Congressional Research Service (CRS) Reports and Issue Briefs articles from November 2005

Congressional Research Service (CRS) Reports and Issue Briefs archives from November 2005

Overview and analysis of Senate amendment concerning interrogation of detainees.
November 1, 2005... Summary On October 5, 2005, the Senate adopted a floor amendment (S.Amdt. 1977), proposed by Senator John McCain with 11 co-sponsors, that would (1) require Department of Defense (DOD) personnel to employ United States Army Field Manual...

The Global Fund and PEPFAR in U.S. international AIDS policy.(President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief)
November 1, 2005... November 3, 2005 Summary The United States is responding to the international AIDS pandemic through the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), which includes bilateral programs and contributions to the multilateral...

Congressional gifts and travel, legislative proposals for the 109th Congress.
November 1, 2005... Summary It has been nearly a decade since the House and Senate have examined their rules on the acceptance of gifts and travel expenses. Press accounts of alleged excesses in privately funded congressional travel and gifts, particularly...

Pandemic influenza: domestic preparedness efforts.
November 1, 2005... November 10, 2005 Summary In 1997, a new avian influenza virus (H5N1 avian flu) emerged in Hong Kong, killing six people. This was the first time that an avian influenza virus was shown to be transmitted directly from birds to...

Libya: background and U.S. relations.(Country overview)
November 1, 2005... Summary The relationship between the United States and Libya has been strained and hostile for much of the last 35 years, but has recently shown signs of improvement. Following the Libyan government's December 2003 decision to eliminate...

WTO Doha round: agricultural negotiating proposals.(World Trade Organization)
November 1, 2005... November 9, 2005 Summary The pace of negotiations in the Doha Round of multilateral trade negotiations has quickened as the mid-December Hong Kong Ministerial Conference of the World Trade Organization (WTO) approaches. At Hong...

Budget reconciliation legislation in 2005.
November 1, 2005... Summary The budget reconciliation process is one of the chief tools used by Congress during the past quarter-century to implement major changes in budget policy. Following a brief overview of the budget reconciliation process and the...

Bosnia: overview of issues ten years after Dayton.(Peace Accord, 1995, Yugoslavia-Croatia-Bosnia-Herzegovina)
November 1, 2005... Summary On November 21-22, 2005, the United States will host a meeting with Bosnia's collective leadership to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the Dayton accords, an agreement brokered under U.S. leadership that ended the 1992-1995...

Iran's influence in Iraq.
November 1, 2005... Summary Iran's influence over the post-Saddam government in Iraq is substantial because the predominant parties in that government have long enjoyed Tehran's sponsorship. An emerging concern is that Iran's influence has extended to...

China naval modernization: implications for U.S. Navy capabilities--background and issues for Congress.
November 1, 2005... Summary Concern has grown in Congress and elsewhere about China's military modernization. The topic is an increasing factor in discussions over future required U.S. Navy capabilities. The issue for Congress addressed in this report is:...

Introduction.(China Naval Modernization)
November 1, 2005... Congressional Concern Concern has grown in Congress and elsewhere since the 1990s about China's military modernization and its potential implications for required U.S. military capabilities. China's military modernization is an...

Background.(China Naval Modernization)
November 1, 2005... China's Naval Modernization Maritime-Relevant Elements of China's Military Modernization (10). This section summarizes elements of China's military modernization that may have potential implications for required U.S. Navy capabilities....

Potential oversight issues for Congress.(China Naval Modernization: Implications for U.S. Navy Capabilities-Background and Issues for Congress)
November 1, 2005... Potential oversight questions for Congress arising from China's military modernization and its potential implications for required U.S. Navy capabilities can be organized into three groups: * questions relating to China's military...

Appendix A: additional details on China's Naval modernization efforts (151).(China Naval Modernization: Implications for U.S. Navy Capabilities-Background and Issues for Congress)
November 1, 2005... This appendix presents additional details and commentary on several of the elements of China's military modernization discussed in the Background section of this report. Theater-Range Ballistic Missiles (TBMs). Regarding the potential...

Trade integration in the Americas.
November 1, 2005... November 22, 2005 Summary Since the 1990s, the countries of Latin America and the Caribbean have been a focus of United States trade policy, as demonstrated by the passage of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), the...

Internet development and information control in the People's Republic of China.
November 1, 2005... November 22, 2005 Summary Since its founding in 1949, the People's Republic of China (PRC) has often been accused of manipulating the flow of information and prohibiting the dissemination of viewpoints that criticize the government...

Improvised explosive devices in Iraq: effects and countermeasures.
November 1, 2005... Summary Improvised explosive devices (IEDs) are responsible for many of the more than 2,000 deaths and numerous casualties suffered by U.S. and coalition forces since the invasion of Iraq. (1) The bombs have been hidden behind signs and...

Combating terrorism: the challenge of measuring effectiveness.
November 1, 2005... Summary This report is designed to assist congressional policymakers to understand and apply broad based objective criteria when evaluating progress in the nation's efforts to combat terrorism. It is not intended to define specific,...

Federal hurricane recovery coordinator: appointment and oversight issues.
November 1, 2005... Summary On November 1, 2005, President George W. Bush issued an executive order directing the Secretary of Homeland Security to establish a new position that would coordinate federal Gulf Coast recovery and rebuilding efforts. (1) The...

China's currency: brief overview of U.S. options.
November 1, 2005... Summary Many are concerned that China's currency is undervalued and that this injures the U.S. economy. The Chinese authorities say they are not manipulating their currency and they want to move as soon as possible to a market-based...

Trade liberalization challenges post-CAFTA.(Central American Free Trade Agreement)
November 1, 2005... Summary Since taking office in January 2001, President Bush has supported trade liberalization through negotiations on multiple fronts: globally, regionally, and bilaterally. During this period, Congress has approved five free trade...

Azerbaijan's 2005 legislative election: outcome and implications for U.S. interests.
November 1, 2005... Summary This report discusses Azerbaijan's democratization progress as evidenced by its November 6, 2005, legislative election. It describes the campaign and results and examines implications of this election for Azerbaijani and U.S....

Drug crop eradication and alternative development in the Andes.
November 1, 2005... November 18, 2005 Summary The United States has supported drug crop eradication and alternative development programs in the Andes for decades. Colombia, Bolivia, and Peru collectively produce nearly the entire global supply of...