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Center for Strategic and International Studies
Heather Conley is senior vice president and director of the Europe program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.
PROFILE
Heather Conley
Guest
FROM Heather Conley
To the Point
What's the Future of Brexit? After Britain voted to leave the European Union last year, Prime Minister Theresa May insisted that, "Brexit means Brexit." But yesterday, as negotiations finally began, her chief representative, David Davis, sounded a different tone, declaring, "There is more that unites than divides us." Is that a concession? Britain's position has weakened, while the EU is stronger because of France's recently elected leader, Emmanuel Macron. Uncertainty about the Trump Administration's foreign policy is also having an impact in Europe. Is it possible there could be no Brexit at all?
To the Point
Climate Change Creates a New Cold War in the Arctic The Arctic's warming waters are full of ships, but few of them are flying a US flag. Forty-one Russian icebreakers patrol busy shipping channels, and that nation's laid claim to more than half a million square miles of the region's rich seabed. China, South Korea and Singapore are also vying to be polar expedition superpowers. So far on his Alaska trip the President has hiked a glacier, taken a boat ride and talked a lot about rising seas and the urgent need to cut back on greenhouse gas emissions. He's also called for more Coast Guard icebreakers and an expanded US presence in the region. Can America catch up with its rivals and protect its interests and national security in the Arctic?
To the Point
Denmark Stakes Claim on North Pole The UN Convention on the Laws of the Sea provides that countries have “exclusive economic zones” 200 miles off their shores. But if they have “extended continental shelves,” they can go further than that. In 2007, Russia planted a flag made of titanium under the North Pole — just in case it might someday become open to exploration. Canada has also claimed ownership — and now Denmark is staking a claim . Heather Conley, Senior Vice President of Europe, Eurasia and the Arctic for the Center for Strategic and International Studies, explains what this all has to do with Greenland.
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To the Point
Janesville and the American Dream Janesville, Wisconsin is the hometown of Republican House Speaker Paul Ryan. But he couldn’t prevent the closing of the General Motors factory after 100 years. On this Memorial Day rebroadcast of To the Point, we hear what’s happened to what once was a model of American middle-class unity.
To the Point
Human Rights in the era of Donald Trump President Trump’s UN Ambassador, Nikki Haley, said today the US might pull out of the United Nations’ Human Rights Council. Serious violators of human rights are members of the Council itself–and a US resignation could make things worse. Later on today’s show, now that he’s into his second term, comedian turned US Senator Al Franken is telling jokes again.
To the Point
Terrorism and tweets, hate speech and murder Just days before an election, Britain is coping with a rash of deadly terrorism, and Prime Minister Theresa May is on the defensive. And again today, President Trump has tweeted criticism of the Mayor of London. Later, a double murder in Portland, Oregon has revealed the ugly past of a supposedly “progressive” city. One immediate question: is “hate speech” protected by the First Amendment?
To the Point
Trump plays scolder-in-chief with NATO allies At the opening of NATO’s dramatic new headquarters in Brussels today, President Trump acknowledged that Article 5 — promising that “an attack on one nation is an attack on all” -- has only been invoked one time: in the aftermath of September 11. But the President failed to provide what 27 other Alliance members have been waiting for: a re-commitment by America’s new leader to Article 5. Instead, they got a scolding.