liberty’s (RL) Moscow office are finally seeing a deep injustice reversed. Following a...…
Asked about the attack last fall on the U.S. embassy in Benghazi, President Obama asserted, “our job with respect to...…
It has been announced that U.S. Marines will soon be arriving at a small American air base in Spain to form a U.S....…
James Clapper, Director of National Intelligence, recently told the Senate Armed Services Committee, “In my almost...…
A Cypriot court on Thursday sentenced a member of the terrorist organization Hezbollah, Hossam Taleb Yaacoub, to four...…
As opposition to the euro continues to build within the eurozone, Germany, the motor of the eurozone—frankly, the only...…
In his first interview since leaving office, former Czech Republic President Vaclav Klaus urged for “a paradigm...…
The Republic of Cyprus has agreed to a eurozone bailout that will raid the bank accounts of Cyprus residents. In July...…
Secretary of State John Kerry’s first overseas trip began by sending mixed signals before he even left U.S. soil—by...…
Senior Research Fellow in Anglo-American Relations
Director, Margaret Thatcher Center for Freedom
Distinguished Fellow