New and updated publications from the Congressional Research Service include the following.
Russian Compliance with the Intermediate Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty: Background and Issues for Congress, updated October 5, 2018
Defense Primer: The NDAA Process, CRS In Focus, updated October 3, 2018
Chemical Facility Anti-Terrorism Standards, CRS In Focus, updated October 2, 2018
Lebanon, updated October 5, 2018
Iraq: Issues in the 115th Congress, updated October 4, 2018
Argentina’s Economic Crisis, CRS In Focus, October 2, 2018
Mexico: Background and U.S. Relations, updated October 2, 2018
Spain and Its Relations with the United States: In Brief, updated October 5, 2018
Macedonia: Uncertainty after Referendum on Country’s Name, CRS Insight, October 3, 2018
Afghanistan: Legislation in the 115th Congress, October 3, 2018
U.S.-South Korea (KORUS) FTA, CRS In Focus, updated September 28, 2018:
The Return of the Bells of Balangiga to the Republic of the Philippines, in Context, CRS In Focus, October 1, 2018
Satellite imagery of RAF Lakenheath reveals new construction of a security perimeter around ten protective aircraft shelters in the designated nuclear area, the latest measure in a series of upgrades as the base prepares for the ability to store U.S. nuclear weapons.
It will take consistent leadership and action to navigate the complex dangers in the region and to avoid what many analysts considered to be an increasingly possible outcome, a nuclear conflict in East Asia.
Getting into a shutdown is the easy part, getting out is much harder. Both sides will be looking to pin responsibility on each other, and the court of public opinion will have a major role to play as to who has the most leverage for getting us out.
How the United States responds to China’s nuclear buildup will shape the global nuclear balance for the rest of the century.