AEIdeas

Friday, May 24, 2013

Image Credit: newskin0 (Flick) (CC BY 2.0)

The 21 greatest conservative rap songs of all time, in 1 post

Stan Veuger | May 24, 2013, 2:29 pm

A few months ago, Florida Senator Marco Rubio, a Republican, discussed his love for rap music extensively in an interview with GQ magazine. Eyebrows were raised: The genre is not typically seen as one that appeals to conservatives, in particular … read more >

Economics, Monetary Policy

Bernanke’s next steps

Abby McCloskey | May 24, 2013, 10:47 am

Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke didn’t provide much clarity in his testimony before the Joint Economic Committee this week. Are we in for more quantitative easing (QE) or less? Is the stock market temporary high or is an economic recovery … read more >

Pethokoukis, Economics, U.S. Economy

Crumbling US human capital, not physical infrastructure, is the big economic problem

James Pethokoukis | May 24, 2013, 10:28 am

The collapse of the I-5 bridge in Washington state will no doubt spur calls for massively increased US infrastructure spending. But new projects should make financial sense and solve real problems rather than an excuse for temporary fiscal stimulus or … read more >

Foreign and Defense Policy, Terrorism

The lighter-than-air commander-in-chief

Gary Schmitt | May 24, 2013, 10:03 am

Has there been a less serious president in our lifetime than President Obama? In light of yesterday’s speech at the National Defense University on national security, one would be hard pressed to argue otherwise. First, Guantanamo. With high indignation, the … read more >

Society and Culture, Education

A case study in the government as enemy

Charles Murray | May 24, 2013, 9:34 am

For several years now, parents in Frederick County, Maryland, where I live, have been struggling to start a charter school that uses a classical curriculum—heavy on history, literature, languages (including Latin and Greek), and science, instead of the pablum that … read more >

Foreign and Defense Policy, Middle East and North Africa

Turkey restricts, bans alcohol

Michael Rubin | May 24, 2013, 9:02 am

The Turkish parliament — dominated by a supermajority of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s Justice and Development Party (AKP) — early this morning passed a law severely restricting and, in some cases, banning alcoholic beverages altogether. According to Hürriyet Daily … read more >

Image Credit: Austen Hufford (Flickr) (CC BY 2.0)

Foreign and Defense Policy, Terrorism

Obama’s speech an exercise in wishful thinking

Ahmad Majidyar | May 23, 2013, 6:20 pm

“The Afghan War is coming to an end,” President Obama said this afternoon in a speech about the future of U.S. counterterrorism policy. “Today, the core of al Qaeda in Afghanistan and Pakistan is on a path to defeat. Their … read more >

Politics and Public Opinion, Polls

What you may have missed in the polls: Recent controversies, abolishing the IRS

Karlyn Bowman, Jennifer Marsico, and John Benjamin | May 23, 2013, 5:56 pm

Obama: Weathering the Storm?: In the new ABC/Washington Post poll, 51% approved of the job Obama was doing as president, virtually identical to his mid-April and early March approval ratings of 50%. The CNN/Opinion Research Corporation poll also showed stability … read more >

Foreign and Defense Policy, Middle East and North Africa

Two Iranian presidential candidates wanted for 1994 terrorist attack in Argentina

Roger Noriega | May 23, 2013, 4:20 pm

After the government of Argentine President Cristina Kirchner agreed in January to work with Iran to form a so-called “truth commission” to investigate the 1994 bombing of the Jewish community center (AMIA) in which eight Iranian officials are implicated, many … read more >

Image Credit: Official White House Photo by Pete Souza (Wikimedia Commons)

Foreign and Defense Policy, Terrorism

The overlooked threat in Yemen

Sasha Gordon | May 23, 2013, 3:40 pm

President Obama’s speech on terrorism today overlooked the important fact that the central pillar of our counter-terrorism policy in Yemen is failing badly. American drone strikes there have always been very limited in number and even in impact — success … read more >