Congressional Research Service Reports - 61 Matching Results
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- Kosovo and U.S. Policy
- No Description Available.
- U.S.-Funded Assistance Programs in China
- This report discusses United States foreign operations appropriations for the People’s Republic of China (PRC), which primarily support democracy-related programs, particularly rule of law training, and support Tibetan communities. The U.S. Congress has played a leading role in providing funding for such programs, which has grown from $10 million in FY2002 to $23 million in FY2006. Major funding areas include legal training, legal aid, criminal defense, labor rights, and non-governmental organization (NGO) development in China, monitoring human rights conditions in the PRC from outside China, and preserving Tibetan culture.
- Defense Contracting in Iraq: Issues and Options for Congress
- This report examines logistical support contracts for troop support services in Iraq, primarily administered through the U.S. Army's Logistics Civil Augmentation Program (LOGCAP).
- Mexico-U.S. Relations: Issues for the 107th Congress
- No Description Available.
- Weak and Failing States: Evolving Security Threats and U.S. Policy
- This report first provides definitions of weak states and describes the links between weak states, U.S. national security, and development challenges. Second, the report surveys recent key U.S. programs and initiatives designed to address threats emanating from weak states. Finally, it highlights relevant issues about U.S. policy toward these states that Congress may consider.
- U.S. Public Diplomacy: Background and Current Issues
- This report discusses background information on U.S. public diplomacy, the current structure of public diplomacy within the Department of State as well as its budget and personnel levels, overview of some of the major related policy issues, and proposed legislation intended to reform and improve U.S. public diplomacy.
- Middle East Elections 2009: Lebanon, Iran, Afghanistan, and Iraq
- This report provides an overview of the election contests in Lebanon, Iran, Afghanistan, and Iraq, including possible outcomes and implications for U.S. policy. The strategic influence of Iran in the Middle East, the stability of Iraq, and the ongoing war in Afghanistan are at the forefront of U.S. policy and Congressional interest in the region.
- Peacekeeping and Conflict Transitions: Background and Congressional Action on Civilian Capabilities
- The State Department's new Office of the Coordinator for Reconstruction and Stabilization (S/CRS) is intended to address longstanding concerns, both within Congress and the broader foreign policy community, over the perceived lack of the appropriate capabilities and processes to deal with transitions from conflict to sustainable stability. Effectively distributing resources among the various executive branch actors, maintaining clear lines of authority and jurisdiction, and balancing short- and long-term objectives are major challenges for designing, planning, and conducting post-conflict operations. This report outlines the functions of S/CRS, as well as funding of S/CRS and relevant legislation.
- Peacekeeping and Conflict Transitions: Background and Congressional Action on Civilian Capabilities
- No Description Available.
- Trafficking in Women and Children: The U.S. and International Response
- This report analyzes the statistics of human trafficking victims across the world. The report discusses the efforts of the United States to prevent trafficking and assisting victims from the Bush Administration to present day.
- Iraq: International Attitudes to Operation Iraqi Freedom and Reconstruction
- Although there was widespread international disagreement in the period leading up to the U.S.-led war in Iraq, forty-nine countries demonstrated support for the coalition’s actions in Iraq by publicly agreeing to be included in the Bush Administration’s “coalition of the willing." This report tracks countries’ current political stances on the postwar situation, as well as major foreign monetary and military contributions to postwar Iraq.
- Latin America and the Caribbean: Legislative Issues in 2001-2002
- No Description Available.
- Mexico-U.S. Relations: Issues for Congress
- This report covers the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and U.S.-Mexico drug trafficking. It also looks at migration, environmental issues, legislation in the 110th Congress, and the relationship between the Bush Administration and Mexico.
- Enlargement Issues at NATO's Bucharest Summit
- This report reviews the process by which candidate states are selected, including a sketch of the responsibilities of Congress and allied governments in final approval or disapproval of Albania and Croatia. The report reviews general political factors for qualification, as well as external issues such as the views of Russia and regional geopolitical considerations. Then follows an analysis of current conditions in the two states nominated to join, as well as in Macedonia. In addition, there is a brief analysis of the debate over the qualifications of Georgia and Ukraine for NATO's Membership Action Plan (MAP), a set of guidelines laid out by the alliance for governments that wish to take the next step of becoming actual candidates. An appendix examines key legislation on enlargement during the past fifteen years. (p. CRS-2).
- Somalia: Current Conditions and Prospects for a Lasting Peace
- This report discusses the political climate of Somalia, which has undergone extreme unrest for years. The report focuses on events since October 2002. The report also discusses the U.S. relationship with Somalia under the Obama Administration, including U.S. economic assistance given to Somalia and U.S. efforts to contain Somalian terrorist groups.
