This CRS report reviews current legislative mandates for security strategic documents of the U.S, assesses the recent history of execution, describes strategic documents in related fields for comparison, presents considerations that may be useful in assessing current requirements and execution, and notes several current proposals for changes to legislative requirements.
DI - 27/6/2008
This Research Paper summarises the results of the local elections held on 1 May 2008. Elections were held in 137 local authorities in England and all 22 authorities in Wales.
DI - 27/6/2008
The report -recently issued by the Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN-DESA) Division for Sustainable Development- highlights trends in agriculture, rural development, land, desertification and drought – five of the six themes being considered by the Commission on Sustainable Development at its 16th and 17th sessions (2008-2009).
DI - 26/6/2008
The recent stabilisation in the world drugs market is under threat because the increase in both opium poppy and coca cultivation in 2007, some growth in consumption in developing countries and some development of new trafficking patterns. The launch of the report coincided with the International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking, observed on 26 June around the world.
DI - 26/6/2008
The World Trade Indicators (WTI) is a World Bank new tool designed to benchmark a country’s trade policy and institutions and help policy makers, advisors, and analysts’ identify the main border and behind-the border constraints to trade integration. The database is organized in five thematic categories (Trade Policy, External Environment, Institutional Environment, Trade Facilitation and Trade Outcome).
DI - 25/6/2008
The Communication -adopted by the European Commission on 17 June- puts forward ten Common Principles on which to base the common immigration policy. Also, the Policy Plan on Asylum provides for the architecture of the second phase of the Common European Asylum System (CEAS).
DI - 25/6/2008
The new White Paper outlines France’s strategy for the next fifteen years. The main highlights of this document are: the decision to link national security and defence, the emphasis on the new “knowledge and anticipation” functions, the new formats of the armed forces and strengthening France’s position in NATO. (White Paper only available in French: Le Livre blanc sur la défense et la sécurité nationale).
DI - 24/6/2008
The new poll of 20 nations around the world finds that none of the national leaders on the world stage inspire wide confidence. WorldPublicOpinion.org - a collaborative research project involving research centres from around the world- conducted the poll of 19,751 respondents in nations that comprise 60 percent of the world’s population, between 10 January and 6 May 2008. The Elcano Royal Institute is one of the research partners in this project.
DI - 24/6/2008
The first Compact Annual Review Conference was held on 29 May 2008 in Stockholm (Sweden). The report of the Government of Iraq and United Nations -"A New Beginning"- outlined progress made by Iraq in establishing the rule of law and promoting economic development, supported by a significant increase in oil revenues and strong economic growth.
DI - 23/6/2008
The Presidency Conclusions of the European Council held on 19 and 20 June 2008, in Brussels (Belgium).
DI - 23/6/2008
These are the preliminary results of a Flash Eurobarometer survey conducted by Gallup -after the referendum on the Lisbon Treaty- from 13 to 15 June, at the request of the EU Representation in Ireland. The main objectives of the survey were to understand the reasons for non-participation in the referendum, the respondents’ views about the campaign, the reasons for the “yes” or “no” votes and the overall reactions to the result.
DI - 18/6/2008
Global Development Finance is the World Bank’s annual review of global financial conditions facing developing countries. According to this year edition, “financial turmoil sent shock waves through high-income countries in 2007, but many developing countries emerged relatively unscathed”.
DI - 17/6/2008
The 2007 edition reveals a decline in the incidence of terrorist violence around the world. The Brief states that fatalities from terrorism have declined by some 40 percent, and analyses the positive change in sub-Saharan Africa’s security landscape. It also updates the findings of the 2005 edition, and demonstrates that the decline in the total number of armed conflicts and combat deaths around the world has continued.
DI - 16/6/2008
This report documents human rights issues of concern to Amnesty International during 2008. It collected data from 150 countries regarding violence against women, control arms, death penalty, evasion of corporate accountability for human rights, torture and terror, repression of dissent and international justice.
DI - 13/6/2008
This is the official version of the Treaty of Lisbon published in the Official Journal of the European Union. Although signed official signing on 13 December 2007, the treaty will not be in force until and unless it is ratified by each of the European Union’s 27 member states. The target date for ratification set by member governments is 1 January 2009.
DI 11/6/2008
These are the conclusions of the U.S-EU Summit held on 10 June in Brdo (Slovenia). The meeting focused on the U.S-European commercial relationship, theDoha development agenda, climate change, energy security, African development and the Transatlantic Economic Council (TEC); it also reviewed global security and peace issues like the development of Kosovo, the follow up on the Annapolis peace, the dual track strategy regarding Iran, and the situation in Lebanon, Afghanistan, Iraq, Darfur, and Zimbabwe.
DI - 10/6/2008
This document of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) was submitted to delegates at its Thirty-second Session held in Santo Domingo (Dominican Republic). According to the report, “countries in the region should make the most of the global expansion to promote a process of productive transformation and capacity-building to enable them to broaden and modify their traditional modes of international insertion, adding value and knowledge to their products”.
DI - 9/6/2008
Highlights of the 39th edition of the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) Yearbook include special studies on the human security approach to direct and structural violence, integrating gender in post-conflict security sector reform, US ballistic missile defence programmes, nuclear forensic analysis, international public health diplomacy and the global surveillance of avian influenza; along with coverage of developments during 2007.
DI - 6/6/2008
The new Convention on Cluster Munitions was adopted by delegations from 111 countries in Dublin (Ireland) on 30 May 2008 and will be signed December in Oslo, Norway. This international treaty will enter into force six months after its ratification by at least 30 countries. The Convention will prohibit participating countries from using, producing, developing or transferring cluster munitions.
DI - 3/6/2008
The new UNCTAD report on global food crisis looks at its causes and proposes responses, particularly for the long term. This document was introduced at the High-Level Conference on World Food Security: The Challenges of Climate Change and Bioenergy held from 3 to 5 June 2008 in Rome (Italy).
DI - 2/6/2008
These documents are the proceedings of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Scoping Meeting on Renewable Energy Sources, held from 20 to 25 June 2008 in Lübeck (Germany).
