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Latin America and the Caribbean: Fact Sheet on Leaders and Elections

Description: 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.
Date: June 2, 2010
Creator: Gomez-Granger, Julissa & Sullivan, Mark P.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Azerbaijan: Recent Developments and U.S. Interests

Description: This report discusses political, economic, and security challenges facing Azerbaijan, including the unsettled conflict in the breakaway Nagorno Karabakh region. A table provides basic facts and biographical information. Related products include CRS Report RL33453, Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia, Political Developments and Implications for U.S. Interests, by Jim Nichol.
Date: June 3, 2010
Creator: Nichol, Jim
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Azerbaijan: Recent Developments and U.S. Interests

Description: This report discusses political, economic, and security challenges facing Azerbaijan, including the unsettled conflict in the breakaway Nagorno Karabakh region. A table provides basic facts and biographical information. Related products include CRS Report RL33453, Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia: Political Developments and Implications for U.S. Interests, by Jim Nichol.
Date: June 3, 2010
Creator: Nichol, Jim
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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U.S.-Latin America Trade: Recent Trends and Policy Issues

Description: Trade is one of the more enduring issues in contemporary U.S.-Latin America relations. Latin America is far from the largest U.S. regional trade partner, but historically is the fastest growing one. The United States has implemented comprehensive reciprocal trade agreements with most of its important trade partners in Latin America. Agreements with Panama and Colombia have been signed but not implemented, pending congressional action. Countries south of the Caribbean Basin have been reluctant t… more
Date: June 25, 2010
Creator: Hornbeck, J. F.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Immigration-Related Worksite Enforcement: Performance Measures

Description: In the spring of 2009, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) issued new guidance on immigration-related worksite enforcement. According to 2008 estimates, there are some 8.3 million unauthorized workers in the U.S. civilian labor force. Enforcement activity by the Department of Labor (DOL) is also relevant to a discussion of federal efforts to curtail unauthorized employment.
Date: June 24, 2010
Creator: Bruno, Andorra
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Honduran-U.S. Relations

Description: This report examines current political and economic conditions in Honduras as well as issues in Honduran-U.S. relations.
Date: June 18, 2010
Creator: Meyer, Peter J. & Sullivan, Mark P.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Security Assistance Reform: "Section 1206" Background and Issues for Congress

Description: This report provides background on the pre-Section 1206 status of security assistance authorities and the factors contributing to the enactment of Section 1206, which provides the Secretary of Defense with authority to train and equip foreign military forces and foreign maritime security forces. It then sets out the purposes of the legislation and scope of its activities, restrictions on its use, the DOD-State Department planning process, and funding. It concludes with a discussion of issues fo… more
Date: June 29, 2010
Creator: Serafino, Nina M.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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The Democratic Republic of Congo: Background and Current Developments

Description: This report discusses in brief the current political state of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, as well as the crisis situation in eastern Congo that has displaced more than 250,000 civilians. It also describes U.S., U.N., and other international efforts to aid in resolving the crisis.
Date: June 4, 2010
Creator: Dagne, Ted
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Argentina's Defaulted Sovereign Debt: Dealing with the "Holdouts"

Description: This report reviews Argentina's financial crisis, the bond exchanges of 2005 and 2010, ongoing litigation, prospects for a final solution, related U.S. legislation, and broader policy issues. These include lessons on the effectiveness and cost of Argentina's default strategy, the ability to force sovereigns to meet their debt obligations, and ways to avoid future defaults like Argentina's.
Date: June 17, 2010
Creator: Hornbeck, J. F.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Iran: U.S. Concerns and Policy Responses

Description: This report discusses the reasons that Iran is considered a threat to U.S. security, including Iran's nuclear program, involvement with terrorist organizations, and involvement with neighboring countries' local governments. The report also discusses ways which the U.S. hopes to modify Iran's behavior with sanctions, and the effectiveness of these sanctions.
Date: June 11, 2010
Creator: Katzman, Kenneth
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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The New START Treaty: Central Limits and Key Provisions

Description: This report provides an overview of the New Strategic Arms Reductions Treaty (START), including a comparison to the original START Treaty, the belief of the Obama Administration and outside analysts that New START will enhance U.S. national security, and the criticisms of those who say that New START is a distraction from more important items on the nonproliferation agenda.
Date: June 18, 2010
Creator: Woolf, Amy F.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Afghanistan: Politics, Elections, and Government Performance

