| Afghanistan: Post-Taliban Governance, Security, and U.S. Policy |
02-Dec-2009 |
|
| Authors:
Kenneth Katzman; LIBRARY OF CONGRESS WASHINGTON DC CONGRESSIONAL RESEARCH SERVICE
|
 | Upon taking office, the Obama Administration faced a deteriorating security environment in Afghanistan, despite a build-up of U.S. forces there in preceding years. Signs of deterioration have included an expanded area in which militants are operating, increasing numbers of civilian and military deaths, Afghan and international disillusionment with corruption in the government of Afghan President Hamid Karzai, and the ease of infiltration of Taliban militants from safe havens in Pakistan. ... |
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| Democratic Governance and the Rule of Law: Lessons from Colombia |
Dec-2009 |
51 pages |
| Authors:
Gabriel Marcella; ARMY WAR COLL STRATEGIC STUDIES INST CARLISLE BARRACKS PA
|
 | Colombia has experienced conflict for decades. In the 1990s it was a paradigm of the failing state, beset with all manner of troubles: terrorism, kidnapping, murder, drug trafficking, corruption, an economic downturn of major scope, general lawlessness, and brain drain. Today the country is much safer, and the agents of violence are clearly on the defensive. Nonetheless, much work lies ahead to secure the democratic system. Security and the rule ... |
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| Resetting the Reset Button: Realism about Russia |
Dec-2009 |
5 pages |
| Authors:
Stephen J Blank; ARMY WAR COLL STRATEGIC STUDIES INST CARLISLE BARRACKS PA
|
| In Washington, there is a widely shared view that the United States needs Russian cooperation to stop Iranian and North Korean nuclear proliferation, particularly Iran's. This view rests on the premise that the United States should take Russia seriously, and taking Russia seriously means accepting Russian demands for no missile defense in Europe and no NATO enlargement or further European integration of the countries of the former Soviet Union. In ... |
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| China-U.S. Relations: Current Issues and Implications for U.S. Policy |
20-Nov-2009 |
|
| Authors:
Kerry Dumbaugh; LIBRARY OF CONGRESS WASHINGTON DC CONGRESSIONAL RESEARCH SERVICE
|
| The bilateral relationship between the U.S. and the People's Republic of China (PRC) is vitally important, touching on a wide range of areas including, among others, economic policy, security, foreign relations, and human rights. U.S. interests with China are bound together much more closely now than even a few years ago. These extensive inter-linkages have made it increasingly difficult for either government to take unilateral actions without inviting far-reaching, unintended ... |
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| India's Strategic Defense Transformation: Expanding Global Relationships |
Nov-2009 |
92 pages |
| Authors:
Brian K Hedrick; ARMY WAR COLL STRATEGIC STUDIES INST CARLISLE BARRACKS PA
|
| Following India's independence in 1947, then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru embarked on a foreign policy that was based on principles of socialism and remaining noncommittal to the emerging struggle between the Soviet Union and the countries forming the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) in the post-World War II period. Eventually, this policy led to India becoming one of the founding members of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) in 1955. In practical ... |
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| China-U.S. Relations: Current Issues and Implications for U.S. Policy |
08-Oct-2009 |
|
| Authors:
Kerry Dumbaugh; LIBRARY OF CONGRESS WASHINGTON DC CONGRESSIONAL RESEARCH SERVICE
|
| The bilateral relationship between the U.S. and the People's Republic of China (PRC) is vitally important, touching on a wide range of areas including, among others, economic policy, security, foreign relations, and human rights. U.S. interests with China are bound together much more closely now than even a few years ago. These extensive inter-linkages have made it increasingly difficult for either government to take unilateral actions without inviting far-reaching, unintended ... |
|
| Conventional Deterrence in the Second Nuclear Age |
Oct-2009 |
18 pages |
| Authors:
Michael S Gerson; ARMY WAR COLL CARLISLE BARRACKS PA
|
| Deterrence is once again a topic of discussion and debate among US defense and policy communities. Although the concept has received comparatively little attention since the end of the Cold War, it seems poised to take center stage in America's national security policy during the coming decades. With two ongoing wars already straining the military, concerns about a recalcitrant and militarized Russia, Iran's continued uranium enrichment activities, North Korea's nascent ... |
