Congressional Research Service (CRS) Reports and Issue Briefs articles from April 2003

Congressional Research Service (CRS) Reports and Issue Briefs archives from April 2003

Afghanistan: current issues and U.S. policy.
April 1, 2003... Summary Afghanistan is stabilizing after more than 22 years of warfare, including a U.S.-led war that brought the current government to power. Before the U.S. military campaign against the Taliban movement began on October 7, 2001,...

Central Asia's new states: political developments and implications for U.S interests.
April 1, 2003... SUMMARY 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. The United States also...

Iraq: recent developments in humanitarian and reconstruction assistance.
April 1, 2003... Summary Large-scale humanitarian and reconstruction assistance programs are expected to be undertaken by the United States during and following the war with Iraq. To fund such programs, the President requested $3.5 billion in FY2003...

Israel: U.S. Foreign Assistance.
April 1, 2003... SUMMARY Israel is not economically self-sufficient, and relies on foreign assistance and borrowing to maintain its economy. Since 1985, the United States has provided $3 billion in grants annually to Israel. Since 1976, Israel has been the...

Nepal: background and U.S. relations.
April 1, 2003... Summary A landlocked Himalayan kingdom between India and China, Nepal ranks among the world's poorest countries. In 1990, following a democratization movement, the country became a parliamentary democracy under a constitutional monarch....

Egypt-United States relations.
April 2, 2003... SUMMARY U.S.-Egyptian relations are tied to maintaining regional stability, improving bilateral relations focused on Egyptian economic development and military cooperation, developing Egypt's democracy, sustaining the March 1979...

Palestinians and Middle East peace: issues for the United States.
April 2, 2003... SUMMARY The United States began contacts with the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) in December 1988, after the PLO accepted Israel's right to exist, accepted U.N. Resolutions 242 and 338 that call for an exchange of land for peace,...

Steel: legislative and oversight issues.
April 2, 2003... Summary The U.S. steel industry has faced increasing difficulties since the late 1990s. More than 30 U.S. steel producers have gone into bankruptcy and many workers have lost their jobs. Many retirees have lost company-funded health care...

Saudi Arabia: current issues and U.S. relations.
April 3, 2003... SUMMARY Saudi Arabia, a monarchy ruled by the Saudi dynasty, enjoys special importance in the international community because of its unique association with the Islamic religion and its oil wealth. Since the establishment of the modern...

Israeli-United States relations.
April 4, 2003... Israeli-United States Relations SUMMARY Israeli-U.S. relations are an important factor in U.S. policy in the Middle East, and Congress has placed considerable importance on the maintenance of a close and supportive relationship. The...

Pakistan-U.S. relations.
April 4, 2003... SUMMARY Major areas of U.S. concern regarding Pakistan include regional terrorism; weapons proliferation; the ongoing Kashmir dispute and Pakistan-India tensions; human rights protection; and economic development. A U.S.-Pakistan...

War on drugs: legislation in the 108th Congress and related developments.
April 4, 2003... SUMMARY Prohibiting the non-medical use of certain mind-altering substances has been a public policy goal of the federal government for more than a century. Drug abuse is a problem in the United States due to its economic cost,...

India-U.S. relations.
April 8, 2003... SUMMARY Although the end of the cold war freed India-U.S. relations from the constraints of global bipolarity, New Delhi-Washington relations continued for a decade to be affected by the burden of history, most notably the longstanding...

Sri Lanka: background and U.S. relations.
April 9, 2003... Summary Sri Lanka is a constitutional democracy with relatively high educational and social standards. The country's political, social, and economic development has been seriously constrained by two decades of ethnic conflict between the...

The budget for fiscal year 2004.
April 10, 2003... Summary The President's fiscal year (FY) 2004 budget includes a deficit of $307 billion (an estimated 2.7% of gross domestic product, GDP). Under the President's proposals and estimates, the deficit shrinks through FY2008, the last year of...

The middle east peace talks.
April 10, 2003... SUMMARY The end of the Cold War, the decline of the Soviet Union, and the U.S.-led victory in the Gulf war facilitated the beginning of a new peace process in 1991. Israel and the Palestinians discussed a 5-year period of interim self-rule...

Africa: U.S. foreign assistance issues.
April 11, 2003... SUMMARY Amounts requested by the Bush Administration for assistance to Africa in FY2004 closely parallel amounts provided in FY2003. However, Africa would receive aid increases if the President's Global AIDS Initiative and the proposed...

Syria: U.S. relations and bilateral issues.
April 11, 2003... SUMMARY Syria, governed by President Hafiz al-Asad from 1970 until his death in June 2000, is a prominent player in the Middle East scene. Within the region, a number of border disputes, problems of resource allocation, and political...

Terrorism, the future, and U.S. foreign policy.
April 11, 2003... SUMMARY International terrorism has long been recognized as a foreign and domestic security threat. The tragic events of September 11 in New York, the Washington, D.C., area, and Pennsylvania have dramatically re-energized the nation's...

Iraq: U.S. military operations.
April 14, 2003... Summary Iraq's chemical, biological, and nuclear weapons programs, together with Iraqi long-range missile development and support for terrorism, are the primary justifications put forward for military action. On March 17, 2003 President...

Russia.
April 14, 2003... SUMMARY Vladimir Putin, catapulted into the Kremlin by Boris Yeltsin's resignation, was elected President on March 26, 2000 by a solid majority that embraced his military campaign in Chechnya. Parties backing Putin did well in the December...

