___________________________________________________________________
U.S. Information Resource Center
Public Affairs Section
U.S. Embassy in Australia
May 2008
________________________________________________________________________________
Web Alert is
produced by the Public Affairs Office of the U.S. Mission to Australia as a
free service to our subscribers. The
views expressed in these documents are those of the authors and do not
necessarily represent the views of the U.S. federal government.
__________________________________________________________________________________
South Asia, Afghanistan and Central Asia
International economic issues, trade and
investment
Development, food security and emergency response
Terrorism and homeland security
Fisheries and marine environment
Communications and information technology
Justice, law enforcement and intellectual property
Venture Capital Meets
Hi-Tech
U.S.
Dept of State, Office of International Information Programs, eJournal USA, May
2008
http://www.america.gov/media/pdf/ejs/0508.pdf
This
issue of eJournal USA “explores the
phenomenon that drives uncounted Americans – and now citizens of other nations
– to create fledgling ‘start-up’ businesses that explore and exploit the latest
developments in high technology. It also investigates the closely related
‘venture capital’ phenomenon.”
Foreign Policy and the 2008
Presidential Nominating Campaigns
Backgrounder
by Toni Johnson, Council on Foreign Relations, May 12, 2008
http://www.cfr.org/publication/15456/
Advancing Freedom and
Democracy Reports
U.S.
Dept of State, May 2008
http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/afdr/2008/
(country
reports)
City on the Hill or Just
Another Country? The United States and the Promotion of Human Rights and Democracy
Hearing
before a subcommittee of the U.S. House Committee on Foreign Affairs, May 22,
2008
http://foreignaffairs.house.gov/hearing_notice.asp?id=995
For
transcripts, please go to http://foreignaffairs.house.gov/testimony.asp
and scroll down.
Is a League of Democracies
a Good Idea?
Thomas
Carothers, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, May 2008
http://www.carnegieendowment.org/files/pb59_carothers_league_final.pdf
Breaking the Failed-State
Cycle
RAND,
2008
http://www.rand.org/pubs/occasional_papers/2008/RAND_OP204.pdf
Which Came First –
Democracy or Growth?
Ruben
Hernandez-Murillo and Christopher J. Martinek, Federal Reserve Bank of St
Louis, The Regional Economist, April
2008
http://www.stlouisfed.org/publications/re/2008/b/pages/democracy.html
This
short article looks at the studies which have propelled the debate about the
relative causative impact of democracy upon nations’ economic growth, and of
economic growth upon their development of more democratic political
institutions.
Human Rights, Democracy,
and the U.S. Relationship with China
Remarks
by U.S. Assistant Secretary of State David Kramer at Beijing Foreign Affairs
University, May 25, 2008
http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/rm/2008/105202.htm
U.S.-China Relations in the
Era of Globalization
Hearing
before the U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, May 15, 2008
http://foreign.senate.gov/hearings/2008/hrg080515p.html
The
statement by U.S. Deputy Secretary of State John D. Negroponte is at http://www.state.gov/s/d/2008/104932.htm
China’s Nonproliferation
Practices
Statement
by U.S. Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Patricia McNerney before
the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission, May 20, 2008
http://www.state.gov/t/isn/rls/rm/105084.htm
Global Financial Turmoil
and Its Implications for China
Speech
by U.S. Under Secretary of the Treasury David McCormick, in Shanghai, May 9,
2008
http://www.ustreas.gov/press/releases/hp972.htm
The U.S.-China Strategic
Economic Dialogue: Sustaining Economic Growth
Remarks
by Alan Holmer, U.S. Treasury Department Special Envoy for China and the
Strategic Economic Dialogue, at Wuhan University, May 21, 2008
http://www.ustreas.gov/press/releases/hp992.htm
China: Description of
Selected Government Practices and Policies Affecting Decision-Making in the Economy
U.S.
International Trade Commission, December 2007
http://hotdocs.usitc.gov/docs/pubs/332/pub3978.pdf
This
270-page publication was released on April 10, 2008; the news release is at http://www.usitc.gov/ext_relations/news_release/2008/er0410ff2.htm
Religion in China
Backgrounder
by Preeti Bhattacharji, Council on Foreign Relations, May 12, 2008
http://www.cfr.org/publication/16272/
Japan’s Nuclear Future:
Policy Debate, Prospects, and U.S. Interests
Congressional
Research Service report, May 9, 2008
http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/nuke/RL34487.pdf
The Importance of Human
Rights for North Korea
Address
by Jay Lefkowitz, U.S. Special Envoy for Human Rights in North Korea, May 6,
2008
http://www.state.gov/g/senk/2008/105115.htm
Burma in the Aftermath of
Cyclone Nargis: Death, Displacement, and Humanitarian Aid
Hearing
before a subcommittee of the U.S. House Committee on Foreign Affairs, May 20,
2008
http://foreignaffairs.house.gov/hearing_notice.asp?id=992
For
transcripts, please go to http://foreignaffairs.house.gov/testimony.asp
and scroll down.
Cyclone Nargis and Burma’s
Constitutional Referendum
Congressional
Research Service report, May 9, 2008
http://fpc.state.gov/documents/organization/105169.pdf
U.S. Assistance to the
Middle East: Old Tools for New Tasks?
Hearing
before the Subcommittee on the Middle East and South Asia, U.S. House Committee
on Foreign Affairs, May 8, 2008
http://foreignaffairs.house.gov/hearing_notice.asp?id=982
For
transcripts, please go to http://foreignaffairs.house.gov/testimony.asp
and scroll down.
