Congressional Research Service (CRS) Reports and Issue Briefs articles from July 2007

Congressional Research Service (CRS) Reports and Issue Briefs archives from July 2007

Iraq: government formation and benchmarks.(Table)(Report)
July 1, 2007... Summary Elections in 2005 produced a permanent constitution and a broad-based but Shiite-led government that has been unwilling or unable to take major steps to reduce Sunni popular resentment. That assessment generally comports with...

Iraq: post-Saddam governance and security.
July 1, 2007... Summary Operation Iraqi Freedom overthrew Saddam Hussein's regime, but much of Iraq remains violent because of Sunni Arab resentment and a related insurgency, compounded by Sunni-Shiite violence that a January 2007 national intelligence...

Policy in the 1990s emphasized containment.(Iraq: Post-Saddam Governance and Security)(Report)
July 1, 2007... 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)(Report)
July 1, 2007... 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 emphasis on containment. (12)...

Post-Saddam transition and governance.(Iraq: Post-Saddam Governance and Security)(Report)
July 1, 2007... According to recent statements by President Bush, U.S. goals are for an Iraq that can sustain, govern, and defend itself and is a partner in the global war on terrorism. Administration officials have, for the most part, dropped an earlier...

Security challenges, responses, and options.(Iraq: Post-Saddam Governance and Security)(Table)(Report)
July 1, 2007... Since the fall of Saddam Hussein, the United States has employed a multifaceted approach to stabilizing Iraq. However, the January 2007 National Intelligence Estimate (unclassified key judgments) said: "... in the coming 12 to 18 months, we...

President's January 10 initiative, Iraq Study Group report, legislation, and other options.(Iraq: Post-Saddam Governance and Security)(George W. Bush)(Table)
July 1, 2007... In formulating the new 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 outgoing Chairman of the...

Al Qaeda: statements and evolving ideology.(Report)
July 1, 2007... Updated July 9, 2007 Summary Al Qaeda leaders and affiliates have conducted sophisticated public relations and media campaigns since the mid-1990s. Terrorism analysts believe that these campaigns have been designed to elicit...

Iran's influence in Iraq.(Report)
July 1, 2007... Summary Iran is actively assisting the major Shiite Muslim political factions in Iraq, most of which have long-standing ideological, political, and religious sectarian ties to Tehran. A key U.S. concern is that Iran is purportedly arming...

Fishery, aquaculture, and marine mammal legislation in the 110th Congress.(Report)(Table)
July 1, 2007... Updated July 13, 2007 Summary Fish and marine mammals are important resources in open ocean and nearshore coastal areas; many federal laws and regulations guide their management. Bills to reauthorize and amend major legislation--the...

Free trade agreements: impact on U.S. trade and implications for U.S. trade policy.(Table)(Report)
July 1, 2007... Updated July 10, 2007 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...

Peru Trade Promotion Agreement: labor issues.(Report)
July 1, 2007... Updated July 5, 2007 Summary On April 12, 2006, the United States and Peru signed the proposed U.S.-Peru Trade Promotion Agreement (PTPA). On June 25, 2007, the Administration released a revised text with new labor, environment, and...

The proposed U.S.-Panama free trade agreement.(Table)
July 1, 2007... Update July 3, 2007 Summary On June 28, 2007, the United States and Panama signed a free trade agreement (FTA) after two and half years and ten rounds of negotiations. Negotiations were formally concluded on December 16, 2006, with an...

Trade Promotion Authority (TPA): issues, options, and prospects for renewal.(Report)
July 1, 2007... Update July 12, 2007 Summary On July 1, 2007, Trade Promotion Authority (TPA--formerly known as fast track), expired. TPA is the authority Congress grants to the President to enter into certain free trade agreements (FTAs), and to...

Energy: selected facts and numbers.(Table)(Report)
July 1, 2007... Updated July 24, 2007 Summary Energy supplies and prices are major economic factors in the United States, and energy markets are volatile and unpredictable. Thus, energy policy has been a recurring issue for Congress since the first...

