Congressional Research Service (CRS) Reports and Issue Briefs articles from February 2002

Congressional Research Service (CRS) Reports and Issue Briefs archives from February 2002

Iraq: compliance, sanctions, and U.S. policy.
February 27, 2002... SUMMARY In recent years, the United States has been unable to maintain an international consensus for strict enforcement of all applicable U.N. Security Council resolutions on Iraq, but it has largely succeeded in preventing Iraq from...

Terrorism, the future, and U.S. foreign policy.
February 25, 2002... 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...

Human cloning.
February 25, 2002... Summary On November 25, 2001, a Massachusetts company, Advanced Cell Technology (ACT), announced that it had created the world's first cloned human embryos. The cloned embryos survived only for a few hours. ACT has indicated that it...

Intelligence to counter terrorism: issues for Congress.
February 21, 2002... Summary For well over a decade international terrorism has been a major concern of the U.S. Intelligence Community. Collection assets of all kinds have long been focused on Al Qaeda and other terrorist groups. Intensive analytical...

Intelligence issues for Congress.
February 20, 2002... SUMMARY The U.S. Intelligence Community continues to adjust to the post-Cold War environment. Congressional and executive branch initiatives have emphasized enhancing cooperation among the different agencies that comprise the Community...

Iraq-U.S. confrontation.
February 20, 2002... SUMMARY Efforts by Iraq to impede U.N. weapons inspections since late 1997 and to challenge the allied-imposed no-fly zones over northern and southern Iraq have resulted in further confrontations with the United States and its allies. In...

Africa: U.S. foreign assistance issues.
February 19, 2002... SUMMARY The Bush Administration is requesting just over $1 billion in Development Assistance (DA) for sub-Saharan Africa in FY2003, as compared with an estimated $887 million going to the region in FY2002. The request for aid through the...

Trade promotion authority (fast-track authority for trade agreements): background and developments in the 107th Congress.
February 15, 2002... SUMMARY One of the major trade issues in the 107th Congress is whether or not Congress approves trade promotion authority (formerly called fast-track authority) for the President to negotiate trade agreements with expedited procedures...

Campaign financing.
February 14, 2002... SUMMARY Concerns over financing federal elections have become a seemingly perennial aspect of our political system, centered on the enduring issues of high campaign costs and reliance on interest groups for needed campaign funds. ...

Pakistan-U.S. relations.
February 12, 2002... SUMMARY The major areas of U.S. concern in Pakistan include: nuclear nonproliferation; counterterrorism; regional stability; democratization and human rights; and economic reform and development. An ongoing Pakistan-India nuclear arms...

Nuclear weapons in Russia: safety, security, and control issues.
February 7, 2002... SUMMARY When the Soviet Union collapsed in late 1991, it reportedly possessed more than 27,000 nuclear weapons, and these weapons were deployed on the territories of several of the former Soviet republics. All of the nuclear warheads...

Status of trade legislation in the 107th Congress.
February 6, 2002... Summary Congressional leaders and the Bush Administration have placed broad and often controversial international trade issues high on the legislative agenda during the 107th Congress. A free trade agreement with Jordan and a bilateral...

State and local preparedness for terrorism: policy issues and options.
February 5, 2002... Summary The terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 have prompted Members of the 107th Congress to consider enhancing state and local response capabilities to better prepare for terrorist attacks, particularly attacks involving weapons...

India-U.S. relations.
February 5, 2002... SUMMARY Although the end of the Cold War freed U.S.-India relations from the constraints of a bipolar world, bilateral relations continued for a decade to be affected by the burden of history, most notably the longstanding India-Pakistan...

The Enron collapse: an overview of financial issues.
February 4, 2002... Summary Only months before Enron Corp.'s bankruptcy filing in December 2001, the firm was widely regarded as one of the most innovative, fastest growing, and best managed businesses in the United States. With the swift collapse,...

Critical infrastructures: background, policy, and implementation.
February 4, 2002... Summary The nation's health, wealth, and security rely on the production and distribution of certain goods and services. The array of physical assets, processes and organizations across which these goods and services move are called...

Cuba: issues for Congress.
February 1, 2002... Summary Cuba remains a hard-line Communist state, with a poor record on human rights. Fidel Castro has ruled since he led the Cuban Revolution, ousting the corrupt government of Fulgencio Batista from power in 1959. With the cutoff of...

Russia.
February 1, 2002... SUMMARY Vladimir Putin, who was catapulted into the Kremlin following 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...