Congressional Oversight of Intelligence, and More from CRS
Noteworthy new and updated reports from the Congressional Research Service include the following.
Congressional Oversight of Intelligence: Background and Selected Options for Further Reform, December 4, 2018
The War Powers Resolution: Concepts and Practice, updated December 11, 2018
U.S. International Food Assistance: An Overview, December 6, 2018
U.S.-Mexico Economic Relations: Trends, Issues, and Implications, updated December 6, 2018
Cryptocurrency: The Economics of Money and Selected Policy Issues, December 7, 2018
Venue: A Legal Analysis of Where a Federal Crime May Be Tried, updated December 6, 2018
Debt and Deficits: Spending, Revenue, and Economic Growth, CRS In Focus, December 4, 2018
U.S. Gun Policy: Framework and Major Issues, CRS In Focus, December 3, 2018
Russian Compliance with the Intermediate Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty: Background and Issues for Congress, updated December 7, 2018
Russia, the Skripal Poisoning, and U.S. Sanctions, CRS In Focus, updated December 4, 2018
Shutdown of the Federal Government: Causes, Processes, and Effects, updated December 10, 2018
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.