The U.S.-Israel-Egypt
Trilateral Relationship: Shoring up the Foundation of Regional Peace
Hearing
before a subcommittee of the U.S. House Committee on Foreign Affairs, May 21,
2008
http://foreignaffairs.house.gov/hearing_notice.asp?id=994
For
transcripts, please go to http://foreignaffairs.house.gov/testimony.asp
and scroll down.
Syria: Background and U.S.
Relations
Congressional Research Service report, updated May 1, 2008
http://fpc.state.gov/documents/organization/105180.pdf
U.S. Policy and the Road to
Damascus: Who’s Converting Whom?
Hearing
before the Subcommittee on the Middle East and South Asia, U.S. House Committee
on Foreign Affairs, April 24, 2008
http://foreignaffairs.house.gov/hearing_notice.asp?id=982
For
transcripts, please go to http://foreignaffairs.house.gov/testimony.asp
and scroll down.
War in Iraq: The Public
Perspectives
“An
examination of Iraqi and U.S. views of the war and its aftermath”
Gary
Langer, Center for Strategic and International Studies (Washington DC), April
30, 2008
http://www.csis.org/media/csis/pubs/080430_langer-csis.pdf
Managing Chaos: The Iraqi
Refugees of Jordan and Syria and Internally Displaced Persons in Iraq
Staff
trip report to the U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, April 2008
Analyzing Iran’s Domestic
Political Landscape
Briefing
by Kelly Campbell, U.S. Institute of Peace, May 2008
http://www.usip.org/pubs/usipeace_briefings/2008/0513_iran.html
SOUTH ASIA, AFGHANISTAN and
CENTRAL ASIA
U.S. Foreign Policy in
Pakistan: Implications for Regional Security, Stability, and Development
Hearing
before the U.S. House Committee on Foreign Affairs, May 7, 2008
http://foreignaffairs.house.gov/hearing_notice.asp?id=979
For
transcripts, please go to http://foreignaffairs.house.gov/testimony.asp
and scroll down.
Pakistan’s 2008 Elections:
Results and Implications for U.S. Policy
Congressional
Research Service report, April 9, 2008
http://fpc.state.gov/documents/organization/104699.pdf
Pakistan’s FATA Challenge:
Securing One of the World’s Most Dangerous Areas
Hearing
before the U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, May 20, 2008
http://foreign.senate.gov/hearings/2008/hrg080520pp.html
Note:
FATA = Federally Administered Tribal Areas
A New Course for Pakistan:
PCR Project Research Visit
Center
for Strategic and International Studies (Washington DC), May 14, 2008
http://www.csis.org/media/csis/pubs/080514_sb_pakistantrip.pdf
U.S. Assistance to South
Asia: Is There a Strategy to Go with All That Money?
Hearing
before a subcommittee of the U.S. House Committee on Foreign Affairs, May 14,
2008
http://foreignaffairs.house.gov/hearing_notice.asp?id=984
For
transcripts, please go to http://foreignaffairs.house.gov/testimony.asp
and scroll down.
Afghanistan: Post-War
Governance, Security, and U.S. Policy
Congressional
Research Service report, updated May 15, 2008
http://fpc.state.gov/documents/organization/105168.pdf
The Afghan-Pakistan War: A
Status Report
Anthony
H. Cordesman, Center for Strategic and International Studies (Washington DC),
May 12, 2008
http://www.csis.org/media/csis/pubs/080512_afghanstatus_trend.pdf
Strategic Chaos and Taliban
Resurgence in Afghanistan
Hearing
before a subcommittee of the U.S. House Committee on Foreign Affairs, April 2,
2008
http://foreignaffairs.house.gov/hearing_notice.asp?id=962
For
transcripts, please go to http://foreignaffairs.house.gov/testimony.asp
and scroll down.
Central Asia: An
Overview
Hearing
before a subcommittee of the U.S. House Committee on Foreign Affairs, April 8,
2008
http://foreignaffairs.house.gov/hearing_notice.asp?id=964
For
transcripts, please go to http://foreignaffairs.house.gov/testimony.asp
and scroll down.
The Shanghai Cooperation
Organization
Backgrounder
by Lionel Beehner and Preeti Bhattacharji, Council on Foreign Relations,
updated April 8, 2008
http://www.cfr.org/publication/10883/shanghai_cooperation_organization.html
U.S. Trade and Investment
Relationship with Sub-Saharan Africa: The African Growth and Opportunity Act and Beyond
Congressional
Research Service report, updated May 5, 2008
http://fpc.state.gov/documents/organization/105178.pdf
The African Union
Backgrounder
by Stephanie Hanson, Council on Foreign Relations, updated April 29, 2008
http://www.cfr.org/publication/11616/
Higher Education in Africa:
Making the Link between Intellectual Capital and Regional Development
Hearing
before a subcommittee of the U.S. House Committee on Foreign Affairs, May 6,
2008
http://foreignaffairs.house.gov/hearing_notice.asp?id=981
For
transcripts, please go to http://foreignaffairs.house.gov/testimony.asp
and scroll down.
