Congressional Research Service (CRS) Reports and Issue Briefs articles from January 2009

Congressional Research Service (CRS) Reports and Issue Briefs archives from January 2009

Afghanistan: post-war governance, security, and U.S. policy.(Congressional Research Service)
January 1, 2009... January 16, 2009 Summary U.S. and outside assessments of the effort to stabilize Afghanistan are increasingly negative, to the point where some senior U.S. officials say they are not sure the effort is "winning." These assessments...

Background to recent developments.(Afghanistan: Post-War Governance, Security, and U.S. Policy)
January 1, 2009... Prior to the founding of a monarchy in 1747 by Ahmad Shah Durrani, Afghanistan was territory inhabited by tribes and tribal confederations linked to neighboring nations, not a distinct entity. King Amanullah Khan (1919-1929) launched attacks on...

Post-war nation building.(Afghanistan: Post-War Governance, Security, and U.S. Policy)
January 1, 2009... With Afghanistan in devastation after more than 20 years of warfare, the fall of the Taliban paved the way for the success of a long-stalled U.N. effort to form a broad-based Afghan government and for a U.S.-led coalition to begin building...

Post-war security operations and force capacity building.(Afghanistan: Post-War Governance, Security, and U.S. Policy)
January 1, 2009... The top security priority of the United States has been to prevent the Taliban and its allies from challenging the Afghan government as that government builds capacity to defend itself. The security efforts are part of the "nation-building"...

Regional context.(Afghanistan: Post-War Governance, Security, and U.S. Policy)
January 1, 2009... Although most of Afghanistan's neighbors believe that the fall of the Taliban has stabilized the region, some experts believe that some neighboring governments are attempting to manipulate Afghanistan's factions to their advantage, even though...

U.S. and international aid to Afghanistan and development issues.(Afghanistan: Post-War Governance, Security, and U.S. Policy)
January 1, 2009... Many experts believe that financial assistance and accelerating reconstruction would do more to improve the security situation--and to eliminate narcotics trafficking--than intensified anti-Taliban combat. Afghanistan's economy and society are...

Residual issues from past conflicts.(Afghanistan: Post-War Governance, Security, and U.S. Policy)
January 1, 2009... A few issues remain unresolved from Afghanistan's many years of conflict, such as Stinger retrieval and mine eradication. Stinger Retrieval Beginning in late 1985 following internal debate, the Reagan Administration provided about...

Closing the Guantanamo detention center: legal issues.(Congressional Research Service)
January 1, 2009... January 22, 2009 Summary Following the terrorist attacks of 9/11, Congress passed the Authorization to Use Military Force (AUMF), which granted the President the authority "to use all necessary and appropriate force against those......

Amendments to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act set to expire in 2009.(Congressional Research Service)
January 1, 2009... January 6, 2009 SUMMARY Several recent amendments to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) will sunset on December 31, 2009. Section 6001(a) of the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Protection Act (IRTPA), also known as...

Congress as a consumer of intelligence information.(Congressional Research Service)
January 1, 2009... January 15, 2009 SUMMARY This report examines the role of Congress as a consumer of national intelligence and examines several issues that Congress might address in the 111th Congress. The President, by virtue of his role as...

U.S. military Stop Loss program.(Congressional Research Service)
January 1, 2009... January 8, 2009 SUMMARY Stop Loss is a frequently misunderstood DOD force management program that retains servicemembers beyond their contractually agreed-to separation date. Because of the involuntary nature of this extension, some...

Iraq: politics, elections, and benchmarks.(Congressional Research Service)
January 1, 2009... January 2, 2009 SUMMARY Iraq's political system, the result of a U.S.-supported election process, continues to be riven by sectarianism and ethnic and factional infighting. As 2009 begins, there is renewed maneuvering by opponents of...

Iraq: post-Saddam governance and security.(Congressional Research Service)
January 1, 2009... January 14, 2009 SUMMARY As it leaves office, the Bush Administration claims it is handing off to President-elect Obama a security environment in Iraq that is vastly improved over that which prevailed during 2005-2007. It attributes...

