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Russia's Paris Club Debt: U.S. Interests

Description: Russia is seeking substantial debt forgiveness from its Paris Club debt of some $42 billion. Germany holds about half this official debt; the United States share is 6%. The United States may adopt a policy of no debt relief, of rescheduling payments of principal and interest, or of debt forgiveness. The official position of creditor countries in the Paris Club is for no debt forgiveness. Many in Congress support linkage of any debt relief to an end of the Chechnya conflict and of aid to Serbia,… more
Date: July 18, 2000
Creator: Hardt, John P.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) and the 2000 Summit in Brunei

Description: On November 15-16, 2000, the Eighth Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Leaders' Meeting (summit) was held in Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei. In addition to the APEC summit, President Clinton held bilateral summits with several leaders of APEC countries ­ including China, Russia, Japan, and South Korea. For the United States, APEC raises fundamental questions of special interest to Congress. One is whether consensus can be achieved on the APEC vision of free trade and investment in the Asia P… more
Date: January 23, 2001
Creator: Nanto, Dick K.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Currency Manipulation: The IMF and WTO

Description: This report describes how the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Trade Organization (WTO) deal with the issue of currency manipulation. It also discusses apparent discrepancies in their charters and ways those differences might be addressed.
Date: July 21, 2010
Creator: Sanford, Jonathan E.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Foreign Holdings of Federal Debt

Description: This report presents current data on estimated ownership of U.S. Treasury securities and major holders of federal debt by country. Federal debt represents the accumulated balance of borrowing by the federal government.
Date: May 28, 2015
Creator: Labonte, Marc & Nagel, Jared C.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Crisis in Greece: Political Implications

Description: This report briefly discusses the political crisis resulting from what began as a debt crisis in Greece in late 2009. Many analysts believe that this political crisis could represent the most significant setback in over 60 years of European integration.
Date: July 7, 2015
Creator: Belkin, Paul
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Foreign Holdings of Federal Debt

Description: This report presents current data on estimated ownership of U.S. Treasury securities and major holders of federal debt by country. Federal debt represents the accumulated balance of borrowing by the federal government. To finance federal borrowing, U.S. Treasury securities are sold to investors, directly from the Treasury or on the secondary market to individual private investors, financial institutions in the United States or overseas, and foreign, state, or local governments.
Date: March 17, 2009
Creator: Murray, Justin & Labonte, Marc
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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The Overseas Private Investment Corporation: Background and Legislative Issues

Description: This report outlines challenges faced by Tajikistan since its five-year civil war ended in 1997. It discusses U.S. policy and assistance. Basic facts and biographical information are provided. This report may be updated. Related products include CRS Report RL33458, Central Asia: Regional Developments and Implications for U.S. Interests, updated regularly.
Date: May 22, 2008
Creator: Langton, Danielle
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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The Overseas Private Investment Corporation: Background and Legislative Issues

Description: The Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC)1 was established in 1969 and began operations in 1971 to promote and assist U.S. business investment in developing nations. OPIC is a U.S. government agency that provides project financing, investment insurance, and other services for U.S. businesses in 154 developing nations and emerging economies. OPIC is currently authorized through March 9, 2009 under the Consolidated Security, Disaster Assistance, and Continuing Appropriations Act, 2009 (P… more
Date: October 20, 2008
Creator: Langton, Danielle
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Currency Manipulation: The IMF and WTO

Description: The International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Trade Organization (WTO) approach the issue of "currency manipulation" differently. The IMF Articles of Agreement prohibit countries from manipulating their currency for the purpose of gaining unfair trade advantage, but the IMF cannot force a country to change its exchange rate policies. The WTO has rules against subsidies, but these are very narrow and specific and do not seem to encompass currency manipulation. Several options might be consider… more
Date: May 8, 2008
Creator: Sanford, Jonathan E.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Foreign Holdings of Federal Debt

Description: This report presents current data on estimated ownership of United States Treasury securities and major holders of federal debt by country.
Date: November 23, 2005
Creator: Murray, Justin & Labonte, Marc
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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The Status of the Basel III Capital Adequacy Accord

Description: The new Basel Capital Adequacy Accord (Basel III) is an agreement among countries' central banks and bank supervisory authorities on the amount of capital banks must hold as a cushion against losses and insolvency. Basel III is of concern to Congress mainly because it could put U.S. financial institutions at a competitive disadvantage in world financial markets. This report follows the basic elements of the Basel III documents on the types of capital requirements and their phase-in schedule, wh… more
Date: October 28, 2010
Creator: Eubanks, Walter W.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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International Climate Change Financing: Needs, Sources, and Delivery Methods

Description: This report discusses the domestic and international efforts to increase foreign assistance to address climate change. Proponents maintain that such assistance could help promote low-emissions and high-growth economic development in lower-income countries, while simultaneously protecting the more vulnerable countries from the effects of a changing climate. The fundamental dispute concerning international financing for climate change centers upon who should pay for it and how.
Date: May 5, 2011
Creator: Lattanzio, Richard K. & Leggett, Jane A.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Palestinian Authority: U.S. Payments to Creditors as Alternative to Direct Budgetary Assistance?