International Food
Security: Insufficient Efforts by Host Governments and Donors Threaten Progress to Halve Hunger in Sub-Saharan Africa by 2015
Government
Accountability Office (GAO), May 2008
http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d08680.pdf
African Agriculture
Backgrounder
by Stephanie Hanson, Council on Foreign Relations, May 28, 2008
http://www.cfr.org/publication/16352/
Islam in Africa
Congressional
Research Service report, May 9, 2008
http://fpc.state.gov/documents/organization/104690.pdf
Somalia’s Transitional
Government
Backgrounder
by Stephanie Hanson and Eben Kaplan, Council on Foreign Relations, updated May
12, 2008
http://www.cfr.org/publication/12475/
The U.S. Economy, Housing
and Capital Markets
Remarks
by U.S. Secretary of the Treasury John M. Paulson Jr before the Washington Post
200 Lunch, May 16, 2008
http://www.ustreas.gov/press/releases/hp981.htm
The Economic Stimulus
Remarks
by U.S. Secretary of the Treasury Henry M. Paulson, Jr, May 8, 2008
http://www.ustreas.gov/press/releases/hp970.htm
Wall Street to Main Street:
Is the Credit Crisis Over and What Can the Federal Government Do to Prevent Unnecessary Systemic Risk in the Future?
Hearing
before the Joint Economic Committee, U.S. Congress, May 14, 2008
Remarks at SIFMA “Wall
Street to Washington” Conference
Remarks
by U.S. Assistant Secretary of the Treasury Anthony Ryan, May 1, 2008
http://www.ustreas.gov/press/releases/hp958.htm
The
Assistant Secretary identifies and discusses four areas of the economy
requiring cooperation between the U.S. federal government and the financial
sector.
Evaluating the Potential
for a Recession in 2008
Congressional
Research Service report, May 13, 2008
http://fpc.state.gov/documents/organization/105170.pdf
Turmoil in U.S. Credit
Markets: Examining the U.S. Regulatory Framework for Assessing Sovereign Investments
Hearing
before the U.S. Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs, April
24, 2008
The Rise of Sovereign
Wealth Funds: Impacts on U.S. Foreign Policy and Economic Interests
Hearing
before the U.S. House Committee on Foreign Affairs, May 21, 2008
http://foreignaffairs.house.gov/hearing_notice.asp?id=989
For
transcripts, please go to http://foreignaffairs.house.gov/testimony.asp
and scroll down.
Foreign Direct Investment:
Current Issues
Congressional
Research Service report, updated April 4, 2008
http://fpc.state.gov/documents/organization/104725.pdf
Foreign Investment, CFIUS,
and Homeland Security: An Overview
Congressional
Research Service report, April 17, 2008
http://fpc.state.gov/documents/organization/104704.pdf
The Exon-Florio National
Security Test for Foreign Investment
Congressional
Research Service report, updated April 8, 2008
http://assets.opencrs.com/rpts/RL33312_20080408.pdf
U.S. Treasury Issues
Proposed CFIUS Regulations
News
release, U.S. Dept of the Treasury, April 21, 2008
http://www.ustreas.gov/press/releases/hp937.htm
The
text of the proposed regulations (Regulations Pertaining to Mergers,
Acquisitions, and Takeovers by Foreign Persons) is at http://www.treas.gov/press/releases/reports/proposed_regulations42108.pdf
The Global Marketplace
Briefing
by Duncan L. Niederauer, ceo, NYSE Euronext, at the Foreign Press Center, U.S.
Dept of State, May 1, 2008
http://fpc.state.gov/fpc/104516.htm
American Decline or
Renewal? Globalizing Jobs and Technology
Hearing
before a subcommittee of the U.S. House Committee on Science and Technology,
May 22, 2008
http://science.house.gov/publications/hearings_markups_details.aspx?NewsID=2199
U.S. Export Promotion
Strategy
Hearing
before a subcommittee of the U.S. House Committee on Foreign Affairs, April 24,
2008
http://foreignaffairs.house.gov/hearing_notice.asp?id=973
For
transcripts, please go to http://foreignaffairs.house.gov/testimony.asp
and scroll down.
Free Trade Agreements:
Promoting Prosperity in 2008
Backgrounder
by Daniella Markheim, the Heritage Foundation, May 2, 2008
http://www.heritage.org/Research/TradeandForeignAid/bg2132.cfm
DEVELOPMENT, FOOD SECURITY and EMERGENCY
RESPONSE
Building on International
Debt Relief
Initiatives
Hearing
before the U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, April 24, 2008
http://foreign.senate.gov/hearings/2008/hrg080424p.html
The World Bank’s
International Development Association (IDA)
Congressional
Research Service report, updated April 1, 2008
http://fpc.state.gov/documents/organization/104719.pdf
Responding to the Global
Food Crisis
Hearing
before the U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, May 14, 2008
http://foreign.senate.gov/hearings/2008/hrg080514a.html
Contributing Factors and
International Responses to the Global Food Crisis
Hearing
before the U.S. House Committee on Financial Services, May 14, 2008
http://www.house.gov/apps/list/hearing/financialsvcs_dem/hr051408.shtml
President Bush Discusses
Food Aid
The
White House, May 1, 2008
http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2008/05/20080501-5.html
Leading the Fight against
Hunger
White
House fact sheet, May 1, 2008
http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2008/05/20080501-22.html
Rising Food Prices and
Global Food Needs: The U.S. Response
Congressional
Research Service report, May 8, 2008
http://fpc.state.gov/documents/organization/104692.pdf
Food Price Inflation:
Causes and Impacts
Congressional
Research Service report, April 10, 2008
http://fpc.state.gov/documents/organization/104281.pdf
Understanding and
Containing Global Food Price Inflation
Consultative
Group on International Agricultural Research, May 2008
http://www.cgiar.org/monthlystory/may2008.html
USAID Responds to Cyclone
Nargis
Key
Developments and Current Situation
U.S.
