Congressional Research Service (CRS) Reports and Issue Briefs articles from April 2004

Congressional Research Service (CRS) Reports and Issue Briefs archives from April 2004

Greece: threat of terrorism and security at the Olympics.
April 30, 2004... Summary The summer 2004 Olympic Games will take place in Athens, Greece, where their success is a point of national pride. The Greek government is planning unprecedented security measures to deal with possible terrorist threats. Attacks...

The Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA): origin, characteristics, and institutional authorities.
April 29, 2004... Summary Responsibility for overseeing reconstruction in post-conflict Iraq initially fell to the Office of Reconstruction and Humanitarian Assistance (ORHA). Established in early 2003, ORHA was headed by Lieutenant General Jay M. Garner,...

Immigration-related detention: current legislative issues.
April 28, 2004... Summary The attacks of September 11, 2001, have increased interest in the authority under statute to detain noncitizens (aliens) in the United States. Under the law there is broad authority to detain aliens while awaiting a determination...

AIDS in Africa.
April 26, 2004... Summary Sub-Saharan Africa has been more severely affected by AIDS than any other part of the world. The United Nations reports that 26.6 million adults and children are infected with the HIV virus in the region, which has about 10% of...

Disarming Libya: weapons of mass destruction.
April 22, 2004... Summary On December 19, 2003, Libya announced it would dismantle its weapons of mass destruction (WMD) and ballistic missile programs. Since then, U.S., British, and international officials have inspected and removed or destroyed key...

Terrorist identification, screening, and tracking under Homeland Security Presidential Directive 6.
April 21, 2004... Summary In Homeland Security Presidential Directive 6 (HSPD-6), the Administration announced plans to establish a Terrorist Screening Center (TSC), as a multi-agency effort to be administered by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI),...

World Bank post-conflict aid: oversight issues for Congress.
April 19, 2004... Summary The World Bank has taken an increasingly active role in providing post-conflict aid. This assistance provides both short-term humanitarian relief and long-term economic support for countries emerging from conflict. Although this...

Computer security: a summary of selected federal laws, executive orders, and presidential directives.
April 16, 2004... Summary This report provides a short summary of selected federal laws, executive orders, and presidential directives, currently in force, that govern computer security. The report focuses on the major roles and responsibilities assigned...

Foreign aid: an introductory overview of U.S. programs and policy.
April 15, 2004... Summary Foreign assistance is a fundamental component of the international affairs budget and is viewed by many as an essential instrument of U.S. foreign policy. Since the end of the Cold War, many have proposed significant changes in...

Globalizing cooperative threat reduction: a survey of options.
April 15, 2004... Summary Increasingly, Congress and the Administration are looking to utilize nonproliferation assistance programs, including cooperative threat reduction, to help reduce the risk of terrorist access to weapons of mass destruction (WMD)....

Gasoline price surge revisited: crude oil and refinery issues.
April 8, 2004... Summary Since late 2002, gasoline prices have been extremely volatile, with the national average spiking above $1.70 three times. Most recently, the nationwide pump price of regular fuel set a new record, exceeding $1.75 per gallon....

FBI intelligence reform since September 11, 2001: issues and options for Congress.
April 6, 2004... Summary The Intelligence Community, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), has been criticized for failing to warn of the attacks of September 11, 2001. In a sweeping indictment of the FBI's intelligence activities relating...

NATO and the European Union.
April 6, 2004... Summary Since the end of the Cold War, both NATO and the European Union (EU) have evolved along with Europe's changed strategic landscape. While NATO's collective defense guarantee remains at the core of the alliance, members have also...

Visa waiver program.
April 6, 2004... Summary Since the events of September 11, 2001, concerns have been raised about the ability of terrorists to enter the United States under the visa waiver program. The visa waiver program (VWP) allows nationals from certain countries to...

AGOA III: amendment to the African Growth and Opportunity Act.
April 5, 2004... Summary New legislation (H.R. 4103) known as the "AGOA Acceleration Act of 2004" was introduced in Congress on April 1, 2004, to amend the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) (P.L. 106-200, Title I). Similar legislation (H.R. 3572...

Illicit drugs and the terrorist threat: causal links and implications for domestic drug control policy.
April 5, 2004... Summary The international traffic in illicit drugs contributes to terrorist risk through at least five mechanisms: supplying cash, creating chaos and instability, supporting corruption, providing "cover" and sustaining common...