- Cuba: Issues for the 108th Congress
- Cuba under Fidel Castro remains a hard-line communist state with a poor record on human rights that has deteriorated significantly since 2003. With the cutoff of assistance from the former Soviet Union, Cuba experienced severe economic deterioration from 1989 to 1993. While there has been some improvement since 1994, as Cuba has implemented limited reforms, the economy remains in poor shape. This report discusses the most recent development in Cuba, including political and economic conditions and the U.S. policy towards Cuba. It also considers the issues in U.S.-Cuban Relations.
- Egypt-United States Relations
- Among the current issues in U.S.-Egyptian relations are the shared concerns over the terrorist attacks against Egyptian police, religious, government, and tourist facilities, and what those attacks maysignal for Egypt’s domestic stability. The two nations may disagree over Egypt’s interpretation of applying human rights practices to Islamic terrorists. The two countries disagree over the speed and depth, but not the need for some of Egypt’s economic reforms. Egypt and the United States agree on the importance of the Egyptian-Israeli peace treaty, the need to continue current Arab-Israel peace talks, and the need for regional stability. The two nations agree on Egypt’s determination to introduce democratic reforms to Egypt.
- Libya
- No Description Available.
- Lebanon
- No Description Available.
- Russia
- No Description Available.
- Latin America and the Caribbean: Fact Sheet on Leaders and Elections
- This fact sheet tracks the current heads of government in Central and South America, Mexico, and the Caribbean. It provides the dates of the last and next elections for the head of government and the national independence date for each country.
- Korea: U.S.-Korean Relations - Issues for Congress
- No Description Available.
- Korea: U.S.-Korean Relations - Issues for Congress
- No Description Available.
- Korea: U.S.-Korean Relations - Issues for Congress
- No Description Available.
- Taiwan: Major U.S. Arms Sales Since 1990
- This report discusses U.S. arms sales to Taiwan, or Republic of China (ROC), including policy issues for Congress and legislation. The Taiwan Relations Act (TRA), P.L. 96-8, has governed U.S. arms sales to Taiwan since 1979, when the United States recognized the People’s Republic of China (PRC) instead of the ROC. There are two other relevant elements of the “one China” policy: the August 17, 1982 U.S.-PRC Joint Communique and the “Six Assurances” made to Taiwan.
- Strategic Arms Control After START: Issues and Options
- The United States and Soviet Union signed the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty in 1991; it entered into force in December 1994 and expired in December 2009. This report provides background information about the START Treaty and reviews the discussions about a possible successor to START. It also presents a range of alternatives that the United States and Russia might consider if they choose to follow START with a new framework for the arms control process.
- Mexico's Importance and Multiple Relationships with the United States
- This report provides information on the importance of Mexico to U.S. interests and catalogues the many ways Mexico and the United States interact. The report is a snapshot of the bilateral relationship at the beginning of 2006.
- Qatar: Background and U.S. Relations
- This report presents an overview of Qatar's history and recent economic and political developments. The report discusses U.S. relations with Qatar, U.S. military cooperation and foreign assistance, political reform and elections, as well as human rights and social issues.
- Central Asia's New States: Political Developments and Implications for U.S. Interests
- After the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, the United States recognized the independence of all the former Central Asian republics and established diplomatic relations with each by mid-March 1992. This report provides an overview of U.S. policy concerns after the Soviet collapse. The report presents the U.S. policy attention and aid to support conflict amelioration, humanitarian needs, economic development, transport (including energy pipelines) and communications, border controls, democracy, and the creation of civil societies in the South Caucasian and Central Asian states. The United States has some economic and business interests in Central Asia, particularly in oil and natural gas development in Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan.
- Central Asia: Regional Developments and Implications for U.S. Interests
- This report provides an overview of U.S. policy concerns and relations with countries in central Asia. The report discusses issues such as Fostering Pro-Western Orientations, Obstacles to Peace and Independence, Democratization and Human Rights, Security and Arms Control, Trade and Investment, and provides an Aid Overview.
- Sudan: Humanitarian Crisis, Peace Talks, Terrorism, and U.S. Policy
- No Description Available.
- The United Nations Security Council - Its Role in the Iraq Crisis: A Brief Overview
- No Description Available.
- Permanent Normal Trade Relations (PNTR) Status for Russia and U.S.-Russian Economic Ties
- No Description Available.
- Iran Sanctions
- This report focuses on the United States' relationship with Iran and how the Obama Administration is handling prior administrations' economic sanctions against Iran. The Obama Administration's policy approach toward Iran has contrasted with the Bush Administration's by attempting to couple the imposition of sanctions to an active and direct U.S. effort to negotiate with Iran on the nuclear issue.
- South Korea-U.S. Economic Relations: Cooperation, Friction, and Future Prospects
- No Description Available.
- Afghanistan: Narcotics and U.S. Policy
- Opium poppy cultivation and drug trafficking have eroded Afghanistan's fragile political and economic order over the last 30 years. This report provides current statistical information, profiles the narcotics trade's participants, explores linkages between narcotics, insecurity, and corruption, and reviews U.S. and international policy responses since late 2001. The report also considers ongoing policy debates regarding the counternarcotics role of coalition military forces, poppy eradication, alternative livelihoods, and funding issues for Congress.
