Numerous new reports of the Congressional Research Service on subjects of public interest and concern have been issued lately. Yet by design, they are not made readily available to the public. They include the following.
“The Department of Defense Rules for Military Commissions: Analysis of Procedural Rules and Comparison with Proposed Legislation and the Uniform Code of Military Justice” (pdf), updated July 25, 2006.
“Hamdan v. Rumsfeld: Military Commissions in the ‘Global War on Terrorism'” (pdf), July 6, 2006.
“Military Tribunals: Historical Patterns and Lessons” (pdf), July 9, 2004.
“Iran: U.S. Concerns and Policy Responses” (pdf), updated July 31, 2006.
“Israeli-Arab Negotiations: Background, Conflicts, and U.S. Policy” (pdf), updated July 25, 2006.
“Lebanon” (pdf), updated July 24, 2006.
“European Approaches to Homeland Security and Counterterrorism” (pdf), July 24, 2006.
“China and Proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction and Missiles: Policy Issues” (pdf), updated July 17, 2006.
“Banning Fissile Material Production for Nuclear Weapons: Prospects for a Treaty (FMCT)” (pdf), July 14, 2006.
“North Korean Ballistic Missile Threat to the United States” (pdf), updated July 6, 2006.
“International Small Arms and Light Weapons Transfers: U.S. Policy” (pdf), updated June 27, 2006.
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.