Description: A September 24, 2014, congressional notification (CN) from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) may reflect a new executive branch approach in assisting the Palestinian Authority (PA) to pay off some of the debts it incurs in providing various benefits and services to West Bank and Gaza residents. The CN indicates that USAID plans to obligate a total of $100 million in FY2014 bilateral economic assistance for the Palestinians toward direct U.S. payments to PA creditors. This re… more
Date: October 20, 2014
Creator: Zanotti, Jim
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Palestinian Authority: U.S. Payments to Creditors as Alternative to Direct Budgetary Assistance?

Description: A September 24, 2014, congressional notification (CN) from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) may reflect a new executive branch approach in assisting the Palestinian Authority (PA) to pay off some of the debts it incurs in providing various benefits and services to West Bank and Gaza residents. The CN indicates that USAID plans to obligate a total of $100 million in FY2014 bilateral economic assistance for the Palestinians toward direct U.S. payments to PA creditors. This re… more
Date: October 6, 2014
Creator: Zanotti, Jim
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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The Berne Union: An Overview

Description: This report provides background information about the Berne Union, or the International Union of Credit and Investment Insurers. It is an international organization comprised of more than 70 public and private sector members that represent both public and private segments of the export credit and investment insurance industry.
Date: April 5, 2013
Creator: Jackson, James K.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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The Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS)

Description: This report discusses the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) comprising nine members, two ex officio members, and other members as appointed by the President representing major departments and agencies within the federal executive branch. While the group generally has operated in relative obscurity, the proposed acquisition of commercial operations at six U.S. ports by Dubai Ports World in 2006 placed the group's operations under intense scrutiny by Members of Congress… more
Date: June 13, 2017
Creator: Jackson, James K.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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China's Currency Devaluation

Description: This report discusses China's recent changes to its method for determining the value of its currency (the renminbi). On Tuesday, August 11, 2015, the People's Bank of China (PBC), China's central bank, surprised global financial markets by lowering the reference rate of the renminbi, effectively depreciating the currency.
Date: August 17, 2015
Creator: Jackson, James K.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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The Daiwa Bank Problems: Background and Policy Issues

Description: On November 2, 1995, U.S. banking authorities ordered the Daiwa Bank to close its banking operations in the United States, and a 24-count criminal indictment was issued against it. These actions stem from the bank's admission that Toshihide Iguchi, a rogue trader at its New York branch office, had incurred $1.1 billion in losses over eleven years from trading U.S. Treasury securities and that Daiwa managers had "directed that those losses be concealed" from U.S. regulators.
Date: November 30, 1995
Creator: Nanto, Dick K.; Jackson, William D. & Wells, F. Jean
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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The Global Financial Crisis: The Role of the International Monetary Fund (IMF)

Description: This report discusses two potential roles the International Monetary Fund (IMF) may have in helping to resolve the current global financial crisis: (1) immediate crisis control through balance of payments lending to emerging market and less-developed countries and (2) increased surveillance of the global economy through better coordination with the international financial regulatory agencies.
Date: October 27, 2008
Creator: Weiss, Martin A.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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The Global Financial Crisis: The Role of the International Monetary Fund (IMF)

Description: This report discusses two potential roles the International Monetary Fund (IMF) may have in helping to resolve the current global financial crisis: (1) immediate crisis control through balance of payments lending to emerging market and less-developed countries and (2) increased surveillance of the global economy through better coordination with the international financial regulatory agencies.
Date: October 30, 2008
Creator: Weiss, Martin A.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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The Berne Union: An Overview

Description: The Berne Union, or the International Union of Credit and Investment Insurers, is an international organization comprised of 54 public and private sector members that represent various segments of the export credit and investment insurance industry. Within the Berne Union, the United States is represented by the U.S. Export-Import Bank (Eximbank) and the Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC) and four private-sector firms and by one observer. Congress, through its oversight of Eximbank … more
Date: November 8, 2005
Creator: Jackson, James K.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Iraq: Paris Club Debt Relief

Description: Iraq’s public debt was estimated to be US$120.2 billion in nominal value as of the end of 2004. The debt owed to Paris Club creditors as of December 31, 2004, was estimated to be US$38.9 billion. The U.S. share of this amount is around $4 billion. Non-Paris Club countries, mostly Persian Gulf countries, are owed around $60 - $65 billion. The remaining debts are to private commercial creditors. Iraqi debt relief is a high priority for both the President and Congress (H.R. 2482). This report will… more
Date: November 22, 2004
Creator: Weiss, Martin A.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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