How to Waste Money, Persian Gulf Edition

by Daniel Pipes July 20, 2011 updated Aug 6, 2011 This weblog entry is dedicated to the oil rich who find creative new ways to burn through excess funds, listed in reverse chronological order. Spell your name out on sand in kilometer-high letters: A member of Abu Dhabi’s ruling family, Hamad Bin Hamdan Al Nahyan, […]

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President Obama Jumps the Gun on Praising African Leaders

Last week President Barack Obama praised Presidents Yayi of Benin, Condé of Guinea, Issoufou of Niger and Ouattara of Côte d’Ivoire as models of Africa’s democratic progress. Since gaining their independence, many African countries have suffered poor governance and widespread instability due, in part, to the unwillingness of African leaders to leave office or support […]

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Overpopulated Rhetoric

Neglected news out of the Crazy from the Heat Department is word that the global overpopulists are in a terrific snit because soccer superstar David Beckham and his wife, Victoria, dare to continue producing children. Talk about a crime against nature. Fortunately, as The Wall Street Journal noted, the Beckhams had the good sense not […]

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Estonia’s Rebound Through Fiscal Discipline: A Message for America?

In the midst of a world embroiled in economic turmoil, a few nations have managed to do surprisingly well—among them, Estonia. After near economic collapse during the 2008–2009 financial crisis, the country has managed to successfully bounce back with substantial GDP growth, a vibrant trade environment, and a notable budget surplus. During the first quarter […]

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More National Security Broken Promises

The Obama Administration’s plan to increase funding for the U.S. nuclear weapons complex has little chance to succeed under the newly negotiated debt ceiling deal. The bill mandates a cut of $44 billion for discretionary budget authority in “security” spending from the President’s FY 2012 requested level. Automatic spending cuts, if triggered, would impose up […]

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Tele-med Abortions No Route to Making Abortion Either Safe or Rare

A new study says the growing practice of tele-medicine abortions, in which women are prescribed abortion-inducing medications without having a physician present, is “safe and successful”—but that declaration is dangerously deceitful. The truth is that at least 3,534 women have been mildly to fatally affected by the pill in question, Mifepristone, which was approved by […]

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