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| Long-Range Ballistic Missile Defense in Europe |
23-Sep-2009 |
|
| Authors:
Carl Ek; Steven A Hildreth; LIBRARY OF CONGRESS WASHINGTON DC CONGRESSIONAL RESEARCH SERVICE
|
| In early 2007, after several years of internal discussions and consultations with Poland and the Czech Republic, the Bush Administration formally proposed deploying a ground-based midcourse defense (GMD) element in Europe of the larger Ballistic Missile Defense System (BMDS) to defend against an Iranian missile threat. The system would have included 10 interceptors in Poland, a radar in the Czech Republic, and another radar deployed in a country closer to ... |
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| Cuba: Issues for the 111th Congress |
04-Sep-2009 |
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| Authors:
Mark P Sullivan; LIBRARY OF CONGRESS WASHINGTON DC CONGRESSIONAL RESEARCH SERVICE
|
| Cuba remains a hard-line communist state with a poor record on human rights. The country's political succession from the long-ruling Fidel Castro to his brother Raul was characterized by a remarkable degree of stability. Fidel stepped down from power temporarily in July 2006 because of health reasons, and Raul assumed provisional control of the government until February 2008, when he officially became President. After Raul Castro officially assumed the presidency, ... |
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| Russian Energy Policy Toward Neighboring Countries |
02-Sep-2009 |
|
| Authors:
Steven Woehrel; LIBRARY OF CONGRESS WASHINGTON DC CONGRESSIONAL RESEARCH SERVICE
|
| Russian oil and natural gas industries have become key players in the global energy market, particularly in Europe and Eurasia. Another trend has been the concentration of these industries in the hands of the Russian government. This latter phenomenon has been accompanied by an authoritarian political system, in which former intelligence officers play key roles. Russian firms have tried to purchase a controlling stake in pipelines, ports, storage facilities, and ... |
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| Latin America: Terrorism Issues |
02-Sep-2009 |
|
| Authors:
Mark P Sullivan; LIBRARY OF CONGRESS WASHINGTON DC CONGRESSIONAL RESEARCH SERVICE
|
| Since the September 2001 terrorist attacks on New York and Washington, U.S. attention to terrorism in Latin America has intensified, with an increase in bilateral and regional cooperation. In its April 2009 Country Reports on Terrorism, the State Department maintained that terrorism in the region was primarily perpetrated by terrorist organizations in Colombia and by the remnants of radical leftist Andean groups. Overall, however, the report maintained that the threat ... |
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| Modeling the Effects of a Transportation Security Incident on the Commercial Container Transportation System |
Sep-2009 |
100 pages |
| Authors:
Luis A Bencomo; NAVAL POSTGRADUATE SCHOOL MONTEREY CA
|
| We develop a modeling tool to represent freight container flows and the potential changes in cost of those flows inflicted on the U.S. commercial transportation system by a Transportation Security Incident (TSI). Our model includes available data on container movements, origin-destination (O-D) matrices for international container flows entering or leaving the U.S., and development of an attacker-defender model to determine best contingency plans after a TSI. We design a multi-commodity ... |
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| Nonstrategic Nuclear Weapons |
10-Aug-2009 |
|
| Authors:
Amy F Woolf; LIBRARY OF CONGRESS WASHINGTON DC CONGRESSIONAL RESEARCH SERVICE
|
| Analysts have identified a number of issues with the continued deployment of U.S. and Russian nonstrategic nuclear weapons. These include questions about the safety and security of Russia's weapons and the possibility that some might be lost, stolen, or sold to another nation or group; questions about the role of these weapons in U.S. and Russian security policy, and the likelihood that either nation might use these weapons in a ... |
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| Toward a Risk Management Defense Strategy |
Aug-2009 |
76 pages |
| Authors:
Nathan Freier; ARMY PEACEKEEPING AND STABILITY OPERATIONS INST CARLISLE BARRACKS PA
|
| The U.S. Army War College's Peacekeeping and Stability Operations Institute and Strategic Studies Institute are pleased to offer this important study on key considerations for DoD as it works through the on-going defense review. Mr. Freier outlines eight principles for a risk management defense strategy. He argues that these principles provide measures of merit for evaluating the new administration's defense choices. This monograph builds on two previous works - 'Known ... |