Policy in the 1990s emphasized containment.(Iraq: Post-Saddam Governance and Security)
January 1, 2009... Prior to the January 16, 1991, launch of Operation Desert Storm to reverse Iraq's August 1990 invasion of Kuwait, President George H.W. Bush called on the Iraqi people to overthrow Saddam. That Administration decided not to try to do so...

Post-September 11, 2001: regime change and war.(Iraq: Post-Saddam Governance and Security)
January 1, 2009... Several senior Bush Administration officials had long been advocates of a regime change policy toward Iraq, but the difficulty of that strategy led the Bush Administration initially to continue its predecessor's containment policy. (11) Some...

Post-Saddam transition and governance.(Iraq: Post-Saddam Governance and Security)
January 1, 2009... According to statements by the Bush Administration, U.S. goals are for a unified, democratic, and federal Iraq that can sustain, govern, and defend itself and is an ally in the global war on terrorism. The following sections discuss Iraq's...

Security challenges and responses.(Iraq: Post-Saddam Governance and Security)
January 1, 2009... Since the fall of Saddam Hussein, the United States has employed a multi-faceted approach to securing Iraq. In late 2006, the effort was determined by the Administration to be faltering as violence and U.S. casualties escalated. In announcing a...

Iraq study group report, legislative proposals, and options for the Obama Administration.(Iraq: Post-Saddam Governance and Security)
January 1, 2009... In formulating the "troop surge" strategy announced on January 10, 2007, President Bush said he weighed the December 6, 2006, report of the Iraq Study Group, as well as input from several other reviews, including one directed by the Joint...

Iran's activities and influence in Iraq.(Congressional Research Service)
January 1, 2009... January 7, 2009 Summary With a conventional military and weapons of mass destruction (WMD) threat from Saddam Hussein's regime removed, Iran seeks to ensure that Iraq can never again become a threat to Iran, either with or without...

U.S. immigration policy on temporary admissions.(Congressional Research Service)
January 1, 2009... January 15, 2009 Summary U.S. law provides for the temporary admission of various categories of foreign nationals, who are known as nonimmigrants. Nonimmigrants are admitted for a designated period of time and a specific purpose. They...

Economic slowdown: issues and policies.(Congressional Research Service)
January 1, 2009... January 2, 2009 Summary Recent policies have sought to contain damages spilling over from housing and financial markets to the broader economy, including monetary policy, the responsibility of the Federal Reserve, and fiscal policy....

Economic stimulus: issues and policies.(Congressional Research Service)
January 1, 2009... January 23, 2009 Summary Recent policies have sought to contain damages spilling over from housing and financial markets to the broader economy, including monetary policy, which is the responsibility of the Federal Reserve, and fiscal...

Proposed funding for education in the America Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.(Congressional Research Service)
January 1, 2009... January 22, 2009 Summary On January 15, 2009, the House Committee on Appropriations released a draft version of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA). The primary purposes of the act focus on promoting economic...

An overview of the presidential pardoning power.(Congressional Research Service)
January 1, 2009... January 7, 2009 Summary The Constitution of the United States of America imbues the President with broad authority to grant pardons and reprieves for offenses against the United States. This report provides an overview of the scope of...

Chile: political and economic conditions and U.S. relations.(Congressional Research Service)
January 1, 2009... January 12, 2009 Summary Following a violent coup against democratically elected Marxist President Salvador Allende in 1973, Chile experienced 17 years of military rule under General Augusto Pinochet before reestablishing its elected...

States and proposed economic recovery plans.(Congressional Research Service)
January 1, 2009... January 5, 2009 Summary On November 15, 2008, President-elect Barack Obama announced during his weekly radio address that the nation was facing "... the greatest economic challenge of our time" and that he would work with Congress to...

War in Afghanistan: strategy, military operations, and issues for Congress.(Congressional Research Service)
January 1, 2009... January 23, 2009 Summary As the 111th Congress convenes and the Obama Administration assumes office, the war in Afghanistan has entered its eighth year. With a deteriorating security situation and no comprehensive political outcome...

