Heard at Heritage

Hong Kong is an issue of growing concern in Washington. The State Department’s most recent human rights report singles out the “central PRC government’s encroachment on the SAR’s autonomy” among the most significant human rights issues in Hong Kong. It also identifies “government actions that had a chilling effect on political protest and the exercise of free speech.” Are these two problems relate...

Over the last two weeks, massive anti-government protests have engulfed many parts of Nicaragua. Hundreds of thousands of Nicaraguans, many of them students, took to the streets to initially demonstrate against an unpopular social security reform. The government of former Communist revolutionary Daniel Ortega cracked down on the demonstrators leading to over 60 deaths, dozens of disappeared person...

Despite the collapse of the “so-called ‘Caliphate’” in Iraq and Syria, Islamist extremist movements are continuing to gain momentum. ISIS remains formidable. The group retains a significant physical presence in the Middle East, Africa, and Central Asia and continues to direct or inspire acts of terrorism in the West. Meanwhile, al-Qaeda has taken advantage of the international community’s focus on...

The House Agriculture Committee recently reported out its 2018 Farm Bill. Expected on the House floor this month, the current legislation continues the out of control farm handout system that has been so prevalent in past iterations. Without reform, the farm subsidy system will continue to distort the agricultural marketplace, while primarily benefiting a small number of the largest and wealthiest...

John Lewis Gaddis, distinguished historian of the Cold War, has for almost two decades co-taught grand strategy at Yale University with his colleagues Charles Hill and Paul Kennedy. Now, in On Grand Strategy, Gaddis reflects on what he has learned. In chapters extending from the ancient world through World War II, Gaddis assesses grand strategic theory and practice in Herodotus, Thucydides, Sun Tz...

Over the years, India earned the epithet of a reluctant power in Asia – exuberant in its aspirations, yet guarded in its strategy. However, as the challenges in its immediate neighborhood and beyond continue to evolve, India is today gearing up to embrace a larger role in the far wider theatre of the Indo-Pacific. The U.S. has been a principal architect and the traditional guarantor of a liberal e...

President Trump declared in January that he would not waive nuclear sanctions again for Iran unless the flawed 2015 nuclear agreement is fixed by addressing three major issues: the sunset of key restrictions on Iran’s nuclear activities, inadequate verification, and Iran’s advancing ballistic missile program. The May 12 deadline for fixing the agreement is fast approaching. Are the ongoing negotia...

Recent congressional hearings on social media regulation are yet another reminder of the seemingly unceasing expansion of the administrative state. In their new book, McGroarty, Robbins and Tuttle examine the political philosophy and tactics behind this “seismic shift” of power from the people to unaccountable technocrats. Of particular note, the authors deconstruct the enduring myth that Big Gove...

What is conservatism? For decades, American conservatism has thrived under Frank Meyer’s “fusionism,” uniting the three main strands of libertarianism, social conservatism, and anti-Communism. Yet as the communist challenge fades further into the past, the old conservative consensus is now tasked with responding to new challenges presented by the modern liberal order. How should conservatives resp...

As a successful CEO in the restaurant industry, Andy Puzder uniquely understands how important the profit motive is to our country's ultimate prosperity. Furthermore, as the grandson of immigrants, the son of a car salesman, and someone who worked his way up from earning minimum wage to running an international business, he has a first-hand view of how America's exceptional capitalist spirit can l...

Recent Islamist terror attacks have ensured that the role of Islam in the West is debated more fiercely than ever before. There are people that feel threatened by Islam as a religion; others who feel that a true reading of the faith will inevitably draw people away from terrorism. During his career, Howk served as an assistant and advisor to three General officers involved with the Afghanistan war...

Title III of the 2012 JOBS Act created a new crowdfunding exemption that allows entrepreneurs to raise up to $1.07 million from a large number of small investors using internet funding portals. The final Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) rule permitting crowdfunding was effective May 16, 2016. In 2016 as much as $28 million was raised using Title III crowdfunding and a reported $49 million...

