Trans-Pacific Partnership: Strategic Implications, and More from CRS
A new report from the Congressional Research Service examines claims that the 12-nation free trade agreement known as the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) will (or will not) advance the strategic interests of the United States by enabling it to exert influence in economic as well as security domains. See The Trans-Pacific Partnership: Strategic Implications, February 3, 2016.
Other new and newly updated Congressional Research Service products that Congress has withheld from public distribution include the following.
The Obama Administration’s Feed the Future Initiative, January 29, 2016
Immigration Legislation and Issues in the 114th Congress, February 3, 2016
Unaccompanied Alien Children–Legal Issues: Answers to Frequently Asked Questions, updated January 27, 2016
State Challenges to Federal Enforcement of Immigration Law: Historical Precedents and Pending Litigation in Texas v. United States, updated January 27, 2016
Apprenticeship in the United States: Frequently Asked Questions, January 29, 2016
The Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC): An Economic Analysis, February 1, 2016
Airport Privatization: Issues and Options for Congress, updated February 3, 2016
The Good Cause Exception to Notice and Comment Rulemaking: Judicial Review of Agency Action, January 29, 2016
Oil Sands and the Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund: The Definition of “Oil” and Related Issues for Congress, February 3, 2016
Dietary Guidelines for Americans: Frequently Asked Questions, February 2, 2016
Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF): Size and Characteristics of the Cash Assistance Caseload, updated January 29, 2016
Federal Securities Law: Insider Trading, updated February 2, 2016
Iran’s Foreign Policy, updated January 29, 2016
Jordan: Background and U.S. Relations, updated January 27, 2016
Legislative Branch: FY2016 Appropriations, updated February 1, 2016
Body Armor for Law Enforcement Officers: In Brief, updated January 28, 2016
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.