Agency for International Development (USAID), May 2008
http://www.usaid.gov/locations/asia/countries/burma/cyclone_nargis/
Implementing Smart Power:
Setting an Agenda for National Security Reform
Hearing
before the U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, April 24, 2008
http://foreign.senate.gov/hearings/2008/hrg080424a.html
Organizing the U.S.
Government for National Security: Overview of the Interagency Reform Debates
Congressional
Research Service report, April 18, 2008
http://fpc.state.gov/documents/organization/104695.pdf
Defense: FY2009
Authorization and Appropriations
Congressional
Research Service report, May 5, 2008
http://fpc.state.gov/documents/organization/104688.pdf
War Powers for the 21st
Century: The Executive Branch Perspective
Hearing
before a subcommittee of the U.S. House Committee on Foreign Affairs, April 24,
2008
http://foreignaffairs.house.gov/hearing_notice.asp?id=971
For
transcripts, please go to http://foreignaffairs.house.gov/testimony.asp
and scroll down.
Defense Issues for the Next
Administration
Kevin
Donnelly and Tim Sullivan, American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy
Research, April 29, 2008
http://www.aei.org/publications/pubID.27895/pub_detail.asp
Toward a U.S. Export
Control and Technology Transfer System for the 21st Century
Pierre
Chao, Center for Strategic and International Studies (Washington DC), May 15,
2008
http://www.csis.org/media/csis/pubs/080516_csis_exportcontrol_final.pdf
Remarks by National
Security Advisor Stephen J. Hadley at the Proliferation Security Initiative Fifth Anniversary Senior Level Meeting, May 28, 2008
http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2008/05/20080528-3.html
The Proliferation Security
Initiative
Fact
sheet, U.S. Dept of State, May 26, 2008
http://www.state.gov/t/isn/rls/fs/105217.htm
There
is also a fact sheet in FAQ format at http://www.state.gov/t/isn/rls/fs/105213.htm
China Naval Modernization:
Implications for U.S. Navy Capabilities – Background and Issues for Congress
Congressional
Research Service report, updated April 16, 2008
http://fpc.state.gov/documents/organization/104703.pdf
Rethinking Counterinsurgency
John
Mackinlay and Alison Al-Baddawy, RAND, 2008
http://rand.org/pubs/monographs/2008/RAND_MG595.5.pdf
Weak and Failing States:
Evolving Security Threats and U.S. Policy
Congressional
Research Service report, updated April 18, 2008
http://fpc.state.gov/documents/organization/104714.pdf
Index of State Weakness in
the Developing World
Susan
E. Rice and Stewart Patrick, Brookings Institution, 2008
There
is a summary at http://www.brookings.edu/reports/2008/02_weak_states_index.aspx
Rising Oil Prices,
Declining National Security?
Hearing
before the U.S. House Committee on Foreign Affairs, May 22, 2008
http://foreignaffairs.house.gov/hearing_notice.asp?id=990
For
transcripts, please go to http://foreignaffairs.house.gov/testimony.asp
and scroll down.
Global Climate Change:
National Security Implications
Edited
by Carolyn Pumphrey, Strategic Studies Institute, U.S. Army War College, May
2008
http://www.strategicstudiesinstitute.army.mil/pdffiles/PUB862.pdf
This
volume is based on proceedings of a conference held in March 2007; there is a
summary at http://www.strategicstudiesinstitute.army.mil/pubs/display.cfm?pubID=862
TERRORISM and HOMELAND SECURITY
Country Reports on Terrorism
2007
U.S.
Dept of State, April 2008
http://www.state.gov/s/ct/rls/crt/2007/
Remarks
at the release of the reports on April 30, 2008, are at http://www.state.gov/s/ct/rls/rm/2008/104233.htm
Human Security Brief
2007
Human
Security Report Project, May 2008
http://www.humansecuritybrief.org/access.html
This
report by the Human Security Report Project, which is funded by five Western
governments (Canada, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom) sees a
significant fall in fatalities from terrorist incidents as having occurred in
2007. There is a news release at http://www.humansecuritybrief.org/HSB07_Press_Release.pdf
The Al-Qaeda Media
Machine
Philip
Seib, Military Review, May-June
2008
http://usacac.army.mil/CAC/milreview/English/MayJun08/SeibEngMayJun08.pdf
Violent Islamist Extremism,
the Internet, and the Homegrown Terrorist Threat
A
staff report of the U.S. Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental
Affairs, May 8, 2008
http://hsgac.senate.gov/public/_files/IslamistReport.pdf
Militant Extremists in the
United States
Backgrounder
by Holly Fletcher, Council on Foreign Relations, April 21, 2008
http://www.cfr.org/publication/9236/
Public Health, Safety, and
Security for Mass Gatherings
A
staff report of the U.S. House Committee on Homeland Security, May 2008
http://homeland.house.gov/SiteDocuments/20080513105623-98169.pdf
Aviation Security Research
and Development at the Department of Homeland Security
Hearing
before a subcommittee of the U.S. House Committee on Science and Technology,
April 24, 2008
http://science.house.gov/publications/hearings_markups_details.aspx?NewsID=2163
Small Vessel Security
Strategy
U.S.
Department of Homeland Security, April 2008
http://www.dhs.gov/xlibrary/assets/small-vessel-security-strategy.pdf
There
is a fact sheet at http://www.dhs.gov/xnews/releases/pr_1209398073431.shtm
Reauthorizing the Vision
for Space Exploration
Hearing
before a subcommittee of the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and
Transportation, May 7, 2008
NASA’s International Space
Station Program: Status and Issues
Hearing before a subcommittee of the U.S. House Committee on Science and
Technology, April 24, 2008
http://science.house.gov/publications/hearings_markups_details.aspx?NewsID=2162
Remote Sensing Data:
Applications and Benefits
Field
hearing of a subcommittee of the U.S. House Committee on Science and
Technology, April 7, 2008
http://science.house.gov/publications/hearings_markups_details.aspx?NewsID=2136
International Energy
Challenges and American Diplomatic Engagement
Remarks
by U.S. Under Secretary of State Reuben Jeffery III to the Baker Institute
Energy Forum, Houston, on May 21, 2008
http://www.state.gov/e/rm/2008/105157.htm
U.S.-China Forum on
Sustainable Energy and the Environment
Remarks
by U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Daniel S. Sullivan, in Beijing, May 20,
2008
http://www.state.gov/e/eeb/rls/rm/2008/105204.htm
Energy in Brief
U.S.
Dept of Energy, Energy Information Administration (EIA)
http://tonto.eia.doe.gov/energy_in_brief/
A
plain language series launched by the EIA in May 2008 to explain energy topics;
there is a news release at http://www.eia.doe.gov/neic/press/press297.html
Opportunity 08: Energy
Challenges for the Next President
Brookings
Institution, May 12, 2008
Exploring the Skyrocketing
Price of Oil
Hearing
before the U.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary, May 12, 2008
http://judiciary.senate.gov/hearing.cfm?id=3347
Retail Gas Prices, Part I:
Consumer Effects
Hearing
before the Judiciary Committee Antitrust Task Force, U.S. House Committee on
the Judiciary, May 7, 2008
http://judiciary.house.gov/Oversight.aspx?ID=439
This
hearing looks at consumer impacts of rising gasoline and diesel oil
prices.
Retail Gas Prices, Part II:
Competition in the Oil Industry
Hearing
before the Judiciary Committee Antitrust Task Force, U.S. House Committee on
the Judiciary, May 22, 2008
http://judiciary.house.gov/Oversight.aspx?ID=446
Transportation Fuel Taxes:
Impacts of a Repeal or Moratorium
Congressional
Research Service report, May 7, 2008
http://fpc.state.gov/documents/organization/104686.pdf
Development of Oil Shale
Resources
Hearing
before the U.S. Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, May 15,
2008
Nuclear Power’s Role in
Generating Electricity
Congressional
Budget Office, May 2008
http://www.cbo.gov/ftpdocs/91xx/doc9133/05-02-Nuclear.pdf
At
http://www.cbo.gov/doc.cfm?index=9133
there are links to data and a blog.
Renewable Energy R&D
Funding History: A Comparison with Funding for Nuclear Energy, Fossil Energy, and Energy Efficiency R&D
Congressional
Research Service report, April 9, 2008
http://fpc.state.gov/documents/organization/104708.pdf
Renewable Energy
Consumption and Electricity: Preliminary 2007 Statistics
U.S.
Dept of Energy, Energy Information Administration, May 2008
http://www.eia.doe.gov/cneaf/alternate/page/renew_energy_consump/reec_080514.pdf
This
report shows that renewable energy provided 7% of total U.S. energy consumption
in 2007. EIA’s main data page on renewable energy is at http://www.eia.doe.gov/fuelrenewable.html
20% Wind Energy by 2030:
Increasing Wind Energy’s Contribution to U.S. Energy Supply
Prepublication
version, U.S. Dept of Energy, May 2008
http://www1.eere.energy.gov/windandhydro/pdfs/41869.pdf
There
is a news release at http://www.doe.gov/news/6253.htm
Impacts of Climate Change
on the Reliability, Security, Economics and Design of Critical Energy Infrastructure in Coastal Regions
Hearing
before the U.S. Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, May 13,
2008
Acquisitions and
Divestitures by Foreign Direct Investors in U.S. Energy in 2006
U.S.
Dept of Energy, Energy Information Administration, May 2008
http://www.eia.doe.gov/finance/fdi/adindex.htm
EPA Report on the
Environment 2008
U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), May 2008
http://cfpub.epa.gov/ncea/cfm/recordisplay.cfm?deid=190806
This
366-page report can be downloaded as a single document (32MB); regional reports
are also available. There is a news release at http://yosemite.epa.gov/opa/admpress.nsf/0/816E40BEE868A82C8525744F0061BF30 The permanent main page for this report
series is http://www.epa.gov/roe/
E-Waste: Can the Nation
Handle Modern Refuse in the Digital Age?
Hearing
before the U.S. House Committee on Science and Technology, April 30, 2008
http://science.house.gov/publications/hearings_markups_details.aspx?NewsID=2170
The Danger of Deception: Do
Endangered Species Have a Chance?
