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Lebanon [Updated June 18, 2002]
"The United States and Lebanon continue to enjoy good relations. At issue between the United States and Lebanon are progress toward a Lebanon-Israel peace treaty and U.S. aid to Lebanon. The United States supports Lebanon's independence and favored the end of Israeli and Syrian occupation of parts of Lebanon. Israel withdrew from southern Lebanon on May 23, 2000. An estimated 6,000 Syrian troops withdrew from the Beirut area in July 2001, leaving about 20,000 Syrians in Lebanon. From 1987 until July 1997, the United States banned travel to Lebanon because of the threat of kidnapping and dangers from the ongoing civil war. Presidents Eisenhower and Reagan said the United States had 'vital' interests in Lebanon, but others might describe U.S. interests in Lebanon as less than vital. A large Lebanese-American community follows U.S.-Lebanon relations closely. The United States also watches events in Lebanon because Lebanon is a party to the Arab- Israel dispute. Lebanon is rebuilding after the 1975-1990 civil war. According to estimates, more than 100,000 people died, another 200,000 were wounded, 250,000 emigrated to avoid the fighting, and as many as one-third of the 3 million population were refugees in the Lebanon civil war. Syrian armed forces, invited into Lebanon in 1976 to prevent a Muslim attack on the Christians, continue to occupy the northern and eastern parts of the country. Israeli forces invaded southern Lebanon in 1982, and continued to occupy a 10- mile-wide strip along the Israel-Lebanon border until May 23, 2000."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Mark, Clyde R.
2002-06-18
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Trade Promotion Authority (Fast-Track): Labor Issues (Including H.R. 3005 and H.R. 3009) [Updated June 17, 2002]
"Since trade promotion authority (TPA), formerly called 'fast-track negotiating authority' expired in 1994, Congress has been unable to agree on language for its reauthorization. Under TPA, Congress agrees to consider trade agreements which the President has negotiated, on a fast-track basis -- without amendment and with limited debate. TPA facilitates the adoption of trade agreements in that it arguably reassures negotiating partners that their carefully crafted concessions will not be changed when Congress votes on the implementing legislation for the agreement. A key issue in current efforts to reauthorize TPA is the extent to which Congress will allow labor and environment provisions in new trade agreements considered under fast-track procedures. This report traces the congressional TPA-labor debate since 1994 when the previous fast-track authority expired, and compares H.R. 3005 (Thomas), the 'Bipartisan Trade Promotion Authority Act of 2001', reported by the House Ways and Means Committee on October 16, 2001 (H.Rept. 107-249), H.R. 3019 (Rangel/Levin), the 'Comprehensive Trade Negotiating Authority Act of 2001', and H.R. 3009, the Senate-passed bill which includes TPA."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Bolle, Mary Jane
2002-06-17
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September 11 Insurance Litigation [Updated June 14, 2002]
Insurance litigation arising out of the events of September 11 is already underway. Disputes involve claims for losses ranging from several thousand dollars to the billions. While some claims are involved in litigation, many are being resolved through alternative forms of dispute resolution. How much litigation will arise from September 11 remains unclear. At least two lawsuits deal with business interruption claims. Another cluster of suits involves the World Trade Center itself; the legal issues underpinning these cases will settle whether insurance companies owe $3.54 or $7.08 billion in coverage.
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Jennings, Christopher A.