Overview.(War in Afghanistan: Strategy, Military Operations, and Issues for Congress)
January 1, 2009... As the 111th Congress convenes and the Obama Administration assumes office, the war in Afghanistan has entered its eighth year. Unlike the war in Iraq, which, many argue, has entered its endstate, the war in Afghanistan--where the security...

Background: context and early history of the war.(War in Afghanistan: Strategy, Military Operations, and Issues for Congress)
January 1, 2009... Current efforts to support security, governance and development in Afghanistan take place in the aftermath of thirty grueling years of conflict and unrest, followed by OEF military operations that removed the Taliban regime and the rapid...

Counterinsurgency war in Afghanistan to date.(War in Afghanistan: Strategy, Military Operations, and Issues for Congress)
January 1, 2009... Both the security climate--including the composition, strategy, and tactics of the insurgency--and the structure and focus of international efforts designed to support the Afghan government have changed substantially since the end of the major...

Future options for the war in Afghanistan.(War in Afghanistan: Strategy, Military Operations, and Issues for Congress)
January 1, 2009... This section outlines and assesses a number of key strategic and operational options for Afghanistan that the U.S. Government, including the U.S. Congress in its oversight capacities, may choose to consider. Integrating the Overall...

Additional reports.(War in Afghanistan: Strategy, Military Operations, and Issues for Congress)
January 1, 2009... CRS Report RL33110, The Cost of Iraq, Afghanistan, and Other Global War on Terror Operations Since 9111, by Amy Belasco. CRS Report RL32686, Afghanistan: Narcotics and U.S. Policy, by Christopher M. Blanchard. CRS Report RL33627, NATO...

Homeland security intelligence: perceptions, statutory definitions, and approaches.(Congressional Research Service)
January 1, 2009... January 14, 2009 Summary Since the 9/11 terrorist attacks, Congress has focused considerable attention on how intelligence is collected, analyzed, and disseminated in order to protect the homeland against terrorist threats. Prior to...

Israel and Hamas: conflict in Gaza (2008-2009).(Congressional Research Service)
January 1, 2009... January 15, 2009 Summary On December 27, 2008, Israel launched a major military campaign dubbed "Operation Cast Lead" against the Palestinian Islamist militant group Hamas in the Gaza Strip in order to counter Palestinian rocket fire...

The UNESCO World Heritage Convention: congressional issue.(Congressional Research Service)
January 1, 2009... January 7, 2009 Summary The United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Convention Concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage (the World Heritage Convention) identifies and...

The President's State of the Union address: tradition, function, and policy implications.(Congressional Research Service)
January 1, 2009... January 12, 2009 Summary The State of the Union (SOTU) address is a communication between the President and Congress in which the chief executive reports on the current conditions of the United States and provides policy proposals for...

Biofuels incentives: a summary of federal programs.(Congressional Research Service)
January 1, 2009... January 5, 2009 Summary With recent high energy prices, the passage of major energy legislation in 2005 (PL. 109-58) and 2007 (P.L. 110-140), and the passage of a new Farm Bill in 2008 (PL. 110-246) there is ongoing congressional...

Afghanistan: government formation and performance.(Congressional Research Service)
January 1, 2009... Summary The central government's limited writ and perceived corruption are helping sustain a Taliban insurgency and feeding pessimism about the Afghanistan stabilization effort. However, ethnic disputes remain confined largely to political...

Taiwan-U.S. relations: recent developments and their policy implications.(Congressional Research Service)
January 1, 2009... January 7, 2009 Summary U.S.-Taiwan relations have undergone important changes, sparked in part by the increasing complexity of Taiwan's democratic political environment and the continued insistence of Beijing that the separately...

Africa Command: U.S. strategic interests and the role of the U.S. military in Africa.(Congressional Research Service)
January 1, 2009... January 5, 2009 Summary On February 6, 2007, the Bush Administration announced its intention to create a new unified combatant command, U.S. Africa Command or AFRICOM, to promote U.S. national security objectives in Africa and its...

U.S. strategic nuclear forces: background, developments, and issues.(Congressional Research Service)
January 1, 2009... January 6, 2009 Summary During the Cold War, the U.S. nuclear arsenal contained many types of delivery vehicles for nuclear weapons. The longer range systems, which included long-range missiles based on U.S. territory, long-range...