War on drugs: legislation in the 108th congress and related developments.
April 14, 2003... SUMMARY Prohibiting the non-medical use of certain mind-altering substances has been a public policy goal of the federal government for more than a century. Drug abuse is a problem in the United States due to its economic cost,...

Cuba: Issues for the 108th Congress.
April 16, 2003... Summary Cuba remains a hard-line Communist state, with a poor record on human rights that has deteriorated significantly in 2003. Fidel Castro has ruled since he ousted the corrupt government of Fulgencio Batista from power in 1959. With...

Iraq: oil-for-food program, international sanctions, and illicit trade.
April 16, 2003... Summary The "oil-for-food" program has been the centerpiece of a long-standing U.N. Security Council effort to alleviate human suffering in Iraq while maintaining key elements of the Gulf war-related sanctions regime. In order to ensure...

Iraq: United Nations and humanitarian aid organizations.
April 16, 2003... Summary The war with Iraq, which began on March 19, 2003, has now moved into a new phase as a result of coalition forces controlling all of the major cites in Iraq and the demise of the Iraqi political and military leadership. Currently,...

Iraq: weapons programs, U.N. requirements, and U.S. policy.
April 16, 2003... SUMMARY After accusing Iraq of failing to comply with U.N. Security Council resolutions that require Iraq to rid itself of WMD, the Bush Administration began military action against Iraq on March 19, 2003. In the wake of the September 11...

NASA's Space Shuttle Columbia: quick facts and issues for Congress.
April 17, 2003... Summary On February 1, 2003, NASA's Space Shuttle Columbia broke apart while returning to Earth from a 16-day science mission in orbit. All seven astronauts--six Americans and one Israeli--were killed. An investigation is underway. This...

Cuba: U.S. restrictions on travel and legislative initiatives.
April 22, 2003... Summary Restrictions on travel to Cuba have been a key and often contentious component in U.S. efforts to isolate the communist government of Fidel Castro for much of the past 40 years. Over time, there have been numerous changes to the...

India-U.S. economic relations.
April 22, 2003... Summary India's economy has shown relatively healthy growth since 1991 when an economic crisis caused the government to implement various economic reforms. Yet, many analysts view India's economy as falling below its potential, especially...

Iraq war: background and issues overview.
April 22, 2003... Summary The Iraq war was launched on March 19, 2003, with a strike against a location where Iraqi President Saddam Hussein and top lieutenants were believed to be meeting. On March 17, President Bush had given Saddam an ultimatum to leave...

U.S. space programs: civilian, military, and commercial.
April 22, 2003... SUMMARY The 108th Congress is addressing a broad range of civilian, military, and commercial space issues. The National Aeronautics and Space administration (NASA) conducts the most visible space activities. NASA requested $15.0...

Iraq: U.S. regime change efforts and post-war governance.
April 23, 2003... Summary In his 2002 and 2003 State of the Union messages, President Bush characterized Iraq as a grave potential threat to the United States because of its refusal to abandon its weapons of mass destruction (WMD) programs as required by...

Lebanon.
April 23, 2003... SUMMARY The United States and Lebanon continue to enjoy good relations. At issue between the United States and Lebanon are progress toward a Lebanon-Israel peace treaty and U.S. aid to Lebanon. The United States supports Lebanon's...

Palestinians and Middle East peace: issues for the United States.
April 23, 2003... SUMMARY The United States began contacts with the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) in December 1988, after the PLO accepted Israel's right to exist, accepted U.N. Resolutions 242 and 338 that call for an exchange of land for peace,...

Sudan: humanitarian crisis, peace talks, terrorism, and U.S. policy.
April 23, 2003... SUMMARY Sudan, geographically the largest country in Africa, has been ravaged by civil war intermittently for 4 decades. An estimated 2 million people have died over the past decade due to war-related causes and famine, and millions have...

AIDS in Africa.
April 24, 2003... SUMMARY Sub-Saharan Africa has been far more severely affected by AIDS than any other part of the world. The United Nations reports that 29.4 million adults and children are infected with the HIV virus in the region, which has about 10% of...

HIV/AIDS international programs: appropriations, FY2002--FY2004.
April 24, 2003... Summary The Administration's FY2004 request for international HIV/AIDS spending would commit $450 million to a new Global AIDS Initiative to be administered by the Department of State. This is the principal FY2004 component of the...

Iran: current developments and U.S. policy.
April 25, 2003... SUMMARY During the late 1990s, signs of moderation in Iran had stimulated the United States to try to engage Iran in broad, official talks. Iran, still split between conservatives and reformers loyal to President Mohammad Khatemi, remains...

The U.S.-Central America Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA): challenges for sub-regional integration.
April 25, 2003... Summary On January 27, 2003, negotiations began on the U.S.-Central America Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA). Nine meetings are scheduled for 2003 between the United States and the five Central American Common Market countries: Guatemala;...

North Korea's nuclear weapons program.
April 28, 2003... SUMMARY North Korea's decisions to restart nuclear installations at Yongbyon that were shut down under the U.S.-North Korean Agreed Framework of 1994 and withdraw from the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty create an acute foreign policy...

Nuclear nonproliferation issues.
April 28, 2003... SUMMARY The United States has been a leader of worldwide efforts to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons. To this end, the international community and many individual states have agreed to a range of treaties, laws, and agreements, known...

Project BioShield.
April 28, 2003... Summary Many potential biological terrorism agents lack available countermeasures. President Bush proposed Project BioShield to encourage companies to develop new bioterror countermeasures. The main provisions of that proposal include: (1)...