Description: This report discusses the current political state of Afghanistan, as well as the Afghan government. This report also discusses Afghanistan's relationship with the United States, particularly U.S. efforts to urge President Hamid Karzai to address corruption within the Afghan government.
Date: June 29, 2010
Creator: Katzman, Kenneth
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Afghanistan: Politics, Elections, and Government Performance

Description: This report discusses the current political state of Afghanistan, as well as the Afghan government. This report also discusses Afghanistan's relationship with the United States, particularly U.S. efforts to urge President Hamid Karzai to address corruption within the Afghan government.
Date: June 2, 2010
Creator: Katzman, Kenneth
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Organized Retail Crime

Description: This report provides an overview of organized retail crime rings, their operations, and goods targeted. It then examines the domestic impact of organized retail crime (ORC) in the arenas of the economy, public health and safety, and domestic security. The report also outlines current efforts by retailers, resale markets, and the federal government to combat ORC. It then analyzes various policy issues that the 111th Congress may wish to consider, including whether current federal resources provi… more
Date: June 16, 2010
Creator: Finklea, Kristin M.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) Implementation: The Future of Commercial Trucking Across the Mexican Border

Description: This report discusses the implementation of trucking provisions set forth by NAFTA that would have opened the border states to cross-border trucking competition in 1995 and all of North America in 2000. The full implementation of the provisions has been stalled because of concern with the safety of Mexican trucks.
Date: June 1, 2010
Creator: Frittelli, John
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Veterans Affairs: Benefits for Service-Connected Disabilities

Description: This report describes disability compensation, which is a benefit Congress provides to American veterans and their dependents through the United States Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). Disability compensation is a monthly cash benefit program for veterans currently impaired from past service-connected activities.
Date: June 16, 2010
Creator: Weimer, Douglas R.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Questioning Supreme Court Nominees About Their Views on Legal or Constitutional Issues: A Recurring Issue

Description: This report discusses a recurring Senate issue regarding what kinds of questions are appropriate for Senators to pose to a Supreme Court nominee appearing at hearings before the Senate Judiciary Committee. Particularly at issue has been whether, or to what extent, questions by committee members should seek out a nominee's personal views on current legal or constitutional issues or on past Supreme Court decisions that have involved those issues.
Date: June 23, 2010
Creator: Rutkus, Denis Steven
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Navy Nuclear-Powered Surface Ships: Background, Issues, and Options for Congress

Description: This report discusses the possibility of increasing the number of Navy surface ships powered by nuclear energy, including the Navy's planned CG(X) cruiser. The report explores a 2006 Navy study that discusses budget considerations, the cost of a nuclear-powered ship compared to a ship powered by crude oil, and other suggestions relating to this proposed expansion. The overall report has a specific emphasis on the planned CG(X) cruiser, and how the implementation of this cruiser may be delayed b… more
Date: June 10, 2010
Creator: O'Rourke, Ronald
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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World Trade Organization (WTO): Issues in the Debate on Continued U.S. Participation

Description: Following World War II, the United States led efforts to establish an open and nondiscriminatory trading system with the expressed goal of raising the economic well-being of all countries and bolstering world peace. These efforts culminated in the creation of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) in 1948, a provisional agreement on tariffs and trade rules that governed world trade for 47 years. The World Trade Organization (WTO) succeeded the GATT in 1995 and today serves as a perma… more
Date: June 16, 2010
Creator: Ahearn, Raymond J. & Fergusson, Ian F.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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China-U.S. Trade Issues

Description: This report provides an overview of U.S.-China economic relations, surveys major trade disputes, and lists bills introduced in the 111th Congress that could affect bilateral commercial ties.
Date: June 21, 2010
Creator: Morrison, Wayne M.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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The Defense Base Act (DBA): The Federally Mandated Workers' Compensation System for Overseas Government Contractors

Description: This report provides an overview of the Defense Base Act (DBA) and the systems used to provide DBA insurance at the Department of State (DOS), the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), the Department of Defense (DOD), and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE). Also included are criticisms of the current DOD DBA policy raised by GAO and Army auditors as well as responses to those criticisms by DOD and USACE. The report concludes with a discussion of several DBA reform options sug… more
Date: June 2, 2010
Creator: Grasso, Valerie Bailey; Webel, Baird & Szymendera, Scott
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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