Intelligence issues for Congress.(Congressional Research Service)
January 1, 2009... Summary To address the challenges facing the U.S. Intelligence Community in the 21st century, congressional and executive branch initiatives have sought to improve coordination among the different agencies and to encourage better analysis....

China and proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and missiles: policy issues.(Congressional Research Service)
January 1, 2009... January 7, 2009 Summary Congress has long been concerned about whether U.S. policy advances the national interest in reducing the role of the People's Republic of China (PRC) in the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction (WMD)...

Purpose and scope.(China and Proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction and Missiles: Policy Issues)
January 1, 2009... Congress has long been concerned about whether U.S. policy advances U.S. security interests in reducing the role of the People's Republic of China (PRC) in the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction (WMD) and missiles as well as obtaining...

PRC proliferation challenges.(China and Proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction and Missiles: Policy Issues)
January 1, 2009... Partial Nonproliferation Commitments Since 1991, Beijing has taken steps to address U.S. and other countries' concerns by increasing its partial participation in international nonproliferation regimes and issuing export control...

Policy issues and options.(China and Proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction and Missiles: Policy Issues)
January 1, 2009... Issues for Policy Weapons proliferation by the PRC and/or its organizations raises policy issues concerning: (1) assessments of the nature and seriousness of the PRC government's role in the proliferation threat; (2) the priority of this...

The role of public works infrastructure in economic stimulus.(Congressional Research Service)
January 1, 2009... January 6, 2009 Summary Interest in using federal government spending to stimulate U.S. economic recovery has intensified recently in response to indicators showing significant deterioration of the economy. Policymakers at all levels...

Iran U.S. concerns and policy responses.(Congressional Research Service)
January 1, 2009... January 28, 2009 Summary The Bush Administration characterized Iran as a "profound threat to U.S. national security interests," a perception generated primarily by Iran's nuclear program and its military assistance to armed groups in...

Political history.(Iran U.S. Concerns and Policy Responses)
January 1, 2009... The United States was an ally of the late Shah of Iran, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi ("the Shah"), who ruled from 1941 until his ouster in February 1979. The Shah assumed the throne when Britain and Russia forced his father, Reza Shah Pahlavi (Reza...

Regime structure, stability, and elections.(Iran U.S. Concerns and Policy Responses)
January 1, 2009... About a decade after founding the Islamic republic, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini died on June 3, 1989. The regime he established, consisting of some elected and some appointed positions, has appeared relatively stable, but faces chronic but...

Human rights and dissent.(Iran U.S. Concerns and Policy Responses)
January 1, 2009... The regime appears to have a relatively firm grip on power, in part because it vigorously suppresses dissent. However, Iranian opinion is hard to gauge and even seemingly low level unrest has the potential to spiral into a potential threat to...

Iran's strategic capabilities and weapons of mass destruction programs.(Iran U.S. Concerns and Policy Responses)
January 1, 2009... The Bush Administration's "National Security Strategy" document released March 16, 2006 said the United States "may face no greater challenge from a single country than from Iran." The perception, which many in the Obama Administration are...

Foreign policy and support for terrorist groups.(Iran U.S. Concerns and Policy Responses)
January 1, 2009... Iran's foreign policy is a product of the ideology of Iran's Islamic revolution, blended with longstanding national interests, and is intended largely to overturn the "status quo" in the Middle East that Iran believes favors the United States,...

U.S. policy responses, options, and legislation.(Iran U.S. Concerns and Policy Responses)
January 1, 2009... The February 11, 1979 fall of the Shah of Iran, a key U.S. ally, opened the long and deep rift in U.S.-Iranian relations. On November 4, 1979, radical "students" seized the U.S. Embassy in Tehran and held its diplomats hostage until minutes...

Conclusion.(Iran U.S. Concerns and Policy Responses)
January 1, 2009... Mistrust between the United States and Iran's Islamic regime has run deep for over two decades and many argue that it is unlikely to be quickly overcome, even if the Obama Administration initiates comprehensive direct talks with Iran. Many...

