Noteworthy new reports from the Congressional Research Service obtained by Secrecy News include the following (all pdf).
“Weak and Failing States: Evolving Security Threats and U.S. Policy,” November 15, 2007.
“Pakistan’s Nuclear Weapons: Proliferation and Security Issues,” updated November 14, 2007.
“The Cost of Iraq, Afghanistan, and Other Global War on Terror Operations Since 9/11,” updated November 9, 2007.
“Judicial Security: Responsibilities and Current Issues,” updated November 13, 2007.
“Pandemic Influenza: An Analysis of State Preparedness and Response Plans,” September 24, 2007.
“The Public Health and Medical Response to Disasters: Federal Authority and Funding,” September 19, 2007.
January saw us watching whether the government would fund science. February has been about how that funding will be distributed, regulated, and contested.
This rule gives agencies significantly more authority over certain career policy roles. Whether that authority improves accountability or creates new risks depends almost entirely on how agencies interrupt and apply it.
Our environmental system was built for 1970s-era pollution control, but today it needs stable, integrated, multi-level governance that can make tradeoffs, share and use evidence, and deliver infrastructure while demonstrating that improved trust and participation are essential to future progress.
Durable and legitimate climate action requires a government capable of clearly weighting, explaining, and managing cost tradeoffs to the widest away of audiences, which in turn requires strong technocratic competency.