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.
“One thing became increasingly clear: AI doesn’t simply introduce a new category of risk. It changes the speed, scale, complexity, and interaction of risks that already exist.”
In an ideal world, we would not have state or federal climate intervention research bans. We would have researchers and institutions that would not shy away from revealing the good, the bad, and the ugly of these technologies and doing so responsibly.
“What excites me is that it’s very tempting to be very discouraged, and say, ‘Oh, we’ve got these archaic institutions that are calcified and you could never change them.’ But I think we’re in the middle of a technological revolution that will upend lots of things, and does provide a window.”
Ask people what worries them most right now, and they’ll say the cost of living and their livelihoods, not climate change. But those concerns are not separate.