New Government Reports: Russia, Israel-Palestine, Debt, Iraq and Oil, Federal Research

Every week we highlight five new government reports. Here are this week’s:

1) Russian Political, Economic, and Security Issues and U.S. Interests
Edited by Jim Nichol (Paperback, 39 pages)

Post-Soviet Russia and significance for the United States. Includes political and human rights development in the Putin-Medvedev era, political pluralism, human rights problems, and insurgency in the North Caucasus. Defense reforms regarding arms control and missile defense. Trade, economic and energy issues, including the World Trade Organization (WTO), Permanent Normal Trade Relations (PNTR) and North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).

2) Israeli-Arab Negotiations: Background, Conflicts, and U.S. Policy
by Carol Migdalovitz (Paperback, 55 pages)

Recent developments between Israel and Palestine, Israel and Syria and Israel and Lebanon. Also includes the United States’ role from 1991-2008, including the Obama Administration, the Madrid Conference, Bilateral talks and development between Israel, Palestine, Syria, Lebanon and Jordan.

3) Debt Limit: History and Recent Increases

Includes a brief history of the federal debt limit: origins of the federal debt limit during World War II, the debt ceiling in the last decade and the economic slowdown and federal debt. Charts and tables.

4) Iraq: Oil and Gas Legislation, Revenue Sharing, and U.S. Policy
by Christopher M. Blanchard (Paperback, 29 pages)

Draft of hydrocarbon legislation, interim arrangements and contracts with the Kurdistan Regional Government and Ministry of Oil. Also includes the Iraqi Perspectives on Iraq’s Constitution, federal and regional authority, revenue sharing, foreign participation. Plus legislation by the United States Congress.

5) Federal Research and Development Funding: Fiscal Year 2011

Federal research and development (R&D) funding perspectives: Agency Perspective; Character of Work, Facilities, and Equipment Perspective; Combined Perspective. Includes the National Nanotechnology Initiative; Networking and Information Technology Research and Development Program and the U.S. Global Change Research Program. More from the DoD; DHS; NIH; DoE; NSF; Department of Commerce: NIST, NOAA, NASA; USDA; Department of the Interior; EPA and DoT. Charts and tables.

---