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| Enhancing Professional Military Education in the Horn of Africa the Ethiopian Defense Command & Staff College Initiative (CSL Issue Paper, Volume 13-09, August 2009) |
Aug-2009 |
5 pages |
| Authors:
Bernard F Griffard; John F Troxell; ARMY WAR COLL CARLISLE BARRACKS PA CENTER FOR STRATEGIC LEADERSHIP
|
| Strategic planning is a way of thinking. It is a process of defining a national strategy, or direction, and making decisions on allocating resources (capital and people) to pursue this strategy. In today's challenging economic environment, employing the strategic planning process is critical for a nation to fully evaluate the impacts of its identified strategic ends, ways and means. Since strategic planning takes place within a constantly changing environment, it ... |
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| China-U.S. Relations: Current Issues and Implications for U.S. Policy |
29-Jul-2009 |
|
| Authors:
Kerry Dumbaugh; LIBRARY OF CONGRESS WASHINGTON DC CONGRESSIONAL RESEARCH SERVICE
|
| The bilateral relationship between the U.S. and the People's Republic of China (PRC) is vitally important, touching on a wide range of areas including, among others, economic policy, security, foreign relations, and human rights. U.S. and PRC interests are bound together much more closely now than even a few years ago. These extensive inter-linkages have made it increasingly difficult for either government to take unilateral actions without inviting far-reaching, unintended ... |
|
| China and Proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction and Missiles: Policy Issues |
27-Jul-2009 |
|
| Authors:
Shirley A Kan; LIBRARY OF CONGRESS WASHINGTON DC CONGRESSIONAL RESEARCH SERVICE
|
| 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) and missiles that could deliver them. Recipients of China's technology reportedly include Pakistan and countries that the State Department says support terrorism, such as Iran and North Korea. This CRS Report, updated as warranted, discusses the security ... |
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| U.S. Trade and Investment Relationship with Sub-Saharan Africa: The African Growth and Opportunity Act |
24-Jul-2009 |
|
| Authors:
Vivian C Jones; LIBRARY OF CONGRESS WASHINGTON DC CONGRESSIONAL RESEARCH SERVICE
|
| Following the end of the apartheid era in South Africa in the early 1990s, the United States sought to increase economic relations with Sub-Saharan Africa. President Clinton instituted several measures that dealt with investment, debt relief, and trade. Congress required the President to develop a trade and development policy for Africa. The economic challenges facing Africa today are serious. Unlike the period from 1960 to 1973, when economic growth in ... |
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| The Changing U.S.-Japan Alliance: Implications for U.S. Interests |
23-Jul-2009 |
|
| Authors:
Emma Chanlett-Avery; Weston S Konishi; LIBRARY OF CONGRESS WASHINGTON DC CONGRESSIONAL RESEARCH SERVICE
|
| Since the late 1990s, and particularly since 2000, the U.S.-Japan alliance has undergone significant changes. During the first term of the Bush Administration, converging U.S. and Japanese objectives in confronting North Korea's nuclear and missile programs and Japan's participation in U.S. operations in Iraq and Afghanistan reinforced the notion of the U.S.-Japan alliance as one of the central partnerships of U.S. foreign policy, particularly in Asia. By 2007, political developments ... |
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| The Democratic Republic of Congo: Background and Current Developments |
16-Jul-2009 |
|
| Authors:
Ted Dagne; LIBRARY OF CONGRESS WASHINGTON DC CONGRESSIONAL RESEARCH SERVICE
|
| In October 2008, the forces of the National Congress for the Defense of the Congolese People (CNDP), under the command of General Laurent Nkunda, launched a major offensive against the Democratic Republic of Congo Armed Forces (FARDC) in eastern Congo. Within days, the CNDP captured a number of small towns and Congolese forces retreated in large numbers. Eastern Congo has been in a state of chaos for over a decade. ... |
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| North Korea: Terrorism List Removal |
01-Jul-2009 |
|
| Authors:
Larry A Niksch; LIBRARY OF CONGRESS WASHINGTON DC CONGRESSIONAL RESEARCH SERVICE
|
| The issue of North Korea's inclusion on the U.S. list of terrorism-supporting countries has been a major issue in U.S.-North Korean diplomacy since 2000, particularly in connection with negotiations over North Korea's nuclear program. North Korea demanded that the Clinton and Bush Administrations remove North Korea from the terrorism support list. On June 26, 2008, President Bush announced that he was officially notifying Congress of his intent to remove North ... |
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| Long-Range Ballistic Missile Defense in Europe |