Trade promotion authority and fast-track negotiating authority for trade agreements: major votes.(Table)(Report)
July 1, 2007... Summary This report profiles significant legislation from 1974 to the present that authorizes the use of presidential Trade Promotion Authority (TPA), previously known as fast-track trade negotiating authority. It identifies significant...

Iran: U.S. concerns and policy responses.
July 1, 2007... Updated July 17, 2007 Summary According to the Administration's "National Security Strategy" document released on March 16, 2006, the United States "may face no greater challenge from a single country than Iran." That perception...

Political history.(Iran: U.S. Concerns and Policy Responses)(Shah of Iran Mohammad Reza Pahlavi)
July 1, 2007... 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 stability, human rights, and recent elections.(Iran: U.S. Concerns and Policy Responses)(Report)(Table)
July 1, 2007... About a decade after founding the Islamic republic, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini died on June 3, 1989. The regime he established appears relatively stable, despite internal schisms, occasional unrest in areas inhabited by minorities, and...

Iran's strategic capabilities and weapons of mass destruction programs.(Iran: U.S. Concerns and Policy Responses)(Table)(Report)
July 1, 2007... The Administration's "National Security Strategy" document released March 16, 2006--which continues to represent a prevailing Administration view--says the United States "may face no greater challenge from a single country than from Iran," an...

Foreign policy and support for terrorist groups.(Iran: U.S. Concerns and Policy Responses)
July 1, 2007... Iran's foreign policy is a product of the ideology of Iran's Islamic revolution, blended with long-standing national interests. The State Department report on international terrorism for 2006, released April 30, 2007, again stated (as it has...

U.S. policy responses, options, and legislation.(Iran: U.S. Concerns and Policy Responses)
July 1, 2007... The February 11, 1979 fall of the Shah of Iran, a key U.S. ally, opened a long 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 after...

Conclusion.(Iran: U.S. Concerns and Policy Responses)(Table)
July 1, 2007... Mistrust between the United States and Iran's Islamic regime has run deep for over two decades, even before the emergence of a dispute over Iran's nuclear program. Many experts say that all factions in Iran are united on major national security...

The cost of Iraq, Afghanistan, and other Global War on terror operations since 9/11.(2001 World Trade Center attack)(Table)(Report)
July 1, 2007... Updated July 16, 2007 Summary With enactment of the FY2007 supplemental on May 25, 2007, Congress has approved a total of about $610 billion for military operations, base security, reconstruction, foreign aid, embassy costs, and...

Presidential claims of executive privilege: history, law, practice and recent developments.
July 1, 2007... Updated July 5, 2007 Summary Presidential claims of a right to preserve the confidentiality of information and documents in the face of legislative demands have figured prominently, though intermittently, in executive-congressional...

Taiwan: major U.S. arms sales since 1990.(Table)(Report)
July 1, 2007... Updated July 12, 2007 Summary This report, updated as warranted, discusses U.S. security assistance to Taiwan, or Republic of China (ROC), including policy issues for Congress and legislation. The Taiwan Relations Act (TRA), P.L....

Major U.S. arms sales as notified to Congress.(Taiwan: Major U.S. Arms Sales Since 1990)(Table)
July 1, 2007... Updated July 12, 2007 Major U.S. Arms Sales as Notified to Congress The following table provides information on U.S. sales (not deliveries) of major defense articles and services to Taiwan, as approved by the President, proposed in...

Iraq: U.S. military operations.(Report)
July 1, 2007... Updated July 15, 2007 Summary Iraq's chemical, biological, and nuclear weapons programs, together with Iraqi long-range missile development and support for Al Qaeda terrorism, were the primary justifications put forward for military...

