Politics

The British Prime Minister has praised his government over their efforts in selling fighter jets, manufactured by BAE Systems, to Saudi Arabia. Speaking at a BAE Systems factory in Preston, David Cameron boasted about how the UK had pushed the sale of Eurofighter Typhoons to countries in the Middle East, including Oman and Saudi Arabia. His comments came as the European parliament voted in favour of a resolution calling for an EU-wide arms embargo against the Kingdom. Press TV reports: “I can see the planes being built right behind me here. We’ve got more work to do in Saudi Arabia.

The European Parliament has voted in favour of an EU-wide arms embargo against Saudi Arabia over its operation in Yemen. The resolution calls for a ban on all weapons sales to the country, until alleged breaches of international humanitarian law in Yemen have been investigated,  and was passed by 359 votes to 212 While the vote does not compel EU member states to act, it does increase pressure on Riyadh, in the wake of criticism from the UN and growing international alarm over civilian casualties in Yemen.

The tenth Republican debate last night was an embarrassing display for all involved. Leaving aside the frequent shouting, hectoring, and whining from the different candidates, the discussion of policy was even more insipid than usual. The treatment of foreign policy seemed especially bad, but I suppose it was mostly the same things we’ve heard in the previous nine debates.

No, really. Back in 2006, I commissioned Caleb to write a piece for the Dallas Morning News about prospects for American populism. Here’s a link to the piece. In it, he describes a country ripe for a new kind of populism, and offers a model. Excerpt:

Jesse Walker catches Rubio in one of the more absurd lies of the night during last night’s debate. Rubio claimed that the U.S. and its allies weren’t responsible for toppling the regime. Walker sets the record straight: