Some notable new reports of the Congressional Research Service include the following:
“The Cost of Iraq, Afghanistan, and Other Global War on Terror Operations Since 9/11” (pdf), April 24, 2006.
“Arab League Boycott of Israel” (pdf), April 19, 2006.
“U.S. Special Operations Forces (SOF): Background and Issues for Congress” (pdf), updated April 17, 2006.
“Sudan: Humanitarian Crisis, Peace Talks, Terrorism, and U.S. Policy” (pdf), updated April 12, 2006.
“Nonproliferation and Threat Reduction Assistance: U.S. Programs in the Former Soviet Union” (pdf), updated April 6, 2006.
“Afghanistan: Post-War Governance, Security, and U.S. Policy” (pdf), updated April 6, 2006.
“China-Southeast Asia Relations: Trends, Issues, and Implications for the United States” (pdf), updated April 4, 2006.
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.