U.S. Foreign Assistance to Central Asia, and More from CRS
One of the features that make Congressional Research Service reports broadly valuable is that they often reflect the privileged access to executive branch information that is enjoyed by CRS, at least in some areas, compared to what an ordinary member of the public can expect. So, for example, a newly updated CRS report on Central Asia provides authoritative tabulations of US foreign assistance to Central Asian countries, broken down by country and by year for the past two decades. Assembling this data independently would be a difficult and time-consuming chore, if it were possible at all. See Central Asia: Regional Developments and Implications for U.S. Interests, updated September 19, 2012. (For a critical assessment of US aid to Central Asia based on data previously published by CRS, see “U.S. Military Aid To Central Asia: Who Benefits?” by Joshua Kucera, September 25.)
Some other new and newly updated reports from the Congressional Research Service that materialized on our website include the following.
Prospects for Democracy in Hong Kong: Results of the 2012 Elections, September 14, 2012
Trafficking in Persons: International Dimensions and Foreign Policy Issues for Congress, updated September24, 2012
Energy Policy: Election Year Issues and Legislative Proposals, September 24, 2012
The Post-9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Act of 2008 (Post-9/11 GI Bill): Primer and Issues, September 21, 2012
The Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS), updated September 26, 2012
U.S. Public Diplomacy: Legislative Proposals to Amend Prohibitions on Disseminating Materials to Domestic Audiences, September 21, 2012
Mexico: Issues for Congress, updated September 24, 2012
The Eurozone Crisis: Overview and Issues for Congress, updated September 26, 2012
With summer 2025 in the rearview mirror, we’re taking a look back to see how federal actions impacted heat preparedness and response on the ground, what’s still changing, and what the road ahead looks like for heat resilience.
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.