22-Jun-2009 |
|
| Authors:
Carl Ek; Steven A Hildreth; LIBRARY OF CONGRESS WASHINGTON DC CONGRESSIONAL RESEARCH SERVICE
|
| Successive U.S. governments have urged the creation of an anti-missile system to protect against long-range ballistic missile threats from adversary states. The Bush Administration believed that North Korea and Iran represented strategic threats, and questioned whether they could be deterred by conventional means. The Bush Administration's position on this issue remained unchanged, even after the intelligence community assessed that the Iranian nuclear weapons program halted in 2003. The Bush Administration ... |
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| China's Currency: A Summary of the Economic Issues |
17-Jun-2009 |
|
| Authors:
Marc Labonte; Wayne M Morrison; LIBRARY OF CONGRESS WASHINGTON DC CONGRESSIONAL RESEARCH SERVICE
|
| 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 and imports into China more expensive than they would be under free market conditions. They further contend that this policy has caused a surge in the U.S. trade deficit with China in recent years and has ... |
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| Peacekeeping/Stabilization and Conflict Transitions: Background and Congressional Action on the Civilian Response/Reserve Corps and other Civilian Stabilization and Reconstruction Capabilities |
16-Jun-2009 |
|
| Authors:
Nina M Serafino; LIBRARY OF CONGRESS WASHINGTON DC CONGRESSIONAL RESEARCH SERVICE
|
| The 111th Congress will face a number of issues regarding the development of civilian capabilities to carry out stabilization and reconstruction activities. In September 2008, Congress passed the Reconstruction and Stabilization Civilian Management Act, 2008, as Title XVI of the Duncan Hunter National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2009 (S. 3001, P.L. 110-417, signed into law October 14, 2008). This legislation codified the existence and functions of the State ... |
|
| The Most Effective South Korea - U.S. Combined Forces Command Structure After Returning Wartime Operational Control of the South Korean Military |
12-Jun-2009 |
87 pages |
| Authors:
Jinbu Kim; ARMY COMMAND AND GENERAL STAFF COLL FORT LEAVENWORTH KS
|
| The core of the 50-year South Korea-U.S. alliance, the Combined Forces Command (CFC), was established on November 7, 1978 to employ operational control of the South Korean military and U.S. forces in South Korea. The CFC has been effective in deterring war on the Korean peninsula. However, impetus for a new CFC has developed from the diverging U.S. and South Korean policy toward North Korea. With this U.S. strategy and ... |
|
| American Military Strategy during the Moro Insurrection in the Philippines, 1903-1913 |
12-Jun-2009 |
177 pages |
| Authors:
Daniel G Miller; ARMY COMMAND AND GENERAL STAFF COLL FORT LEAVENWORTH KS
|
| This thesis explores the strategy followed by the American military government in overcoming Moro resistance in the Philippines from 1903-1913. A chapter is devoted to the period of each of the three Military Governors of Moro Province, Generals Leonard Wood, Tasker Bliss and John Pershing. The military governors primarily focused on first establishing a system of governance, followed by economic development and educational initiatives as a means of pacifying and ... |
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| Israeli-Arab Negotiations: Background, Conflicts, and U.S. Policy |
09-Jun-2009 |
|
| Authors:
Carol Migdalovitz; LIBRARY OF CONGRESS WASHINGTON DC CONGRESSIONAL RESEARCH SERVICE
|
| After the first Gulf war, in 1991, a new peace process consisting of bilateral negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians, Jordan, Syria, and Lebanon achieved mixed results. Milestones included the Israeli-Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) Declaration of Principles (DOP) of September 13, 1993, providing for Palestinian empowerment and some territorial control, the Israeli-Jordanian peace treaty of October 26, 1994, and the Interim Self-Rule in the West Bank or Oslo II accord ... |
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| Iran's Activities and Influence in Iraq |
04-Jun-2009 |
|
| Authors:
Kenneth Katzman; LIBRARY OF CONGRESS WASHINGTON DC CONGRESSIONAL RESEARCH SERVICE
|
| With conventional military and weapons of mass destruction (WMD) threats from Saddam Hussein's regime removed, Iran seeks to ensure that Iraq can never again become a threat to itself, either with or without U.S. forces present in Iraq. Some believe that Iran's intentions go well beyond achieving Iraq's neutrality -- that Iran wants to try to harness Iraq to Iran's broader regional policy goals and to help Iran defend against ... |
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| Taiwan's Political Status: Historical Background and Ongoing Implications |