U.S. foreign assistance to the Middle East: historical background, recent trends, and the FY2008 request.(Table)(Report)
July 1, 2007... Updated July 3, 2007 Summary This report is an overview of U.S. foreign assistance to the Middle East from FY2003 to FY2007, and of the FY2008 budget request. It includes a brief history of aid to the region, a review of foreign aid...

U.S.-Japan economic relations: significance, prospects, and policy options.(Report)(Table)
July 1, 2007... Updated July 9, 2007 Summary Japan and the United States are the two largest economic powers. Together they account for over 40% of world domestic product, for a significant portion of international trade in goods and services, and...

Japan's currency intervention: policy issues.(Report)
July 1, 2007... Updated July 13, 2007 Summary Japan's intervention to slow the upward appreciation of the yen has raised concerns in the United States and brought charges that Tokyo is manipulating its exchange rate in order to gain unfair advantage...

Lebanon.(Table)(Report)
July 1, 2007... Updated July 11, 2007 Summary The United States and Lebanon continue to enjoy good relations. Prominent current issues between the United States and Lebanon include progress toward a Lebanon-Israel peace treaty, U.S. aid to Lebanon,...

China-U.S. trade issues.(Table)
July 1, 2007... Updated July 11, 2007 Summary U.S.-China economic ties have expanded substantially over the past several years. Total U.S.-China trade, which totaled only $5 billion in 1980, rose to $343 billion in 2006. China is also now the 2nd...

Nuclear weapons: comprehensive test ban treaty.(Report)
July 1, 2007... Updated July 12, 2007 Summary A comprehensive test ban treaty, or CTBT, is the oldest item on the nuclear arms control agenda. Three treaties currently limit testing to underground only, with a maximum force equal to 150,000 tons of...

North Korea's nuclear weapons development and diplomacy.(Report)
July 1, 2007... Updated July 2, 2007 Summary The six parties to the North Korean nuclear negotiations concluded an agreement on February 13, 2007, that specifies two Phases of implementation. The phases provided for a freeze of North Korean nuclear...

NATO in Afghanistan: a test of the transatlantic alliance.(North Atlantic Treaty Organization)
July 1, 2007... Updated July 16, 2007 Summary The mission of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) in Afghanistan is seen as a test of the alliance's political will and military capabilities. The allies are seeking to create a "new" NATO,...

Critical infrastructure: the National Asset Database.(Report)
July 1, 2007... Updated July 16,2007 Summary The Office of Infrastructure Protection (OIP) in the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has been developing and maintaining a National Asset Database. The Database contains information on over 77,000...

Congressional authority to limit U.S. military operations in Iraq.(Report)
July 1, 2007... Updated July 11, 2007 Summary On October 16, 2002, President Bush signed the Authorization for Use of Military Force Against Iraq Resolution of 2002. Since the March 2003 invasion of Iraq, Congress has enacted appropriation bills to...

FY2007 supplemental appropriations for defense, foreign affairs, and other purposes.(fiscal year)(Report)
July 1, 2007... Updated July 2, 2007 Summary On Thursday, May 24, the House and Senate approved a compromise on H.R. 2206, a bill providing $120 billion in supplemental appropriations for FY2007. The President signed the bill into law, P.L. 110-28, on...

Most recent developments.(FY2007 Supplemental Appropriations for Defense, Foreign Affairs, and Other Purposes)(Report)
July 1, 2007... Updated July 2, 2007 On Thursday, May 24, the House and Senate approved a compromise on H.R. 2206, a bill providing $120 billion in supplemental appropriations for FY2007. The President signed the bill into law, P.L. 110-28, on May 25. The...

Overview of the administration's February 5 request (1).(FY2007 Supplemental Appropriations for Defense, Foreign Affairs, and Other Purposes)(Table)(Report)
July 1, 2007... Updated July 2, 2007 On February 5, the Administration requested $103 billion in supplemental appropriations for FY2007 of which $93.4 billion was for the Department of Defense and $6.0 billion for international affairs. The Administration...