2002-06-14
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National Missile Defense: Russia's Reaction [Updated June 14, 2002]
"In the late 1990s, the United States began to focus on the possible deployment of defenses against long-range ballistic missiles. The planned National Missile Defense (NMD) system would have exceeded the terms of the 1972 Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty. Recognizing this, the Clinton Administration sought to convince Russia to modify the terms of the Treaty. But Russia was unwilling to accept any changes to the Treaty. It also decried the U.S plan to deploy NMD, insisting that it would upset strategic stability and start a new arms race. Russia claimed that the ABM Treaty is the 'cornerstone of strategic stability' and that, without its limits on missile defense, the entire framework of offensive arms control agreements could collapse. Furthermore, Russia argued that a U.S. NMD system would undermine Russia's nuclear deterrent and upset stability by allowing the United States to initiate an attack and protect itself from retaliatory strike. The Clinton Administration claimed that the U.S. NMD system would be directed against rogue nations and would be too limited to intercept a Russian attack. But Russian officials questioned this argument. They doubted that rogue nations would have the capability to attack U.S. territory for some time, and they believed that the United
States could expand its NMD system easily. Furthermore, they argued that, when combined with the entirety of U.S. conventional and nuclear weapons, an NMD system would place the United States in a position of strategic superiority. During the Clinton Administration and first year of the Bush Administration, Russian officials stated that, if the United States withdrew from the ABM Treaty and deployed an NMD, Russia would withdraw from a range of offensive arms control agreements. Furthermore, Russia could deploy multiple warheads on its ICBMs to overcome a U.S. NMD, or deploy new intermediate-range missiles or shorter-range nuclear systems to enhance its military capabilities. Russia has also outlined diplomatic and cooperative military initiatives as alternatives to the deployment of a U.S. NMD. Russia has proposed that the international community negotiate a Global Missile and Missile Technology Non-Proliferation regime as a means to discourage nations from acquiring ballistic missiles. It has also suggested that it would cooperate with nations in Europe to develop and deploy defenses against theater-range ballistic missiles. Many analysts believe this proposal was designed to win support among U.S. allies for Russia's opposition to the U.S. NMD program. U.S. officials expressed an interest in the idea but said it could not substitute for defenses against longer-range missiles."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Woolf, Amy F.
2002-06-14
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Colombia: The Uribe Administration and Congressional Concerns [June 14, 2002]
"On August 7, 2002, President-elect, Alvaro Uribe Velez, age 49, is scheduled to take office amid an intensifying conflict. Uribe's election has been widely attributed to his law-and-order campaign promises to pursue the guerrillas vigorously by increasing Colombia's military budget, doubling the size of the military to 100,000, and creating a one-million man civilian militia to aid the Colombian military, as well as to the worsening security situation in Colombia. Nevertheless, Uribe's campaign slogan, 'Firm Hand, Big Heart,' also reflected the social concerns that have marked his 20-plus year career in local, regional, and national government. In the United States, the election of a president with a reputation as a 'hardliner' poses new questions for Members of the Congress, especially as Congress considers whether to broaden the scope of U.S. aid to Colombia to provide funding for actions against Colombia's leftist guerrilla and rightist paramilitary forces."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Serafino, Nina M.
2002-06-14
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Agricultural Export and Food Aid Programs [updated June 14, 2002]
"The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) forecasts that FY2002 agricultural exports will be $53.5 billion. Projected imports of $40 billion will result in an export surplus of $13.5 billion, which represents a slight annual increase in the trade balance of $200 million. Farm exports that have declined from the $60 billion reached in 1996, together with lower U.S. prices, are among reasons for recent large food aid and export program measures taken by USDA in recent years to boost U.S. agricultural exports. These measures include the purchase and donation as food aid of large wheat, a $300 million (640,000 mt) pilot global school feeding program beginning in FY2000, and large export credit guarantees in both FY2000 and 2001. The 2002 farm bill (P.L. 107-171), the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act (FSRIA), and permanent legislation authorize four kinds of federal programs to support agricultural exports: direct subsidies, market promotion, export credit guarantees, and foreign food aid. Legislative authority for most of these programs now expires at the end of 2007. Export subsidies, but not other types of export and food aid programs, are subject to reduction commitments in the Uruguay Round Agreement on Agriculture (URAA)."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Hanrahan, Charles
2002-06-14
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HIV/AIDS International Programs: FY2003 Request and FY2002 Spending [Updated June 14, 2002]
"Supplemental Appropriations legislation for FY2002, currently before Congress, could increase spending for international HIV/AIDS programs by $200 million if finally approved. The Administration's FY2003 request for international HIV/AIDS spending would boost funding for the bilateral programs of the U.S. Agency for International Development but hold constant spending by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention of the Department of Health and Human Services. Funds have not been requested for some international programs funded in FY2002, although $200 million has been requested for a contribution to the Global Fund to Fight HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria -- the same amount being provided in FY2002."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Copson, Raymond W.