The Special Inspector General (SIG) for the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP).(Congressional Research Service)
January 1, 2009... January 14, 2009 Summary This report discusses the Special Inspector General provisions in the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008 (EESA), H.R. 1424, which was enacted as P.L. 110-343 on October 3, 2008. This act created a...

Comprehensive nuclear-test-ban treaty: background and current development.(Congressional Research Service)
January 1, 2009... January 28, 2009 Summary A comprehensive nuclear-test-ban treaty (CTBT) is the oldest item on the nuclear arms control agenda. Three treaties currently bar all but underground tests with a maximum force equal to 150,000 tons of TNT....

Merida Initiative for Mexico and Central America: funding and policy issues.(Congressional Research Service)
January 1, 2009... January 13, 2009 Summary Increasing violence perpetrated by drug trafficking organizations, gangs, and other criminal groups is threatening citizen security in Mexico and Central America. Drug-related violence claimed more than 5,300...

A federal chief technology officer in the Obama Administration: options and issues for consideration.(Congressional Research Service)
January 1, 2009... January 21, 2009 Summary President Barack Obama has expressed his intention to establish a federal chief technology officer (CTO). In campaign and presidential transition documents, the President identified several specific areas of...

Causes of the financial crisis.(Congressional Research Service)
January 1, 2009... January 29, 2009 Summary The current financial crisis began in August 2007, when financial stability replaced inflation as the Federal Reserve's chief concern. The roots of the crisis go back much further, and there are various views...

Alternative fuels and advanced technology vehicles: issues in Congress.(Congressional Research Service)
January 1, 2009... January 27, 2009 Summary Alternative fuels and advanced technology vehicles are seen by proponents as integral to improving urban air quality, decreasing dependence on foreign oil, and reducing emissions of greenhouse gases. However,...

Infrastructure programs: what's different about broadband?
January 1, 2009... January 22, 2009 Summary Broadband network deployment projects represent large scale, long term investments that affect the overall productivity of economic activity in the geographic areas in which they are built, and thus fit the...

Issues in green building and the federal response: an introduction.(Congressional Research Service)
January 1, 2009... January 16, 2009 Summary The construction, characteristics, operation, and demolition of buildings are increasingly recognized as a major source of environmental impact. Without significant transformation of building construction and...

"Fast track" procedures to disapprove additional funds under the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act.(Congressional Research Service)
January 1, 2009... Summary The Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008 (EESA, Division A of H.R. 1424, P.L. 110-343) empowers the Secretary of the Treasury to act to stabilize the economy. Should the Secretary wish to have more than $350 billion...

International population assistance and family planning programs: issues for Congress.(Congressional Research Service)
January 1, 2009... January 26, 2009 Summary Since 1965, the U.S. government has supported international population planning based on principles of volunteerism and informed choice that gives participants access to information on all methods of birth...

Iraq: U.S. casualties.(Congressional Research Service)
January 1, 2009... January 29, 2009 The following casualty data was compiled by the Department of Defense (DOD), as tallied from the agency's press releases. Table 1 provides statistics on fatalities during Operation Iraqi Freedom, which began on March 19,...

Financial market intervention.(Congressional Research Service)
January 1, 2009... January 29, 2009 Summary Financial markets continue to experience significant disturbance and the banking sector remains fragile. Efforts to restore confidence have been met with mixed success thus far. This report provides answers to...

States and proposed economic recovery plans.(Congressional Research Service)
January 1, 2009... January 16, 2009 Summary On November 15, 2008, President-elect Barack Obama announced during his weekly radio address that the nation was facing "... the greatest economic challenge of our time" and that he would work with Congress to...

The impact of food insecurity and hunger on global health: issues for Congress.(Congressional Research Service)
January 1, 2009... January 12, 2009 Summary The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) reports that world food prices spiked dramatically in the first half of 2008 and declined somewhat in the latter part of the year. From June 2007 to...

Using business tax cuts to stimulate the economy.(Congressional Research Service)
January 1, 2009... January 29, 2009 Summary Business tax cuts are proposed as part of the economic stimulus included in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (H.R. 1 and S. 1). Major generally applicable provisions include an extension of...