Hearing
before the U.S. House Committee on Natural Resources, May 21, 2008
http://resourcescommittee.house.gov/index.php?option=com_jcalpro&Itemid=54&extmode=view&extid=175
Trading Nature
Dilys
Roe, World Wildlife Fund, May 2008
http://assets.panda.org/downloads/trading_nature_full_report.pdf
“A
report, with case studies, on the contribution of wildlife trade management to
sustainable livelihoods and the Millennium Development Goals” – there is a news
release at http://www.panda.org/news_facts/newsroom/index.cfm?uNewsID=134781
Energy and Related Economic
Effects of Global Climate Change Legislation
Hearing
before the U.S. Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, May 20,
2008
Getting the Most Greenhouse
Gas Reductions for Our Money
Climate
Change Legislation Design White Paper, U.S. House Department of Energy and
Commerce, May 27, 2008
Information
on the Climate Change Legislation Design White Paper series, in which this
White Paper is the fourth, is at http://energycommerce.house.gov/Climate_Change/index.shtml
Improving the Capacity of
U.S. Climate Modeling for Decisionmakers and End Users
Hearing
before the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, May
8, 2008
Does Rail Transit Save
Energy or Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions?
Cato
Institute, April 14, 2008
http://www.cato.org/pubs/pas/pa-615.pdf
Tax Aspects of a
Cap-and-Trade System
Hearing
before the U.S. Senate Committee on Finance, April 24, 2008
http://finance.senate.gov/sitepages/hearing042408.htm
State and Trends of the
World Carbon Market 2008
World
Bank, May 2008
http://siteresources.worldbank.org/NEWS/Resources/State&Trendsformatted06May10pm.pdf
There
is a press release at http://go.worldbank.org/Z81OEW0D70
Arctic, Antarctic: Poles
Apart in Climate Response
National
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, U.S. Dept of Commerce, May 2, 2008
http://www.noaanews.noaa.gov/stories2008/20080502_arctic.html
Research
so far suggests that while the Arctic is warming, most of the Antarctic is
not.
Water Supply Challenges for
the 21st Century
Hearing
before the U.S. House Committee on Science and Technology, May 14, 2008
http://science.house.gov/publications/hearings_markups_details.aspx?NewsID=2187
Desalination: A National
Perspective
Report
of a committee of the National Research Council, National Academies Press,
2008
http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12184
There
is a news release about this 316-page report at http://www8.nationalacademies.org/onpinews/newsitem.aspx?RecordID=12184
FISHERIES and MARINE ENVIRONMENT
International Fisheries:
Management and Enforcement
Hearing
before the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, April
3, 2008
Offshore Marine Aquaculture:
Multiple Administrative and Environmental Issues Need to be Addressed in Establishing a U.S. Regulatory Framework
Government
Accountability Office (GAO) report, May 2008
http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d08594.pdf
Mussel Watch Program: An
Assessment of Two Decades of Contaminant Monitoring in the Nation’s Coastal Zone
National
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, U.S. Dept of Commerce, May 2008
http://ccma.nos.noaa.gov/publications/MWTwoDecades.pdf
Introductory
material is at http://ccma.nos.noaa.gov/about/coast/nsandt/welcome.html
and a news release, “NOAA Reports Coastal Waters Show Decline in Contaminants”,
is at http://www.noaanews.noaa.gov/stories2008/20080512_contaminants.html
What is the “Farm
Bill”?
Congressional
Research Service report, updated May 16, 2008
http://fpc.state.gov/documents/organization/105159.pdf
High Agricultural Commodity
Prices: What Are the Issues?
Congressional
Research Service report, May 6, 2008
http://fpc.state.gov/documents/organization/104685.pdf
Agricultural Productivity
in the United States
Economic
Research Service, U.S. Dept of Agriculture, May 2008
http://www.ers.usda.gov/Data/AgProductivity/#2008-5-13
Putting Meat on the Table:
Industrial Farm Animal Production in America
Report
of the Pew Commission on Industrial Farm Animal Production, April 2008
There
is a news release at http://www.pewtrusts.org/news_room_detail.aspx?id=38438
noting the report’s conclusion that industrial-scale farm animal production
poses “unacceptable risks” to public health and to the environment.
The U.S. Organic Handling
Sector in 2004
Baseline
Findings of the Nationwide Survey of Organic Manufacturers, Processors, and
Distributors. Economic Research Service, U.S. Dept of Agriculture, May
2008
http://www.ers.usda.gov/Publications/EIB36/EIB36.pdf
General
information about this report is at http://www.ers.usda.gov/Publications/EIB36/#2008-5-6
and a summary is at http://www.ers.usda.gov/Publications/EIB36/EIB36_reportsummary.pdf
Freight Movement from
Origin to Destination
Hearing
before a subcommittee of the U.S. House Committee on Transportation and
Infrastructure, April 24, 2008
http://transportation.house.gov/hearings/hearingDetail.aspx?NewsID=592
Rising Diesel Fuel Costs in
the Trucking Industry
Hearing
before a subcommittee of the U.S. House Committee on Transportation and
Infrastructure, May 6, 2008
http://transportation.house.gov/hearings/hearingDetail.aspx?NewsID=617
Alternatives to Traditional
Transportation Fuels 2006: Part I, Supplier Data
U.S.
Dept of Energy, Energy Information Administration, May 2008
http://www.eia.doe.gov/cneaf/alternate/page/atftables/atf14-20_05.html
Alternatives to Traditional
Transportation Fuels 2006: Part II, User and Fuel Data
U.S.
Dept of Energy, Energy Information Administration, May 2008
http://www.eia.doe.gov/cneaf/alternate/page/atftables/afvtransfuel_II.html
Your
Flight Has Been Delayed Again: Flight Delays Cost Passengers, Airlines, and the
U.S. Economy
Billions
Report of the Joint Economic Committee, U.S.
Congress, May 22, 2008
U.S.
