Noteworthy new reports from the Congressional Research Service obtained by Secrecy News include the following (all pdf).
“Instances of Use of United States Armed Forces Abroad, 1798-2007,” updated September 12, 2007.
“The Military Commissions Act of 2006: Analysis of Procedural Rules and Comparison with Previous DOD Rules and the Uniform Code of Military Justice,” updated September 27, 2007.
“Conventional Arms Transfers to Developing Nations, 1999-2006,” September 26, 2007.
“Afghanistan: Narcotics and U.S. Policy,” updated September 14, 2007.
“Syria: U.S. Relations and Bilateral Issues,” updated September 19, 2007.
“Iraq: Regional Perspectives and U.S. Policy,” updated September 12, 2007.
“Presidential Signing Statements: Constitutional and Institutional Implications,” updated September 17, 2007.
The potential implication of these evidence gaps becomes more consequential when you look at how institutions actually make decisions day to day.
Every new institution inherits something – existing incentives, existing staff, decades of prior investment that shaped what’s possible.
This is not the first time Google has agreed to censor imagery at the behest of governments, but be warned: obfuscation at this broad level poses a direct threat to the public’s ability to monitor and scrutinize government operations.
America’s affordability problem is bigger than home prices and rents. The best housing policies make it easier to build homes, and recognize how housing connects to other domains.