New and updated reports from the Congressional Research Service that Congress has not made directly available to the public include the following.
North Korea’s Nuclear Weapons: Technical Issues, February 29, 2012
Afghanistan Casualties: Military Forces and Civilians, February 29, 2012
The Eurozone Crisis: Overview and Issues for Congress, February 29, 2012
Sovereign Debt in Advanced Economies: Overview and Issues for Congress, February 29, 2012
Direct Overt U.S. Aid and Military Reimbursements to Pakistan, FY2002-FY2012, February 29, 2012
Military Construction: A Snapshot of the President’s FY2013 Appropriations Request, February 28, 2012
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.