04-Jun-2009 |
|
| Authors:
Kerry Dumbaugh; LIBRARY OF CONGRESS WASHINGTON DC CONGRESSIONAL RESEARCH SERVICE
|
| In 1979, official U.S. relations with Taiwan (the Republic of China) became a casualty of the American decision to recognize the government of the People's Republic of China (PRC) as China's sole legitimate government. Since then, U.S. unofficial relations with Taiwan have been built on the framework of the Taiwan Relations Act (P.L. 96-8) and shaped by three U.S.-China communiques. Under these agreements, the United States maintains its official relations ... |
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| Brazil-U.S. Relations |
03-Jun-2009 |
|
| Authors:
Clare R Seelke; Peter J Meyer; LIBRARY OF CONGRESS WASHINGTON DC CONGRESSIONAL RESEARCH SERVICE
|
| On January 1, 2007, Luis Inacio Lula da Silva, of the leftist Workers' Party (PT), was inaugurated for a second four-year term as President of Brazil. Lula was re-elected in the second round of voting with fairly broad popular support. His immediate tasks were to boost Brazil's lagging economic growth and address the issues of crime, violence, and poverty. Despite President Lula's personal popularity, many predicted that inter-party rivalries within ... |
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| Rising Dragon: Infrastructure Development and Chinese Influence in Vietnam |
Jun-2009 |
89 pages |
| Authors:
Thomas D Moon; NAVAL POSTGRADUATE SCHOOL MONTEREY CA
|
| This thesis will contribute to the on-going debate over whether China's rise as a regional and potential global power will be benign or disruptive for Southeast Asia. The central argument is that China is creating mechanisms that can exert influence on Vietnam by developing infrastructure links and creating regional economic dependencies. These mechanisms are being formed as a consequence of economic development programs associated with bilateral and regional initiatives. These ... |
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| Politics of North Korean Refugees and Regional Security Implications |
Jun-2009 |
87 pages |
| Authors:
Jacqueline D Chang; NAVAL POSTGRADUATE SCHOOL MONTEREY CA
|
| The North Korean refugee issue is a challenge to regional stability. In addition to humanitarian concerns, a mass flow of refugees would have enormous impact on operations of the Republic of Korea's military and the U.S. forces stationed in Korea and Japan. Regional players have an obligation to contribute to regional security. Proactive and cooperative policy making by China, Russia, Japan, South Korea and the United States to protect North ... |
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| China's Rise and Satisfaction with the Modern Global Order |
Jun-2009 |
122 pages |
| Authors:
Christopher R Byrnes; NAVAL POSTGRADUATE SCHOOL MONTEREY CA
|
| In this thesis, the current international order and China's position within it is assessed to place it within a hierarchy of nations. China has increased it relative power within the global order, but is it satisfied with the distribution of benefits it receives within the global system? Tammen and Kugler's model for assessing satisfaction is used to determine if China is at present a status quo state, and whether it ... |
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| China and Proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction and Missiles: Policy Issues |
26-May-2009 |
|
| Authors:
Shirley A Kan; LIBRARY OF CONGRESS WASHINGTON DC CONGRESSIONAL RESEARCH SERVICE
|
| 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) and missiles that could deliver them. Recipients of China's technology reportedly include Pakistan and countries that the State Department says support terrorism, such as Iran and North Korea. This CRS Report, updated as warranted, discusses the security ... |
|
| Under the Shadow of the Big Stick: U.S. Intervention in Cuba, 1906-1909 |
21-May-2009 |
51 pages |
| Authors:
Vitor; Bruce A II; ARMY COMMAND AND GENERAL STAFF COLL FORT LEAVENWORTH KS SCHOOL OF ADVANCED MILITARY STUDIES
|
| The U.S. intervention in Cuba in 1906, commonly referred to as the Second Intervention, began on September 28, 1906 with the resignation of the Cuban president and his cabinet and ended on January 28, 1909 when the U.S. relinquished control of the state to its newly elected president. While American political and military leaders clearly made some mistakes before and during the Second Intervention, the U.S. intervention in Cuba in ... |
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| Are you British or Muslim; Can You be Both? |
21-May-2009 |
63 pages |
| Authors:
St; Charles Clair; ARMY COMMAND AND GENERAL STAFF COLL FORT LEAVENWORTH KS SCHOOL OF ADVANCED MILITARY STUDIES
|