Highlights of Congressional action by bill.(FY2007 Supplemental Appropriations for Defense, Foreign Affairs, and Other Purposes)(Table)(Report)
July 1, 2007... Updated July 2, 2007 Congress took up the Administration's FY2007 supplemental appropriations requests initially in March, when the House and Senate passed somewhat different versions of H.R. 1591, a bill providing, in the House, $124.3...

Brief overview of major issues (2).(FY2007 Supplemental Appropriations for Defense, Foreign Affairs, and Other Purposes)(issues when discussing the 2007 approopriations bill)(Table)(Report)
July 1, 2007... Updated July 2, 2007 Iraq Policy Iraq policy was the overriding issue in debate about the FY2007 supplemental appropriations bill, though the White House and congressional opponents of the bill were also critical of the amounts the...

FY2007 defense supplemental (19).(FY2007 Supplemental Appropriations for Defense, Foreign Affairs, and Other Purposes)(Table)(Report)
July 1, 2007... Updated July 2, 2007 On May 24, 2007, the House and Senate approved H.R. 2206 providing $99.4 billion in additional funding for the Department of Defense (DOD) to cover the sixth year of war operations since the 9/11 attacks. This brings...

FY2007 international affairs supplemental.(FY2007 Supplemental Appropriations for Defense, Foreign Affairs, and Other Purposes)(Table)(Report)
July 1, 2007... Updated July 2, 2007 Overview In recent years, supplemental appropriations have become a significant source of additional funds for international affairs (150 account) programs at a time when regular appropriations have been...

Liquidation of TSA contract and grant obligations (94).(FY2007 Supplemental Appropriations for Defense, Foreign Affairs, and Other Purposes)(Transportation Security Administration)(Report)(Brief article)
July 1, 2007... Updated July 2, 2007 On January 10, 2007, the President transmitted to Congress a request to transfer $195 million in unobligated balances to resolve insufficiently funded Transportation Security Administration (TSA) contract and grant...

Ongoing Katrina recovery measures.(FY2007 Supplemental Appropriations for Defense, Foreign Affairs, and Other Purposes)(Report)
July 1, 2007... Updated July 2, 2007 As part of its package of FY2007 supplemental appropriations requests, the Administration asked for $3.4 billion for the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Disaster Relief Fund (DRF) to continue Katrina...

The minimum wage and other policy riders.(FY2007 Supplemental Appropriations for Defense, Foreign Affairs, and Other Purposes)(attached policies in appropriations bill)(Report)(Brief article)
July 1, 2007... Updated July 2, 2007 Supplemental appropriations bills also often include policy measures that are attached in order to bypass procedural hurdles, particularly in the Senate, that may be delaying progress though the regular legislative...

For additional reading.(FY2007 Supplemental Appropriations for Defense, Foreign Affairs, and Other Purposes)(Bibliography)(Table)
July 1, 2007... Updated July 2, 2007 CRS Multi-Media Presentation MM70099, FY2008 Defense Budget: Issues for Congress--Seminar Slides, by Stephen Daggett, Ronald O'Rourke, David F. Burrelli, and Amy Belasco. CRS Report RL33110, The Cost of Iraq,...

Fusion centers: issues and options for Congress.(Report)
July 1, 2007... July 6, 2007 Summary Although elements of the information and intelligence fusion function were conducted prior to 9/11, often at state police criminal intelligence bureaus, the events of 9/11 provided the primary catalyst for the...

Introduction.(Fusion Centers: Issues and Options for Congress)(Report)
July 1, 2007... July 6, 2007 The creation of post-9/11 intelligence/information (1) fusion centers (2) does not represent a totally new concept, but suggests an extension of pre-9/11 state and local law enforcement intelligence activities. Most state...

Potential risks to fusion centers.(Fusion Centers: Issues and Options for Congress)
July 1, 2007... July 6, 2007 There are several potential risks associated with fusion center development. One risk focuses on the hazards associated with creating fusion centers without the requisite philosophical and organizational changes necessary...

