Congressional Research Service Reports - 30 Matching Results

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A U.S.-centric Chronology of the International Climate Change Negotiations

Description: This document provides a U.S.-centric chronology of the international policy deliberations to address climate change from 1979-2009. It begins before agreement on the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in 1992, and proceeds through the Kyoto Protocol in 1997, the Marrakesh Accords of 2001, the Bali Action Plan of 2007, and the Copenhagen conference in 2009.
Date: March 30, 2010
Creator: Leggett, Jane A.
Item Type: Refine your search to only Report
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Brazil's WTO Case Against the U.S. Cotton Program

Description: This report provides a description and status report on Brazil's challenge to certain aspects of the U.S. cotton program under the rules of the World Trade Organization's (WTO's) dispute settlement process in case DS267.1 The "Brazil cotton case" had its WTO origins in 2002 and has since evolved into a sprawling legal enterprise that is still ongoing as of mid-2010. The report begins by summarizing the most recent developments in the case. It then provides a detailed history of the case in chro… more
Date: June 30, 2010
Creator: Schnepf, Randy
Item Type: Refine your search to only Report
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Border Security: The Role of the U.S. Border Patrol

Description: This report includes some issues for Congress to consider which include the slow rate of integration between the United States Border Patrol's (USBP) biometric database of illegal aliens and the Federal Bureau of Investigation's (FBI) biometric database of criminals and terrorists; the number of unauthorized aliens who die attempting to enter the country each year; the organized human smuggling rings that have proliferated as entering the country has become more difficult; and the threat posed … more
Date: July 30, 2010
Creator: Haddal, Chad C.
Item Type: Refine your search to only Report
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Infringement of Intellectual Property Rights and State Sovereign Immunity

Description: This report discusses the Eleventh Amendment and the concept of state sovereign immunity. Although the amendment appears to be focused on preventing suits against a state by non-residents in federal courts, the U.S. Supreme Court has expanded the concept of state sovereign immunity to reach much further than the literal text of the amendment, to include immunity from suits by the states' own citizens and immunity from suits under federal law within a state's own court system.
Date: July 30, 2010
Creator: Yeh, Brian T.
Item Type: Refine your search to only Report
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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International Criminal Court Cases in Africa: Status and Policy Issues

Description: This report provides background on current International Criminal Court (ICC) cases and examines issues raised by the ICC's actions in Africa, including the potential deterrence of future abuses and the potential impact on African peace processes.
Date: November 30, 2010
Creator: Arieff, Alexis; Margesson, Rhoda; Browne, Marjorie Ann & Weed, Matthew C.
Item Type: Refine your search to only Report
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Nuclear, Biological, Chemical, and Missile Proliferation Sanctions: Selected Current Law

Description: This report offers a listing and brief description of legal provisions that require or authorize the imposition of some form of economic sanction against countries, companies, persons, or entities that violate U.S. nonproliferation norms. For each provision, information is included on what triggers the imposition of sanctions, their duration, what authority the President has to delay or abstain from imposing sanctions, and what authority the President has to waive the imposition of sanctions.
Date: November 30, 2010
Creator: Rennack, Dianne E.
Item Type: Refine your search to only Report
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Sexual Violence in African Conflicts

Description: This report covers the issue of sexual violence in the midst of civil conflict in African nations. Civilians in Africa's conflict zones are often vulnerable to sexual violence, including rape, mutilation, and sexual slavery. This violence is carried out by government security forces and non-state actors, including, rebel groups, militias, and criminal organizations. Some abuses appear to be opportunistic, or the product of a larger breakdown in the rule of law and social order that may occur am… more
Date: November 30, 2010
Creator: Arieff, Alexis
Item Type: Refine your search to only Report
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Central America Regional Security Initiative: Background and Policy Issues for Congress

Description: This report examines the extent of the security problems in Central America, the current efforts being undertaken by Central American governments to address them, and U.S. support for Central American efforts through the Central America Regional Security Initiative. It also raises potential policy issues for congressional consideration such as funding levels, human rights concerns, and how the Central America Regional Security Initiative (CARSI) relates to other U.S. government policies.
Date: March 30, 2011
Creator: Meyer, Peter J. & Ribando Seelke, Clare
Item Type: Refine your search to only Report
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Central America Regional Security Initiative: Background and Policy Issues for Congress

Description: This report examines the extent of the security problems in Central America, the current efforts being undertaken by Central American governments to address them, and U.S. support for Central American efforts through the Central America Regional Security Initiative. It also raises potential policy issues for congressional consideration such as funding levels, human rights concerns, and how CARSI relates to other U.S. government policies.
Date: August 30, 2011
Creator: Meyer, Peter J. & Ribando Seelke, Clare
Item Type: Refine your search to only Report
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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The Palestinians: Background and U.S. Relations