2002-06-14
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Sudan: Humanitarian Crisis, Peace Talks, Terrorism, and U.S. Policy [Updated June 14, 2002]
"Sudan, geographically the largest country in Africa, has been ravaged by civil war intermittently for 4 decades. An estimated 2 million people have died over the past decade due to war-related causes and famine, and millions have been displaced from their homes. According to the United Nations, an estimated 3 million people are in need of emergency food aid. The U.N. has appealed for $190 million for 2002. The relief operation is being coordinated by Operation Lifeline Sudan (OLS), established in 1989 in response to the 1988 humanitarian crisis in which over 200,000 people died of starvation. The OLS, a consortium of U.N. agencies and three dozen non-governmental organizations (NGOs), operates in both government and rebel-controlled territories. The 19-year civil war has been and continues to be a major contributing factor to recurring humanitarian crisis. There have been many failed attempts to end the civil war in southern Sudan, including efforts by Nigeria, Kenya, Ethiopia, former President Jimmy Carter, and the United States. To that end, the heads of state from Ethiopia, Eritrea, Kenya and Uganda formed a mediation committee under the aegis of the Inter-Governmental Authority for Development (IGAD) and held the first formal negotiations in March 1994. The basis of these talks is the Declaration of Principles (DOP), which includes the right of self-determination, separation of religion and the state (secularism), and a referendum to be held in the south with secession as an option. Although the National Islamic Front (NIF) government reluctantly accepted the DOP in 1994, the government in Khartoum has repeatedly resisted secularism, walking out on peace talks in September 1994 and returning in July 1997 after a series of military defeats. In early June 2001, President Moi of Kenya convened a high-level Sudan talks in Nairobi, Kenya. No progress was made."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Dagne, Theodore S.
2002-06-14
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Nuclear Energy Policy [June 14, 2002]
"Nuclear energy policy issues facing Congress include questions about radioactive waste management, research and development priorities, power plant safety and regulation, terrorism, the Price-Anderson Act accident liability system, nuclear weapons proliferation, plutonium disposition, and technology for producing nuclear fuel. Federal funding for nuclear energy research and development was substantially reduced by the Clinton Administration, and the Bush Administration proposed further cuts. However, in the Energy and Water Development Appropriations Act for FY2002 (P.L. 107-66), Congress generally rejected those reductions. President Bush's FY2003 budget request includes $38.5 million for a Department of Energy (DOE) effort to encourage deployment of new commercial nuclear power plants by 2010. […] A major part of DOE's budget goes to cleaning up facilities formerly used to produce nuclear weapons. Among the more controversial of these activities is the disposal of plutonium from dismantled weapons, which has stimulated conflict between DOE and South Carolina over plans to build a conversion facility at the Savannah River Site in that state."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Holt, Mark; Behrens, Carl E.
