The complexities of U.S. defense contracting in Iraq and some of the resulting irregularities are reviewed in a newly updated report from the Congressional Research Service.
“Given the size and scope of the contracts in Iraq, and the challenge of managing billions of DOD-appropriated dollars, many have suggested it appropriate to inquire whether these types of contracts can be managed better,” the CRS report delicately stated.
See “Defense Contracting in Iraq: Issues and Options for Congress” (pdf), updated November 15, 2007.
Other noteworthy new CRS reports obtained by Secrecy News include the following (all pdf):
“North Korea’s Nuclear Weapons: Latest Developments,” November 21, 2007.
“Russian Energy Policy toward Neighboring Countries,” November 27, 2007.
“Foreign Aid Reform: Issues for Congress and Policy Options,” November 7, 2007.
“Defense: FY2008 Authorization and Appropriations,” updated November 28, 2007.
“Botnets, Cybercrime, and Cyberterrorism: Vulnerabilities and Policy Issues for Congress,” updated November 15, 2007.
January saw us watching whether the government would fund science. February has been about how that funding will be distributed, regulated, and contested.
This rule gives agencies significantly more authority over certain career policy roles. Whether that authority improves accountability or creates new risks depends almost entirely on how agencies interrupt and apply it.
Our environmental system was built for 1970s-era pollution control, but today it needs stable, integrated, multi-level governance that can make tradeoffs, share and use evidence, and deliver infrastructure while demonstrating that improved trust and participation are essential to future progress.
Durable and legitimate climate action requires a government capable of clearly weighting, explaining, and managing cost tradeoffs to the widest away of audiences, which in turn requires strong technocratic competency.