Evolution of fusion center concept.(Fusion Centers: Issues and Options for Congress)(Report)
July 1, 2007... July 6, 2007 As previously mentioned, almost all state and regional fusion centers were created after the September 11th attacks. While the attacks were the direct impetus for the creation of most state and regional centers, the fusion...

Characteristics of state/regional fusion centers.(Fusion Centers: Issues and Options for Congress)
July 1, 2007... July 6, 2007 There appears to have been two waves of post-9/11 fusion center development: the first occurring in 2003, and the second wave of fusion centers that gained momentum in approximately 2005. Based on conversations with some...

Federalism and the federal role in fusion centers.(Fusion Centers: Issues and Options for Congress)(Report)(Table)
July 1, 2007... July 6, 2007 One of the central, if implicit, themes that runs throughout this report is federalism. That is, while fusion centers were largely established by states, if the federal intent is to create a network of fusion centers that can...

Private sector purposes and roles in fusion centers.(Fusion Centers: Issues and Options for Congress)(Report)
July 1, 2007... July 6, 2007 The relationship and role of the private sector is a function that most state fusion centers have yet to fully define and/or embrace. A number of the fusion centers surveyed have undertaken informational and security-related...

Fusion center challenges and potential options for Congress.(Fusion Centers: Issues and Options for Congress)(United States)(Report)
July 1, 2007... July 6, 2007 Given that fusion centers are entities established by states, localities and regions to serve their own criminal, emergency response, and terrorism prevention needs, and the sensitivities associated with federalism, there may...

Appendix A. Philosophies of intelligence.(Fusion Centers: Issues and Options for Congress)
July 1, 2007... July 6, 2007 To better understand the potential philosophical, cultural, and logistical barriers to effective integration of intelligence and information fusion centers with existing federal intelligence and terrorism/crime prevention...

Hong Kong: ten years after the Handover.(Table)(Report)
July 1, 2007... June 29, 2007 Summary In the 10 years that have passed since the reversion of Hong Kong from British to Chinese sovereignty, much has changed and little has changed. On the political front, the Hong Kong Special Administrative...

Pakistan: significant recent events, March 26-June 21, 2007.(Chronology)(Report)
July 1, 2007... July 6, 2007 Summary Many see Pakistani President General Pervez Musharraf as currently facing the most serious challenges to his authority since he wrested control of Pakistan's government in a 1999 coup. Set off by the March 9, 2007...

Food and agricultural imports from China.(Table)(Report)
July 1, 2007... Updated July 17, 2007 Summary U.S. food and agricultural imports have increased significantly in recent years, causing some in Congress to question whether the U.S. food safety system can keep pace. A series of recent incidents have...

The Southwest Pacific: U.S. interests and China's growing influence.(Table)(Report)
July 1, 2007... July 6, 2007 Summary This report focuses on the 14 sovereign nations of the Southwest Pacific, or Pacific Islands region, and the major external powers (the United States, Australia, New Zealand, France, Japan, and China). It provides...

Congress's contempt power: law, history, practice, and procedure.(Report)(Brief article)
July 1, 2007... July 24, 2007 Summary Congress's contempt power is the means by which Congress responds to certain acts that in its view obstruct the legislative process. Contempt may be used either to coerce compliance (inherent contempt), punish...

Introduction.(Congress's Contempt Power: Law, History, Practice, and Procedure)(Report)
July 1, 2007... July 24, 2007 Congress's contempt power is the means by which Congress responds to certain acts that in its view obstruct the legislative process. Contempt may be used either to coerce compliance, punish the contemnor, and/or to remove the...

Congress's power to investigate.(Congress's Contempt Power: Law, History, Practice, and Procedure)(Report)
July 1, 2007... July 24, 2007 The power of Congress to punish for contempt is inextricably related to the power of Congress to investigate. (5) Generally speaking, Congress's authority to investigate and obtain information, including but not limited to...