Description: This report provides an overview of current issues in U.S.-Palestinian relations. It also contains an overview of Palestinian society and politics and descriptions of key Palestinian individuals and groups—chiefly the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), the Palestinian Authority (PA), Fatah, Hamas, and the Palestinian refugee population.
Date: August 30, 2011
Creator: Zanotti, Jim
Item Type: Refine your search to only Report
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) Countries: Comparative Trade and Economic Analysis

Description: The Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) is a proposed regional free trade agreement (FTA) currently under negotiation between Australia, Brunei, Chile, Malaysia, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, the United States, and Vietnam. Congressional involvement includes consultations with U.S. negotiators on and oversight of the details of the negotiations, and eventual consideration of legislation to implement the final trade agreement. This report provides a comparative economic analysis of the TPP countrie… more
Date: May 30, 2012
Creator: Williams, Brock R.
Item Type: Refine your search to only Report
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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The United Nations Human Rights Council: Issues for Congress

Description: This report provides historical background of the Council, including the role of the previous Commission. It discusses the Council's current mandate and structure, as well as U.S. policy and congressional actions. Finally, it highlights possible policy issues for the 113th Congress, including the overall effectiveness of the Council in addressing human rights situations, implications for U.S. membership, and U.S. financial contributions to the Council.
Date: April 30, 2013
Creator: Blanchfield, Luisa
Item Type: Refine your search to only Report
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Syria's Chemical Weapons: Issues for Congress

Description: This report provides a brief history of the chemical weapons program in Syria. It discusses policy issues, latest development regarding the current chemical weapons program.
Date: September 30, 2013
Creator: Nikitin, Mary Beth D.; Kerr, Paul K. & Feickert, Andrew
Item Type: Refine your search to only Report
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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U.S. Foreign Aid to the Palestinians

Description: This report provides an overview of current issues in U.S.-Palestinian relations. It also contains an overview of Palestinian society and politics and descriptions of key Palestinian individuals and groups -- chiefly the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), the Palestinian Authority (PA), Fatah, Hamas, and the Palestinian refugee population.
Date: September 30, 2013
Creator: Zanotti, Jim
Item Type: Refine your search to only Report
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Burma's Political Prisoners and U.S. Sanctions

Description: This report discusses the current issues in Burma (Myanmar) in regards to political prisoners and the resulting U.S. sanctions against the nation. It includes an introduction and definitions; information about current estimates of prisoners and prisoner releases; the relation of political prisoners, parliamentary elections and national reconciliation; and U.S. sanctions and U.S. efforts regarding political prisoners, as well as relevant issues for Congress to consider.
Date: October 30, 2013
Creator: Martin, Michael F.
Item Type: Refine your search to only Report
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Syria: Overview of the Humanitarian Response

Description: This report examines the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Syria and the U.S. and international response. It discusses the use of chemical weapons in Syria on August 21, 2013 that triggered an intense debate over possible U.S. military intervention.
Date: May 30, 2014
Creator: Margesson, Rhoda
Item Type: Refine your search to only Report
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. It also discusses ways in which the U.S. hopes to modify Iran's behavior with sanctions, and the effectiveness of these sanctions.
Date: June 30, 2014
Creator: Katzman, Kenneth
Item Type: Refine your search to only Report
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Iran: U.S. Economic Sanctions and the Authority to Lift Restrictions

Description: The United States has led the international community in imposing economic sanctions on Iran, in an effort to change the government of that country's support of acts of international terrorism, poor human rights record, weapons and missile development and acquisition, role in regional instability, and development of a nuclear program. This report identifies the legislative bases for sanctions imposed on Iran, and the nature of the authority to waive or lift those restrictions.
Date: December 30, 2014
Creator: Rennack, Dianne E.
Item Type: Refine your search to only Report
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Defense: FY2015 Authorization and Appropriations

Description: This report examines the issues related to the proposed Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), the state and substance of the negotiations (to the degree that the information is publicly available), the specific areas under negotiation, the policy and economic contexts in which the TPP would fit, and the issues for Congress that the TPP presents.
Date: January 30, 2015
Creator: Fergusson, Ian F.; McMinimy, Mark A. & Williams, Brock R.
Item Type: Refine your search to only Report
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Iran's Foreign Policy

Description: This report provides an overview of Iran's foreign policy, which has been a subject of numerous congressional hearings and of sanctions and other legislation for many years. The report analyzes Iranian foreign policy as a whole and by region. The regional analysis discusses those countries where Iranian policy is of U.S. concern.
Date: June 30, 2015
Creator: Katzman, Kenneth
Item Type: Refine your search to only Report
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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