Search Results

open access

The Broader Middle East and North Africa Initiative: An Overview

Description: The Broader Middle East and North Africa Initiative (BMENA) is a multilateral development and reform plan aimed at fostering economic and political liberalization in a wide geographic area of Arab and non-Arab Muslim countries. In December 2004, the first BMENA meeting took place in Rabat, Morocco and was called the “Forum for the Future.”At the forum, foreign ministers and finance ministers of the countries in the region stretching from Morocco to Pakistan as well as from the countries of the … more
Date: February 15, 2005
Creator: Sharp, Jeremy M.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

Environmental Reauthorizations and Regulatory Reform: From the 104th Congress to the 105th

Description: The 104th Congress pursued efforts to reform environmental regulations on several fronts: (1) revising regulatory decision making processes; (2) attaching specific reforms to funding bills; (3) establishing a House corrections day calendar of bills addressing specific regulatory problems; and (4) incorporating regulatory reforms into individual program reauthorization bills. The 105th Congress has pursued regulatory reform in four primary directions: (1) proposals to establish a comprehensive c… more
Date: February 10, 1998
Creator: Blodgett, John E.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

The Russian Financial Crisis: An Analysis of Trends, Causes, and Implications

Description: Since May of 1998, Russia has been caught in the latest, and likely the most serious, in a series of economic crises. The crisis came to a head on August 17, 1998, when the government of then-Premier Sergei Kiriyenko abandoned its defense of a strong ruble exchange rate against the dollar, defaulted on government domestic debt forcing its restructuring, and placed a 90-day moratorium on commercial external debt payments. Those actions led to Yeltsin's dismissal of Kiriyenko on August 23, replac… more
Date: February 18, 1999
Creator: Cooper, William H.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

Japanese Lobbying and U.S. Automobile Policy

Description: This report surveys U.S. automobile policy in the 1980s in order to clarify the effects of foreign lobbying. The conclusion is that the success of Japanese and other foreign lobbying on automobile policy has been mixed. Some decisions have gone their way; others have not. Their success is partly because they have aligned their efforts with those of powerful domestic interests.
Date: February 19, 1993
Creator: Nanto, Dick K.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

Iraq: International Support for U.S. Policy

Description: Although there is a worldwide consensus that Iraq must comply with all applicable U.N. resolutions, international attitudes differ sharply on how to compel Iraq to comply with the U.N. program of eliminating Iraq's weapons of mass destruction programs. Some countries support U.S. threats to use force against Iraq as a necessary step to ensure that Iraq does not reconstitute banned weapons programs. Other countries believe that force would kill Iraqi civilians already chafing under seven years o… more
Date: February 19, 1998
Creator: Katzman, Kenneth
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

Deregulation as Market Opening in Japan

Description: Deregulation of Japan's economy is of interest to the United States because regulations may work as nontariff barriers to U.S. exports and contribute to the $60 billion U.S. bilateral merchandise trade deficit. Excessive regulations also may hamper the ability of the Japanese economy to recover from recession and to augment world wide economic growth. The United States has submitted a request of about 200 items that it would like Japan to deregulate. Negotiations are continuing under the Framew… more
Date: February 1, 1995
Creator: Nanto, Dick K.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

Iraq: U.S. Regime Change Efforts and Post-Saddam Governance

Description: Operation Iraqi Freedom accomplished a long-standing objective, the overthrow and capture of Saddam Hussein, but replacing that regime with a stable, moderate, democratic political structure has run into difficulty. 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 c… more
Date: February 23, 2004
Creator: Katzman, Kenneth
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

Bosnia and Herzegovina: Issues for U.S. Policy

Description: This report provides background information on the Dayton Peace Accords, and also describes Bosnia’s current political structure of two semi-autonomous, ethnically-based “entities” and a relatively weak central government. This report discusses another important issue such as whether Bosnia is still important to U.S. interests.
Date: February 10, 2005
Creator: Woehrel, Steven
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

Syria: Political Conditions and Relations with the United States After the Iraq War

Description: This report focuses on Syria’s internal politics and the impact of hostilities in Iraq on Syria’s stability and U.S.-Syrian relations. It outlines the development of the the regime currently headed by President Bashar al-Asad and its support base; describes potential challenges to the regime; examines the effect of the Iraq war on Syrian domestic politics and U.S.-Syrian relations; and reviews U.S. policy options toward Syria. It will be updated when significant changes take place and affect th… more
Date: February 28, 2005
Creator: Prados, Alfred B. & Sharp, Jeremy M.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