2002-06-14
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Mexico-U.S. Relations: Issues for the 107th Congress [Updated June 14, 2002]
"The United States and Mexico have a special relationship under the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), which removes trade and investment barriers between the countries. The friendly relationship has been strengthened by President Bush's meetings with President Fox. Major issues of concern to Congress are trade, immigration, drug trafficking, and political rights. On May 14, 2002, Presidents Bush and Fox discussed by telephone Mexico's deficiency in supplying water to the United States under a 1944 treaty, and President Fox indicated that Mexico would take steps to comply with its obligations. On May 26, 2002, Jesus Albino Quintero Meraz and six associates in the Juarez drug cartel were arrested in Veracruz. On May 31, 2002, a group of 26 indigenous peasants were killed in southern Oaxaca. Following President Bush's announcement on June 6, 2002, of his intention to create a Department of Homeland Security that would include Customs, INS, and the Border Patrol, Mexican officials are wondering what impact the initiative will have on border trade and transit."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Storrs, K. Larry (Keith Larry), 1937-
2002-06-14
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Palestinians and Middle East Peace: Issues for the United States [Updated June 14, 2002]
"The United States began contacts with the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) in December 1988, after the PLO accepted Israel's right to exist, accepted U.N. Resolutions 242 and 338 that call for an exchange of land for peace, and renounced terrorism. The United States continues its contacts with the PLO and the Palestinian Authority elected in January 1996, and is an active broker in the continuing Middle East peace process. […] On May 4, 1994, Israel and the PLO signed an agreement providing for the Israeli withdrawal from Gaza and Jericho (withdrawal completed May 11, 1994). The Interim Agreement signed on September 28, 1995 (also called Oslo II or the Taba Agreement), provided for elections for the 88-seat Palestinian Assembly, the release of Israeli-held prisoners, Israeli withdrawal from six West Bank cities, and other issues. The Israelis withdrew from the West Bank cities by the end of 1995, and the Palestinian Assembly was elected on January 20, 1996, and sworn in on March 7, 1996. Israel and the Palestinians agreed to an Israeli withdrawal from Hebron in January 1997, and on October 23, 1998 signed the Wye agreement to meet previous commitments. The peace talks stalled at Camp David in July 2000, and remain suspended since the Palestinian uprising began in September. Some 600 Palestinians and 150 Israelis have died in the continuing confrontation."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Mark, Clyde R.
2002-06-14
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Appropriations for FY2003: Foreign Operations, Export Financing, and Related Programs [Updated June 13, 2002]
The annual Foreign Operations appropriations bill is the primary legislative vehicle through which Congress reviews the U.S. foreign aid budget and influences executive branch foreign policy making generally. President Bush has requested $16.12 billion for FY2003 Foreign Operations, an amount 5% higher than regular FY2002 appropriations, but somewhat less than enacted FY2002 foreign aid appropriations when amounts allocated from the Emergency Terrorism Response (ETR) fund are included. Overall, the FY2003 request includes $3.5 billion in aid for "front-line" states in the war on terrorism. Key Foreign Operations issues that are likely to attract considerable debate this year include: size and composition of aid to help combat terrorism, including amounts proposed as an FY2002 supplemental; the President's pledge to increase U.S. economic assistance by $5 billion by FY2006 and whether the initiative should begin immediately; development aid funding priorities, especially the adequacy of U.S. support for international HIV/AIDS programs and proposed reductions for other global health programs; funding for family planning programs and eligibility of the U.N. Population Fund; and assistance to Colombia, especially proposals to expand aid beyond counter-narcotics to a broader counter-terrorism focus.
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Nowels, Larry Q.
2002-06-13
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Afghanistan: Current Issues and U.S. Policy [Updated June 13, 2002]
"The defeat of the Taliban has enabled the United States and its coalition partners to send forces throughout Afghanistan to search for Taliban and Al Qaeda fighters and leaders that remain at large, including bin Laden himself. Afghan citizens are enjoying new personal freedoms that were forbidden under the Taliban; women are returning to schools and their jobs and participating in politics. With the Taliban defeated, the United States and its coalition partners are distributing additional humanitarian aid through newly opened routes and, in conjunction with international agencies, beginning a major reconstruction effort. Although the Northern Alliance has emerged as the dominant force in the country, the United States and United Nations mediators persuaded the Alliance to share power with Pashtun representatives in a broad-based interim government. On December 5, 2001, major Afghan factions, meeting under U.N. auspices in Bonn, signed an agreement to form an interim government that will run Afghanistan until a traditional national assembly ('loya jirga'), under way during June 11-16, 2002, selects a new government. The interim government, which took office on December 22, 2001, has been chaired by a Pashtun leader, Hamid Karzai. As the war against remaining Al Qaeda and Taliban elements continues, the United States is working to stabilize the interim government, arrange humanitarian and reconstruction assistance, expand a new Afghan national army, and support the international security force (ISAF) that is helping the new government provide security. The United States has reopened its embassy in Kabul and allowed the Afghan administration to reopen Afghanistan's embassy in Washington."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Katzman, Kenneth
2002-06-13
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Africa: U.S. Foreign Assistance Issues [Updated June 13, 2002]
"The Bush Administration is requesting just over $1 billion in Development Assistance (DA) for sub-Saharan Africa in FY2003, as compared with an estimated $887 million going to the region in FY2002. The request for aid through the Economic Support Fund (ESF), however, has dropped to $77 million from estimated ESF assistance of $100 million in FY2002. […] In a June 7, 2002 report on the food security crisis in southern Africa, the U.S. Agency for International Development reported that to date in FY2002, the United States has provided $52.7 million in emergency humanitarian assistance, primarily food aid, to the region. Treasury Secretary Paul O'Neill, speaking at a meeting of the African Development Bank in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia on May 29, 2002, said that boosting human productivity and promoting private sector development were key to sparking economic growth in Africa. O'Neill called for close measurement and monitoring of development assistance, and said that donors should insist on results. Ethiopia was the last stop in a four-nation Africa tour O'Neill had undertaken with Irish rock star Bono. At sites visited during the tour, the Treasury Secretary expressed concern over the lack of clean water and schoolbooks, corruption, and the HIV/AIDS pandemic."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Copson, Raymond W.