- Mongolia and U.S. Policy: Political and Economic Relations
- This report provides background information on Mongolia, including political and economic conditions, the status of U.S.-Mongolian political and economic relations, and key security and foreign policy issues.
- Kyrgyzstan: Recent Developments and U.S. Interests
- This report examines Kyrgyzstan's uneven political and economic reform efforts. It discusses U.S. policy and assistance for democratization and other programs. Basic facts and biographical information are provided. Related products include CRS Report RL33458, Central Asia: Regional Developments and Implications for U.S. Interests, by Jim Nichol.
- Brazil-U.S. Relations
- This report analyzes Brazil's political, economic, and social conditions, and how those conditions affect its role in the region and its relationship with the United States. It then discusses a number of key issues in Brazil-U.S. relations.
- Brazil-U.S. Relations
- This report analyzes Brazil's political, economic, and social conditions, and how those conditions affect its role in the region and its relationship with the United States.
- Iraq: Post-Saddam Governance and Security
- Operation Iraqi Freedom succeeded in overthrowing Saddam Hussein, but Iraq remains unstable because of Sunni Arab resentment and a related insurgency, now compounded by Sunni-Shiite violence that some believe is a civil war. According to its November 30, 2005, "Strategy for Victory," the Bush Administration indicates that U.S. forces will remain in Iraq until the country is able to provide for its own security. Mounting U.S. casualties and financial costs -- without clear signs of security progress -- have intensified a debate within the United States over the wisdom of the invasion and whether to wind down U.S. involvement without completely accomplishing U.S. goals.
- Iraq: U.S. Regime Change Efforts and Post-Saddam Governance
- Operation Iraqi Freedom accomplished a long-standing objective, the overthrow of Saddam Hussein, but U.S. officials acknowledge that restoring security to postwar Iraq has proved more difficult than anticipated. Past U.S. efforts to change the regime failed because of limited U.S. commitment, disorganization of the Iraqi opposition, and the efficiency and ruthlessness of Iraq’s several overlapping security services. Previous U.S. Administrations had ruled out major U.S. military action to change Iraq’s regime, believing such action would be risky and not necessarily justified by the level of Iraq’s lack of compliance on WMD disarmament.
- Iraq: U.S. Regime Change Efforts and Post-War Governance
- No Description Available.
- Iraq: U.S. Regime Change Efforts and Post-War Governance
- No Description Available.
- Iraq: Post-Saddam Governance and Security
- Operation Iraqi Freedom succeeded in overthrowing Saddam Hussein, but Iraq remains unstable because of Sunni Arab resentment and a related insurgency, now compounded by Sunni-Shiite violence that some believe is a civil war. This report discusses the background of the issue and examines several security challenges, response, and other policy options for the U.S.
- Iran's Nuclear Program: Status
- This report looks at the background of Iran's nuclear policy. It covers the current status of Iran's nuclear facilities, and current controversy surrounding them, as well as the effects of international sanctions on Iran, recent sabotages on the Iran Enrichment Program, an estimated timeline of Iran's nuclear weapon capabilities, and whether or not Iran even has a nuclear weapons program.
- North Korea: Chronology of Provocations, 1950-2003
- No Description Available.
- China: Economic Sanctions
- This report discusses a list of economic sanctions that the United States currently maintains against China. The influence of Congress on U.S. policy toward China, once significant because so much hung on the annual possibility that favorable trade terms could be suspended, has more recently been diffused. Sanctions that remain in place today can all be modified, eased, or lifted altogether by the President, without congressional input.
- NATO in Afghanistan: A Test of the Transatlantic Alliance
- This report follows the path of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization's (NATO) evolution in Afghanistan. The first section covers the initial two stages of the International Security Assistance Force's (ISAF) mission, and analyzes key issues in the mission: use of Provincial Reconstruction Teams to stabilize and rebuild the country; overcoming caveats placed by individual allies on the use of their forces; and managing the counter-narcotics effort. The next section of the report examines stages three and four of the ISAF mission which cover roughly the period December 2005 to the present. In this section, the debate to develop a refined mission statement and a new organizational structure is analyzed by looking at issues that are both political and military, such as securing more troops, the treatment of prisoners, and organization of command. By late 2006 as ISAF extended its responsibilities to cover all of Afghanistan, the allies began to realize that ISAF would require a greater combat capability than originally believed, and the mission began to change. This adjustment in mission is discussed through the perspective of several key allies. The final section of the report assesses ISAF's progress to date.
- Bahrain: Reform, Security, and U.S. Policy
- This report discusses the current state of Bahrain, which has undergone substantial political reforms since the late 1990s, but which still suffers from tension between the Shiite majority and the Sunni-led government. This report focuses particularly on Bahrain's relationship with Iran and Bahrain's relationship with the United States.