Airline Industry: Issues and Role of Congress
Congressional Research Service report, April 30,
2008
http://fpc.state.gov/documents/organization/104710.pdf
An
Examination of the Delta-Northwest Merger
Hearing before a subcommittee of the U.S. Senate
Committee on the Judiciary, April 24, 2008
http://judiciary.senate.gov/hearing.cfm?id=3307
Aviation
and the Environment
Hearing before a subcommittee of the U.S. House
Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, May 6, 2008
http://transportation.house.gov/hearings/hearingDetail.aspx?NewsID=495
The
U.S.-EU Air Transport Agreement: Making the Most of the Second Stage
Remarks by U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State
John R. Byerly, in Brussels, May 13, 2008
http://www.state.gov/e/eeb/rls/rm/2008/104651.htm
Issues
and Options in Infrastructure Investment
Congressional Budget Office, May 2008
http://www.cbo.gov/doc.cfm?index=9135
Financing
Infrastructure Investment
Hearing before the U.S. House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure,
May 8, 2008
http://transportation.house.gov/hearings/hearingDetail.aspx?NewsID=616
Prospects
for Recovery and Repair of Mortgage Markets
Address by Randall S. Kroszner, a Governor of the
U.S. Federal Reserve, May 22, 2008
http://www.federalreserve.gov/newsevents/speech/kroszner20080522a.htm
Mortgage
Delinquencies and Foreclosures
Speech by Ben S. Bernanke, Chairman, U.S. Federal
Reserve, May 5, 2008
http://www.federalreserve.gov/newsevents/speech/Bernanke20080505a.htm
The
U.S. Housing Bubble and the Global Financial Crisis: Housing and
Housing-Related Finance
Staff report of the Joint Economic Committee, U.S.
Congress, May 2008
http://www.house.gov/jec/news/Housing%20Bubble%20study.pdf
Reverse
Mortgages: The Next Hot Spot?
Federal Reserve Bank of St Louis, Bridges, Spring
2008
http://www.stlouisfed.org/publications/br/2008/a/pages/1-article.html
Seizing
the New Opportunity for Health Reform
Hearing before the U.S. Senate Committee on
Finance, May 6, 2008
http://finance.senate.gov/sitepages/hearing050608.htm
Health
Savings Accounts (HSAs) and Consumer Driven Health Care: Cost Containment or
Cost-Shift?
Hearing before the Subcommittee on Health, U.S.
House Committee on Ways and Means, May 14, 2008
http://waysandmeans.house.gov/hearings.asp?formmode=detail&hearing=632
Evidence
on the Costs and Benefits of Health Information Technology
Congressional Budget Office, May 2008
http://www.cbo.gov/ftpdocs/91xx/doc9168/05-20-HealthIT.pdf
Cancer:
Challenges and Opportunities in the 21st Century
Hearing before the U.S. Senate Committee on Health,
Education, Labor and Pensions, May 8, 2008
http://help.senate.gov/Hearings/2008_05_08/2008_05_08.html
AIDS
Funding for Federal Government Programs: FY1981-FY2009
Congressional Research Service report, updated
April 23, 2008
http://fpc.state.gov/documents/organization/104280.pdf
NIAID
Strategic Plan for Malaria Research
National Institute of Allergy and Infectious
Diseases (NIAID), U.S. National Institutes of Health, April 2008
http://www3.niaid.nih.gov/topics/Malaria/PDF/StrategicPlan.pdf
NIAID’s Research
Agenda for Malaria is at http://www3.niaid.nih.gov/topics/Malaria/PDF/ResearchAgenda.pdf
and NIAID’s statement for World Malaria Day 2008 is at http://www.nih.gov/news/health/apr2008/niaid-23.htm
Rolling
Back Malaria: Rhetoric and Reality in the Fight against a Deadly Killer
Roger Bate, American Enterprise Institute, Health Policy Outlook, April 24,
2008
http://www.aei.org/publications/pubID.27859/pub_detail.asp
The
Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria: Progress Report and
Issues for Congress
Congressional Research Service report, updated
April 14, 2008
http://fpc.state.gov/documents/organization/104718.pdf
Children
and AIDS: Second Stocktaking Report
UNICEF, WHO and UNAIDS, April 2008
http://www.unicef.org/media/files/Children_and_AIDS_-_Second_Stocktaking_Report.pdf
There is a news release at http://www.unicef.org/media/media_43458.html
Public
Health Impacts of Climate Change in California: Community Vulnerability
Assessments and
Adaptation Strategies: Report No.1, Heat-Related Illness and Mortality
California Dept of Public Health, and the Public
Health Institute, 2008
http://www.phi.org/pdf-library/Heat_Vulnerability_2007.pdf
A Nation Accountable:
Twenty-Five Years after A Nation at Risk
U.S.