| Social identity is commonly defined as a person'perceived membership in social groups.This monograph examines the impact of Muslim immigrants on the national identity of Great Britain and the difficulty associated with the assimilation of immigrant populations in broader British society because of existing allegiances to their country of origin. Over the last quarter century Muslim immigrants are becoming a larger portion of immigrants to Great Britain. Long before the London ... |
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| Middle Eastern Energy Security: Synchronizing Domestic and Foreign Policy |
18-May-2009 |
29 pages |
| Authors:
Craig E Bennett; ARMY WAR COLL CARLISLE BARRACKS PA
|
| U.S. interests in the Middle East are numerous, yet the long-standing vital interest of energy security trumps them all. Increased global competition for limited Middle Eastern energy resources threatens this vital interest. The U.S. approach to Middle Eastern energy security has flaws because of a lack of synchronization between domestic and foreign policy. This paper first discusses challenges presented by supply, demand and the myths surrounding oil independence. It then ... |
|
| Brazil's National Defense Strategy -- A Deepening of Civilian Control |
15-May-2009 |
34 pages |
| Authors:
Ham; Linwood Jr; ARMY WAR COLL CARLISLE BARRACKS PA
|
| The Brazilian military dictatorships of 1964-1985 established a national security strategy to modernize the country and populate the vast central and western areas of Brazil. Today's strategy similarly seeks to use the military as a means to advance grand national objectives. Under the leadership of President Luiz Inacio da Silva and Defense Minister Nelson Jobim, elected Brazilian officials will seize the mantle of civilian control of the military and provide ... |
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| Coercive Naval Diplomacy |
14-May-2009 |
24 pages |
| Authors:
Matthew Scarlett; NAVAL WAR COLL NEWPORT RI JOINT MILITARY OPERATIONS DEPT
|
| Throughout history, naval forces played a prominent role in supporting foreign policy objectives. Navies can support political objectives through cooperative diplomacy and the use of soft power, or they can support them through coercive naval diplomacy, often referred to as gunboat diplomacy. Although in recent years, the United States Navy is increasingly focusing on the role of soft power in the prevention of war; coercive diplomacy is still an effective ... |
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| Canada-U.S. Relations |
12-May-2009 |
|
| Authors:
Carl Ek; LIBRARY OF CONGRESS WASHINGTON DC CONGRESSIONAL RESEARCH SERVICE
|
| Relations between the United States and Canada, though generally close, have undergone changes in tenor over the past three decades. During the 1980s, the two countries generally enjoyed very good relations. The early 1990s brought new governments to Ottawa and Washington, and although Canada's Liberal Party emphasized its determination to act independently of the United States when necessary, relations continued to be cordial. In early 2006, a minority Conservative government ... |
|
| The Causes and Dynamics of Conflict in Sub-Saharan Africa |
10-May-2009 |
31 pages |
| Authors:
Arthur T Moe; ARMY WAR COLL CARLISLE BARRACKS PA
|
| Pervasive conflict throughout much of Sub-Saharan Africa defies easy resolution due to a unique web of factors. Poor governance, ethnic rivalry, mismanagement of land and natural resources, declining economic conditions, and widespread poverty and famine form a daunting bulwark against stability. In recent centuries, much of the western world rose above these destabilizing factors because of socio-political-economic stability gained from two trends: the spread of constitutional democracy and economic globalization. ... |
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| Economic Collision: Competition between the United States and China |
09-May-2009 |
30 pages |
| Authors:
Ruth A Neugebauer; ARMY WAR COLL CARLISLE BARRACKS PA
|
| As China continues to rise on the international scene, competition between the United States and China becomes increasingly intense. This is true not only from a military perspective, but also from an economic one as China strives to become a global economic power. The competition has become more obvious recently due to the global economic recession and enormous fluctuations in natural resource commodity pricing over the past 12 months. China ... |
|
| Ungoverned Spaces in Guatemala and U.S. National Security |
04-May-2009 |
29 pages |
| Authors:
Matthew B Greco; ARMY WAR COLL CARLISLE BARRACKS PA
|
| A nation's inability to enforce sovereignty over its territory and the ungoverned spaces that this problem engenders pose clear threats to both the developing and the developed world. This paper argues that ungoverned spaces in Guatemala have serious implications for that Central American nation's internal security and threaten vital interests and. ultimately, the national security of the United States. The paper begins with an examination of the negative implications that ... |