The Endangered Species Act (ESA) will reach the half century milestone in several years and yet, many of the relatively few species that have supposedly “recovered” because of the law were, in reality, never endangered. Similarly, many species now regulated under the ESA were put on the list using erroneous data. The law’s problems are both in the way it is written and implemented and have made it...

Born out of crisis a century ago, the Federal Reserve has become the most powerful macroeconomic policymaker and financial regulator in the world. In The Myth of Independence, Sarah Binder and Mark Spindel trace the Fed’s transformation from a weak, secretive, and decentralized institution in 1913 to a remarkably transparent central bank a century later. Offering a unique account of Congress’s rol...

During his recent Congressional testimony, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg said his company has not taken “a broad enough view of our responsibility,” saying they have a duty “to not just build tools, but to make sure those tools are used for good.” This is a significant shift from the company’s original hacker mantra of “move fast and break stuff.” This shift is occurring after several years of sign...

Many Americans agree that Ronald Reagan and his legacy represent the best of America. Elegant, humble, and charismatic, Reagan reshaped conservatism, ushered in a new era of prosperity, and spurred the end of the Cold War. But what was Reagan like outside the White House? Americans never stop being enamored by what presidents are like when the cameras stop rolling. In The President Will See You Kn...

Two hundred years after his birth, Frederick Douglass endures unequalled as the invincible adversary of racial despair and disaffection – the preeminent apostle of hopefulness in the American promise of liberty and justice for all. In America’s dedication to principles of natural rights set forth in the Declaration of Independence, Douglass found reason to love and identify with his country, despi...

Following the most sweeping update to the U.S. tax code in more than 30 years, Americans are no longer suffering under its most burdensome features. The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 (TCJA) simplified the tax paying process for many Americans, lowered rates on individuals and businesses, and updated the business tax code to jumpstart America’s global competitiveness. Unfortunately, in 2025, most i...

The U.S. and nations of Europe are allies across a range of issues that have kept much of the world free, secure and growing in prosperity for decades since the end of World War II. Is there a future for greater such cooperation in the Indo-Pacific – particularly in the face of challenges presented by China? In areas like international trade and investment, China presents American and European cap...

Romania, a member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), has been a steadfast ally to the United States. It sets an example in defending NATO allies from short- and medium-range ballistic missile threats as the first Aegis Ashore ballistic missile defense site in Europe became operational on May 12, 2016. In addition to being a leader in the initiative of European missile defense, Roman...

This month, the Supreme Court will hear a case dealing with whether states can require out-of-state retailers to collect sales tax when their residents make a purchase online. The Court previously held in North Dakota v. Quill Corp. that retailers must have a physical presence in the state in order to be required to collect state sales tax. Now many states argue that in the age of Internet shoppin...

2017 saw several serious Hurricanes strike the United States. Harvey, Irma, and Maria left destruction in their wakes requiring massive response, cleanup, and recovery efforts. The different elements of the U.S. government, together with U.S. civil society and private individuals, were called upon to meet these large tasks. With multiple large storms coming in quick succession, the ability to resp...

Rising religious persecution is one of many symptoms of Chinese President Xi Jinping’s consolidation of power. The suspicious death of Li Baiguang in February 2018 was a stark reminder that persons of faith are far from safe in China. Chinese Christians, Uighur Muslims, Tibetan Buddhists, and Falun Gong practitioners have long experienced persecution, but restrictions on religious freedom in China...

The U.S. Coast Guard has a wide range of national responsibilities, from interdicting cocaine shipments and conducting search and rescue on the high seas, to enabling commerce and securing America’s ports. It protects and defends over 100,000 miles of U.S. coastline and inland waterways, and safeguards the largest Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) in the world. It is an asset for both national securit...

Congress is considering whether to renew 26 tax provisions that expired in 2017. These include provisions relating to energy conservation and alternative energy, targeted changes to the capital cost recovery system, and renewing the rules governing the discharge of indebtedness on primary residences, tuition expenses and empowerment zones, among others. Please join us for a discussion of whether t...