2002-06-13
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Nuclear Arms Control: The U.S.-Russian Agenda [Updated June 13, 2002]
"Although arms control negotiations are not as important to the U.S.-Russian relationship as they were to the U.S.-Soviet relationship during the Cold War, the United States and Russia have continued to implement existing nuclear arms control agreements and to pursue negotiations on further reductions in their strategic offensive weapons and modifications to limits on ballistic missile defenses. This issue brief summarizes the contents of these agreements and tracks progress in their ratification and implementation."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Woolf, Amy F.
2002-06-13
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Terrorism Insurance - The 2002 Marketplace [Updated June 12, 2002]
"The terrorist attacks of September 11 resulted in the largest insured catastrophic loss in history, estimated to total as much as $70 billion. Even though the insurance industry committed to pay losses resulting from the attacks, industry spokesmen asserted that in view of the impending unavailability of terrorism reinsurance on January 1, 2002, primary insurers would not be able to cover future terrorism losses on renewals of commercial risk policies without a federal backstop. In the 107th Congress, first session, the House of Representatives passed H.R. 3210 on November 29, 2001, providing for a temporary federal backstop. In the Senate, four similar measures were introduced (S. 1743, S. 1744, S. 1748, and S. 1751), but after weeks of negotiations no action was taken. Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle indicated that backstop legislation would be considered again in 2002. [...] Meanwhile, there are indications that the insurance marketplace will have made strides toward resolving a major part of the terrorism coverage issue and federal legislation may be less likely to have its originally intended impact. [...] This report looks at the terrorism insurance marketplace in 2002 in the absence of federal legislation, the economic outlook for the insurance industry, and the regulatory responses of state insurance officials."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Woodall, S. Roy, Jr.
2002-06-12
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Executive Branch Reorganization and Management Initiatives [Updated June 12, 2002]
"President William Clinton pledged his Administration to a program of 'reinventing government,' beginning with a National Performance Review (NPR), announced shortly after his inauguration, to find ways to make the federal government more efficient, economical, and effective. The result was a series of reports proposing various organizational and operational reforms. Some major NPR recommendations were still awaiting implementation when the November 1994 congressional elections gave the Republicans majority party control of both houses of the 104th Congress. Republican leaders had unveiled a Contract With America reform plan in late September 1994. Its core principles regarded the federal government as being too big, spending too much, being unresponsive to the citizenry, and perpetrating burdensome regulations. Consequently, at least two distinct agendas for reforming and restructuring the federal government were before the 104th Congress. At its conclusion, both the President and Republican congressional leaders could claim some victories in downsizing government. No department, however, was eliminated, and only a few small agencies were abolished. Administration and congressional reinvention efforts resulted in largely modest accomplishments during the 105th Congress. Major exceptions were the overhaul of the structure and operations of the Internal Revenue Service and the consolidation of the foreign policy agencies, both of which were realized as a result of cooperation between the Clinton Administration and Republican congressional leaders. During the 106th Congress, executive reorganization and reinvention were neither major nor high-priority items."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Relyea, Harold
2002-06-12
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Cuba: Issues for the 107th Congress [Updated June 12, 2002]