Department of Education, May 2008
http://www.ed.gov/rschstat/research/pubs/accountable/accountable.pdf
There
is a summary at http://www.ed.gov/rschstat/research/pubs/risk25.html
STEM Education Before High
School: Shaping Our Future Science, Technology, Engineering and Math Leaders of Tomorrow by Inspiring Our Children Today
Hearing
before the U.S. House Committee on Science and Technology, May 12, 2008
http://science.house.gov/publications/hearings_markups_details.aspx?NewsID=2181
Dismal Science: The
Shortcomings of U.S. School Choice Research and How to Address Them
Policy
analysis by John Merrifield. Cato Institute, April 16, 2008
http://www.cato.org/pubs/pas/pa-616.pdf
The States and Their
Community Colleges
David
F. Shaffer, Nelson A. Rockefeller Institute of Government, May 2008
http://www.rockinst.org/WorkArea/showcontent.aspx?id=14870
There
is a press release at http://www.rockinst.org/WorkArea/showcontent.aspx?id=14872
Workforce Development:
Community Colleges and One-Stop Centers Collaborate to Meet 21st Century Workforce Needs
Government
Accountability Office (GAO) report, May 2008
http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d08547.pdf
Hard Hats See Hard
Times
Pew
Research Center, May 7, 2008
http://pewresearch.org/pubs/826/jobs
This
study notes that job prospects are much poorer in lower parts of the income
spectrum in the United States compared with previous periods of economic
stress.
The Union Wage Advantage
for Low-Wage Workers
John
Schmitt, Center for Economic and Policy Research, May 2008
http://www.cepr.net/documents/publications/quantile_2008_05.pdf
Plant Closings, Workers’
Rights, and the WARN Act’s 20th Anniversary
Hearing
before the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, May
20, 2008
http://help.senate.gov/Hearings/2008_05_20/2008_05_20.html
Serious OSHA Violations:
Strategies for Breaking Dangerous Patterns
Hearing
before a subcommittee of the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor
and Pensions, April 1, 2008
http://help.senate.gov/Hearings/2008_04_01/2008_04_01.html
Living on the Street:
Finding Solutions to Protect Runaway and Homeless Youth
Hearing
before the U.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary, April 29, 2008
http://judiciary.senate.gov/hearing.cfm?id=3312
Child Maltreatment
2006
U.S.
Dept of Health and Human Services, April 2008
http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/cb/pubs/cm06/index.htm
Keeping America’s Children
Safe: Preventing Childhood Injury
Hearing
before the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, May
1, 2008
http://help.senate.gov/Hearings/2008_05_01/2008_05_01.html
The H-2B Program
Hearing
before a subcommittee of the U.S. House Committee on the Judiciary, April 16,
2008
http://judiciary.house.gov/Oversight.aspx?ID=432
This
hearing relates to the guest-worker program in the United States.
Measuring Immigrant
Assimilation in the United States
Jacob
L. Vigdor, Manhattan Institute for Policy Research, May 2008
http://www.manhattan-institute.org/html/cr_53.htm
Sources of the Growth and
Decline in Individual Income Tax Revenues Since 1994
Congressional
Budget Office, May 2008
http://www.cbo.gov/ftpdocs/90xx/doc9076/05-02-TaxRevenues.pdf
Capital Budgeting
Congressional
Budget Office paper, May 2008
http://www.cbo.gov/ftpdocs/91xx/doc9167/05-08-Capital.pdf
Cracking the Code: Tax
Reform for Individuals
Hearing
before the U.S. Senate Committee on Finance, May 13, 2008
http://finance.senate.gov/sitepages/hearing051308.htm
COMMUNICATIONS and INFORMATION
TECHNOLOGY
State
Efforts to Expand Broadband Access
NGA Center for Best Practices, May 20, 2008
http://www.nga.org/Files/pdf/0805BROADBANDACCESS.PDF
Global
Internet Freedom: Corporate Responsibility and the Rule of Law
Hearing before a subcommittee of the U.S. Senate
Committee on the Judiciary, May 20, 2008
http://judiciary.senate.gov/hearing.cfm?id=3369
Visual
Resources Online: Digital Images of Primary Materials on Public Web Sites
Anne Blecksmith, C&RL News, May 2008
http://www.ala.org/ala/acrl/acrlpubs/crlnews/backissues2008/may08/visualresources.cfm
Understanding
the Digitally Savvy Consumer
Scarborough Research, May 2008
http://www.scarborough.com/press_releases/Digital%20Savvy%20Free%20Study%20FINAL%205.12.08.pdf
“An analysis of the country’s most high-tech
consumers: where they live, who they are, what they buy and what they
watch/listen to/read” - there is a news release at http://www.scarborough.com/press_releases/Digital%20Savvy%20FINAL%205.13.08.pdf
JUSTICE, LAW ENFORCEMENT and INTELLECTUAL
PROPERTY
Financial
Crimes Enforcement Network Strategic Plan, Fiscal Years 2008-2012
Financial Crimes Enforcement Network, April
2008
http://www.fincen.gov/news_room/rp/files/strategic_plan_2008.pdf
Trial
Lawyers Inc.: Asbestos: A Report on the Asbestos Litigation Industry 2008
Manhattan Institute, May 2008
http://www.triallawyersinc.com/pdfs/TLI-ASBESTOS.pdf
There is a summary at http://www.triallawyersinc.com/asbestos/asb01.html
Closing
the Gap: Providing Civil Legal Assistance to Low-Income Americans
Hearing before the U.S. Senate Committee on the
Judiciary, May 22, 2008
http://judiciary.senate.gov/hearing.cfm?id=3370
2008
Special 301 Report
Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, April 25,
2008
This is an annual report on the adequacy and
effectiveness of intellectual property rights protection by trading partners of
the United States. There is a news release at http://www.ustr.gov/Document_Library/Press_Releases/2008/April/USTR_Issues_2008_Special_301_Report.html
____________________________________________________________________________________
U.S. Information Resource
Center (IRC)
Canberra: Alexis Yeadon
[ACT, NT, SA, TAS, VIC, WA]
Sydney: Peter Gilbert
[NSW, QLD]