Early history of Congressional contempt.(Congress's Contempt Power: Law, History, Practice, and Procedure)(Report)
July 1, 2007... July 24, 2007 While the contempt power was exercised both by the English Parliament (20) and by the American colonial assemblies, (21) Congress's first assertion of its contempt authority occurred in 1795, shortly after the ratification of...

Inherent contempt.(Congress's Contempt Power: Law, History, Practice, and Procedure)(Report)
July 1, 2007... July 24, 2007 Congress's inherent contempt power is not specifically granted by the Constitution, but is considered necessary to investigate and legislate effectively. The validity of the inherent contempt power was upheld in the early...

Inherent contempt proceedings by Committees of Congress.(Congress's Contempt Power: Law, History, Practice, and Procedure)(Report)
July 1, 2007... July 24, 2007 As has been indicated, although the majority of the inherent contempts by both the House and the Senate was conducted via trial at the bar of the full body, there is historical evidence to support the notion that this is not...

Statutory criminal contempt.(Congress's Contempt Power: Law, History, Practice, and Procedure)(Report)
July 1, 2007... July 24, 2007 Between 1795 and 1857, 14 inherent contempt actions were initiated by the House and Senate, eight of which can be considered successful in that the contemnor was meted out punishment, agreed to testify or produce documents....

The position of the Department of Justice on the use of inherent and/or criminal contempt of Congress against the executive branch.(Congress's Contempt Power: Law, History, Practice, and Procedure)(Report)
July 1, 2007... July 24, 2007 The Department of Justice (DOJ) has taken the position that Congress cannot, as a matter of statutory or constitutional law, invoke either its inherent contempt authority or the criminal contempt of Congress procedures (159)...

Civil contempt.(Congress's Contempt Power: Law, History, Practice, and Procedure)(Report)
July 1, 2007... July 24, 2007 Civil Contempt in the Senate. As an alternative to both the inherent contempt power of each House and the criminal contempt statutes, (202) in 1978 Congress enacted a civil contempt procedure, (203) which is applicable only...

Non-constitutional limitations.(Congress's Contempt Power: Law, History, Practice, and Procedure)
July 1, 2007... July 24, 2007 Authorization and Jurisdiction. Although the courts have upheld the authority of Congress to investigate and to cite a witness for contempt, they have also established limits, rooted both in the language of the criminal...

Constitutional limitations.(Congress's Contempt Power: Law, History, Practice, and Procedure)(Report)
July 1, 2007... July 24, 2007 The Supreme Court has observed that "Congress, in common with all branches of the Government, must exercise its powers subject to the limitations placed by the Constitution on governmental action, more particularly in the...

The Iran Sanctions Act (ISA).(Table)(Report)
July 1, 2007... Summary No firms have been sanctioned under the Iran Sanctions Act (ISA). Set to expire in August 2006, legislation in the 109th Congress (the "Iran Freedom Support Act, P.L. 109-293) extended it until December 31, 2011, terminated...

Iraq: summary of U.S. casualties.(Table)(Brief article)
July 1, 2007... Summary 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, 2003, and...

China's currency: a summary of the economic issues.(Report)
July 1, 2007... Summary Many Members of Congress charge that China's policy of accumulating foreign reserves (especially U.S. dollars) to influence the value of its currency constitutes a form of currency manipulation intended to make its exports cheaper...

U.S. Embassy in Iraq.
July 1, 2007... Summary Concerns about the U.S. Embassy in Iraq have surfaced regarding the quality of construction and reported assertions of trafficking-like labor practices by First Kuwaiti General Trade and Contracting Company, the primary builder of...

Potential F-22 Raptor export to Japan.(Report)
July 1, 2007... Summary Japan has expressed interest in purchasing the F-22A Raptor aircraft from the United States. Although the export of the plane is now prohibited by U.S. law, Congress has recently and may again consider repealing this ban. Arguments...