"There appears to be broad agreement among those concerned with Cuba on the overall objective of U.S. policy toward Cuba--to help bring democracy and respect for human rights to the island. But there have been several schools of thought on how to achieve that objective. Some advocate a policy of keeping maximum pressure on the Cuban government until reforms are enacted, while continuing current U.S. efforts to support the Cuban people. Others argue for an approach, sometimes referred to as constructive engagement, that would lift some U.S. sanctions that they believe are hurting the Cuban people, and move toward engaging Cuba in dialogue. Still others call for a swift normalization of U.S.-Cuban relations by lifting the U.S. embargo. Policy debate in the past several years has focused on whether to maintain U.S. restrictions on food and medical exports as well as on travel to Cuba."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Sullivan, Mark P.; Taft-Morales, Maureen
2002-06-12
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Background and Legal Issues Related to Stem Cell Research [June 12, 2002]
"With certain restrictions, the President has announced that federal funds may be used to conduct research on human embryonic stem cells. Federal research is limited to 64 existing stem cell lines that were derived (1) with the informed consent of the donors; (2) from excess embryos created solely for reproductive purposes; and (3) without any financial inducements to the donors. No federal funds will be used for the derivation or use of stem cell lines derived from newly destroyed embryos; the creation of any human embryos for research purposes; or cloning of human embryos for any purposes. Several lawsuits have been filed relating to stem cell research, and questions have been raised concerning access to existing stem cell lines by federal researchers."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Duffy, Diane T.
2002-06-12
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Andean Trade Preference Act: A Comparison of House and Senate Versions of H.R. 3009 [June 12, 2002]
"In 1991, the 102nd Congress passed the Andean Trade Preference Act (ATPA), which provided for preferential treatment of selected U.S. imports from Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru as part of an incentive system to encourage legal trade as an alternative to illicit drug production. ATPA expired in December 2001 and reauthorization legislation is being considered in the 107th Congress. This report compares two versions of H.R. [House of Representatives] 3009, the 'Andean Trade Promotion and Drug Eradication Act,' passed by the House on November 14, 2001, and the 'Andean Trade Preference Expansion Act, Title XXXI of the Trade Act of 2002,' passed by the Senate on May 23, 2002. The bills would amend the preferential tariff treatment accorded ATPA beneficiary countries. Congressional findings in both bills support the overall ATPA program, and in general, the two bills also agree on expanding duty-free treatment to previously excepted articles, increasing the requirements to qualify as a beneficiary country, and enhancing customs procedures to make them essentially equivalent to those in the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA)."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Hornbeck, J. F. (John F.)
2002-06-12
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Andean Regional Initiative (ARI): FY2002 Supplemental and FY2003 Assistance for Colombia and Neighbors [Updated June 12, 2002]
"In 2002, Congress is considering President Bush's request for additional funding and additional authority to provide assistance to Colombia and six regional neighbors in a continuation of the Andean Regional Initiative that was launched in 2001. The region has been viewed as important primarily because it produces virtually all of the world's cocaine and increasing amounts of heroin. Moreover, the stability of Colombia and the region is threatened by Colombia's longstanding guerrilla insurgency and rightist paramilitary groups, which are both believed to be largely funded by 'taxes' on illegal narcotics cultivation and trade."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Serafino, Nina M.; Storrs, K. Larry (Keith Larry), 1937-
2002-06-12
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Latin America and the Caribbean: Legislative Issues in 2001-2002 [Updated June 12, 2002]
"This report provides an overview of the major legislative issues Congress dealt with in 2001 and 2002 relating to Latin America and the Caribbean. Organized by the regions and subregions of the Western Hemisphere, the report provides reference and linkages to other reports covering the issues in more detail. The importance of the region to the United States has been emphasized by President Bush's trips to Mexico in February 2001 and March 2002 and his trips to Peru and El Salvador in March 2002, and by a number of congressional trips to the region."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Sullivan, Mark P.; Hornbeck, J. F. (John F.); Storrs, K. Larry (Keith Larry), 1937- . . .