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| Mexico's Narco-Insurgency and U.S. Counterdrug Policy |
May-2009 |
68 pages |
| Authors:
Hal Brands; ARMY WAR COLL STRATEGIC STUDIES INST CARLISLE BARRACKS PA
|
| On June 30, 2008, President George W. Bush signed into law the Merida Initiative, a 3-year, $1.4 billion counterdrug assistance program for Mexico and Central America. The bulk of this money is destined for Mexico, where it will help fund counternarcotics operations against the powerful cartels that have recently turned much of that country into a war zone. Since 2006, Mexico has suffered thousands of drug-related killings, a dramatic deterioration ... |
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| The Potential for Normal Political Relations between the United States and Iran Following Presidential Elections in Each Country |
May-2009 |
63 pages |
| Authors:
Scott B Jerabek; ARMY COMMAND AND GENERAL STAFF COLL FORT LEAVENWORTH KS SCHOOL OF ADVANCED MILITARY STUDIES
|
| With Presidential elections in both the United States and Iran occurring within 8 months of each other, one might expect major changes in the global political environment. This monograph addresses different aspects of and eras in the relationship between the United States and Iran. The major foci will be the political history of each country, current conditions, and the potential for a normalized relationship between the two countries. The model ... |
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| The Neutrality Act: A Tool to Implement Policy |
28-Apr-2009 |
30 pages |
| Authors:
Robert M Twiss; ARMY WAR COLL CARLISLE BARRACKS PA
|
| Historically, the United States has maintained a national security policy that no one may conduct or initiate from the United States any military expedition against any foreign nation or people with whom the United States is at peace. The objective of the policy is to prevent entanglements between the United States and foreign powers, or with the relations between a nation-state and its insurgent people, in such a way that ... |
|
| The United Arab Emirates (UAE): Issues for U.S. Policy |
20-Apr-2009 |
|
| Authors:
Kenneth Katzman; LIBRARY OF CONGRESS WASHINGTON DC CONGRESSIONAL RESEARCH SERVICE
|
| The UAE's open economy and society have won praise from advocates of expanded freedoms in the Middle East, but lax export controls, particularly in the emirate of Dubai, are causing U.S. concern over proliferation of advanced technology, terrorist transiting, and human trafficking. These concerns -- as well as concerns about the UAE oversight and management of a complex and technically advanced initiative such as a nuclear power program -- underscore ... |
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| Central Asia: Regional Developments and Implications for U.S. Interests |
17-Apr-2009 |
|
| Authors:
Jim Nichol; LIBRARY OF CONGRESS WASHINGTON DC CONGRESSIONAL RESEARCH SERVICE
|
| After the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, the United States recognized the independence of all the former Central Asian republics, supported their admission into Western organizations, and elicited regional support to counter Iranian influence in the region. Congress was at the forefront in urging the formation of coherent U.S. policies for aiding these and other Eurasian states of the former Soviet Union. |
|
| Algeria: Current Issues |
16-Apr-2009 |
|
| Authors:
Carol Migdalovitz; LIBRARY OF CONGRESS WASHINGTON DC CONGRESSIONAL RESEARCH SERVICE
|
| The situation in Algeria is fluid. Parliament passed a constitutional amendment abolishing term limits, allowing President Abdelaziz Bouteflika to be reelected for a third term in April 2009. The voice of the military, the most significant political force since independence, has been muted. Low voter turnout in the May 2007 parliamentary election may have indicated lack of public faith in the political system, and so the authorities specifically boasted a ... |
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| U.S.-China Military Contacts: Issues for Congress |
15-Apr-2009 |
|
| Authors:
Shirley A Kan; LIBRARY OF CONGRESS WASHINGTON DC CONGRESSIONAL RESEARCH SERVICE
|
| This CRS Report, updated as warranted, discusses policy issues regarding military-to-military (mil-to-mil) contacts with the People's Republic of China (PRC) and provides a record of major contacts and crises since 1993. The United States suspended military contacts with China and imposed sanctions on arms sales in response to the Tiananmen Crackdown in 1989. In 1993, the Clinton Administration re-engaged with the top PRC leadership, including China's military, the People's Liberation ... |
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