Campaign finance: potential legislative and policy issues for the 111th Congress.(Congressional Research Service)
January 1, 2009... January 29, 2009 Summary Drawing from recent legislative and campaign activities, this report discusses selected campaign finance policy issues that may receive attention during the 111th Congress. Questions about the health of the...

Federal budget process reform in the 111th Congress: a brief overview.(Congressional Research Service)
January 1, 2009... January 16, 2009 Summary Procedural change is a recurrent feature of federal budgeting, although the scope and impact of changes may vary from year to year. In order to advance their budgetary, economic, or political objectives, both...

Colombia: issues for Congress.(Congressional Research Service)
January 1, 2009... January 12, 2009 Summary In the last decade, Colombia--a key U.S. ally in South America--has made significant progress in reasserting government control over much of its territory, combating drug trafficking and terrorist activities by...

U.S. trade policy and the Caribbean: from trade preferences to free trade agreements.(Congressional Research Service)
January 1, 2009... January 21, 2009 Summary For over 40 years, the United States has relied on unilateral trade preferences to promote export-led development in poor countries. Congressionally authorized trade preferences give market access to selected...

Free trade agreement: impact on U.S. trade and implications for U.S. trade policy.(Congressional Research Service)
January 1, 2009... January 13, 2009 Summary Free trade areas (FTAs) are arrangements among two or more countries under which they agree to eliminate tariffs and nontariff barriers on trade in goods among themselves. However, each country maintains its...

Federal statutes: what they are and where to find them.(Congressional Research Service)
January 1, 2009... January 30, 2009 Summary This report provides a brief overview of federal statutes and where to find them, both in print and on the Internet. When Congress passes a law, it may amend or repeal earlier enactments or it may write on a...

U.S. global climate change policy: evolving views on cost, competitiveness, and comprehensiveness.(Congressional Research Service)
January 1, 2009... January 29, 2009 Summary U.S. policy toward global climate change evolved from a "study only" to a more "study and action" orientation in 1992 with ratification of the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). The...

Lebanon: background and U.S. relations.(Congressional Research Service)
January 1, 2009... January 21, 2009 Summary Lebanon is a religiously diverse, democratic state transitioning toward independence after a ruinous civil war and the Syrian and Israeli occupations that followed. The United States and Lebanon have...

Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia: security issues and implications for U.S. interest.(Congressional Research Service)
January 1, 2009... January 14, 2009 Summary The South Caucasus region has been the most unstable in the former Soviet Union in terms of the number, intensity, and length of ethnic and civil conflicts. Other emerging or full-blown security problems...

Introduction.(Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia: Security Issues and Implications for U.S. Interest)
January 1, 2009... The countries of Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia are generally considered as comprising the South Caucasus region, which borders Russia, Turkey, and Iran. (1) This isthmus between the Black and Caspian Seas is an age-old north-south and...

Overview of U.S. policy.(Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia: Security Issues and Implications for U.S. Interest)
January 1, 2009... U.S. security ties with the South Caucasus states increased in the latter part of the 1990s, as a result of Russia's military activities in Georgia, Russia's first conflict in its breakaway Chechnya region, and an emerging U.S. focus on the...

External security context.(Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia: Security Issues and Implications for U.S. Interest)
January 1, 2009... Major outside players involved in the South Caucasus include the three powers bordering the South Caucasus region (Russia, Turkey, and Iran), the United States, and the European Union (EU). The outside players have both complementary and...

Internal security problems and progress.(Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia: Security Issues and Implications for U.S. Interest)
January 1, 2009... The South Caucasus region has been the most unstable in the former Soviet Union in terms of the number, intensity, and length of its ethnic and civil conflicts. Other internal security problems include crime, corruption, terrorism,...

U.S. policy and issues.(Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia: Security Issues and Implications for U.S. Interest)
January 1, 2009... In congressional testimony in March 2008, Gen. Brantz Craddock, the Commander of the U.S. European Command, stated that "the Caucasus' geostrategic location makes the region an important area for the United States and its Allies. Caucasus...