Plan Colombia: A Progress Report

Description: Plan Colombia was developed by former President Pastrana (1998-2002) as a six-year plan to end Colombia’s long armed conflict, eliminate drug trafficking, and promote economic and social development. The Andean Counterdrug Initiative (ACI) is the primary U.S. program that supports Plan Colombia. In addition, Colombia receives assistance from the Foreign Military Financing (FMF) program and the Department of Defense’s central counternarcotics account. ACI funding for Plan Colombia from FY2000 th… more
Date: February 17, 2005
Creator: Veillette, Connie
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

Iraq: Post-Saddam National Elections

Description: Elections for a transitional National Assembly, provincial councils, and a Kurdish regional assembly were held on January 30, 2005. High voter turnout in mostly Shiite and Kurdish areas led to a first and second-place finish for slates backed by these two communities. Sunni Arabs, dominant under Saddam Hussein, appear to have been further marginalized by their relative lack of participation in the vote. This report will be updated regularly. See CRS Report RL31339, Iraq: U.S. Regime Change Effo… more
Date: February 14, 2005
Creator: Katzman, Kenneth
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

Pakistan's Domestic Political Developments

Description: Pakistan is a strategically important country and home to one of the world’s largest Muslim populations. In October 1999, Pakistan’s Chief of Army Staff Gen. Pervez Musharraf replaced Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in a bloodless coup. In the wake of the military overthrow of the elected government, Islamabad faced considerable international opprobrium and was subjected to automatic coup-related U.S. sanctions. The September 2001 terrorist attacks on the United States and Musharraf’s ensuing withd… more
Date: February 14, 2005
Creator: Kronstadt, K. Alan
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

Jamaica: Political and Economic Conditions and U.S. Relations

Description: Although Jamaica has a stable parliamentary democracy and is a middle-income developing country, the government of Prime Minister P.J. Patterson faces several significant challenges. These include a violent crime wave fueled by gangs and drug trafficking; high external debt, estimated at 135% of gross domestic product, that could constrain the government’s social expenditures; and an adult HIV/AIDS infection rate of over 1%. This report discusses U.S. relations with Jamaica, which are close an… more
Date: February 3, 2006
Creator: Sullivan, Mark P.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

Iraq: U.S. Regime Change Efforts and Post-Saddam Governance

Description: Operation Iraqi Freedom succeeded in overthrowing Saddam Hussein, but Iraq remains violent and unstable because of Sunni Arab resentment and a related insurgency, as well as increasing sectarian violence. 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 and does not serve as a host for radical Islamic terrorists. This report discusses the background of the … more
Date: February 9, 2006
Creator: Katzman, Kenneth
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

Afghanistan: Post-War Governance, Security, and U.S. Policy

Description: The United States and its allies are helping Afghanistan emerging from more than 22 years of warfare, although substantial risk to Afghan stability remains. Before the U.S. military campaign against the orthodox Islamist Taliban movement began on October 7, 2001, Afghanistan had been mired in conflict since the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in 1979. The defeat of the Taliban has enabled the United States and its coalition partners to send forces throughout Afghanistan to search for Taliban and… more
Date: February 21, 2006
Creator: Katzman, Kenneth
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

Egypt: Background and U.S. Relations

Description: This report provides an overview of Egyptian politics and current issues in U.S.-Egyptian relations. It briefly provides a political history of modern Egypt, an overview of its political institutions, and a discussion of the prospects for democratization in Egypt, U.S.-Egyptian relations are complex and multi-faceted, and this report addresses the following current topics: the Arab-Israeli peace process, Iraq, terrorism, democratization and reform, human rights, trade, and military cooperation.
Date: February 8, 2006
Creator: Sharp, Jeremy M.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

Iran: U.S. Concerns and Policy Responses

Description: Report discussing the most recent updates regarding concerns surrounding Iran, including the potential support they offer to terrorist organizations, as well as detailing the measure that the U.S. took in order to peacefully discuss these matters. The report also details major concerns the U.S. has relating to Iran's human rights practices, limits on democracy, and violence against the U.S.-led Middle East peace process.
Date: February 11, 2005
Creator: Katzman, Kenneth
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

Iraq: Post-Saddam Governance and Security

Description: Operation Iraqi Freedom overthrew Saddam Hussein’s regime, but Iraq remains unstable because of Sunni Arab resentment and a related insurgency, compounded by Sunni-Shiite violence that a January 2007 national intelligence estimate says has key elements of a “civil war.” Mounting U.S. casualties and financial costs — without clear signs of security progress — have intensified a debate within the United States over whether to wind down U.S. involvement without completely accomplishing initial U.S… more
Date: February 9, 2007
Creator: Katzman, Kenneth
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
Back to Top of Screen