2002-06-12
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AIDS in Africa [Updated June 11, 2002]
"Sub-Saharan Africa has been far more severely affected by AIDS than any other part of the world. The United Nations reports that 28.1 million adults and children are infected with the HIV virus in the region, which has about 10% of the world's population but more than 70% of the worldwide total of infected people. The overall rate of infection among adults in sub-Saharan Africa is about 8.4%; it is 1.2% worldwide. Sixteen countries, mostly in east and southern Africa, have HIV infection rates of more than 10%, and the rate has reached 35.8% in Botswana. An estimated 19.3 million Africans have died of AIDS, including 2.3 million who died in 2001. AIDS has surpassed malaria as the leading cause of death in Africa, and it kills many times more Africans than war. In Africa, HIV is spread primarily by heterosexual contact, and sub- Saharan Africa is the only region where women are infected at a higher rate than men."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Copson, Raymond W.
2002-06-11
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House and Senate Committee Organization and Jurisdiction: Considerations Related to Proposed Department of Homeland Security [June 10, 2002]
"The creation of a Department of Homeland Security, along the lines proposed by the Administration, would affect the jurisdiction of numerous House and Senate committees. In addition, the expansiveness of the proposal may cause Congress to consider using alternative procedures and structures to review the proposal and to monitor the implementation of such a new department. This report discusses the current legislative jurisdictions of House and Senate committees with responsibility over terrorism, homeland security, and the agencies affected by the proposed new department. It also examines alternative procedures and structures Congress might employ in studying the proposal, such as creating a select committee. Finally, it identifies options for committee organization to monitor a Department of Homeland Security after its creation."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Schneider, Judy
2002-06-10
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PLO and Its Factions [June 10, 2002]
"During the current Palestinian uprising, several Palestinian factions apparently linked in varying degrees to the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) have used violence in an effort to force Israel to end its occupation of Palestinian territory. There is a debate over the degree to which PLO Chairman and Palestinian Authority President Yasir Arafat is willing and able to prevent anti-Israel violence by these factions. This report will be updated to reflect regional developments."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Katzman, Kenneth
2002-06-10
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Iran: Current Developments and U.S. Policy [June 10, 2002]
"Even before Iran's tacit cooperation with post-September 11 U.S. efforts to defeat Afghanistan's Taliban regime, signs of moderation in Iran had stimulated the United States to try to engage Iran in official talks. Iran, still split between conservatives and reformers loyal to President Mohammad Khatemi, who was elected in May 1997 and overwhelmingly reelected on June 8, 2001, has not accepted to date. Recent reports of Iranian meddling in post-Taliban Afghanistan and Iran's intercepted January 2002 shipment of arms allegedly to the Palestinian Authority have reversed the warming trend. Iran was grouped with North Korea and Iraq as part of the 'axis of evil' identified in President Bush's January 29, 2002 State of the Union message. President Bush has identified Iran's efforts to acquire weapons of mass destruction and delivery means, coupled with its support of terrorist groups, as key U.S. concerns. Iran's ballistic missile program has made major strides over the past few years, with the help of several foreign suppliers, and its nuclear program is advancing with Russia's help."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Katzman, Kenneth
2002-06-10
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Natural Resources and Environment Function in the FY2003 Federal Budget: An Overview of Programs and Funding [Updated June 10, 2002]
"Function 300 of the federal budget includes activities related to natural resources and the environment, and is divided in to five subfunctions: water resources, conservation and land management, recreational resources, pollution control and abatement, and other activities such as research and technical support. For FY2003, the Administration requested $29.97 billion in budget authority and $30.60 billion in outlays for Function 300. As passed, the House budget resolution (H.Con.Res. 353) would provide $29.22 billion in budget authority and $29.87 billion in outlays for Function 300. While these amounts are an overall decrease, H.Con.Res. 353 assumes full funding of the Administration's request for several programs. As reported, the Senate budget resolution (S.Con.Res. 100) would provide $33.29 billion in budget authority and $31.55 billion in outlays, and includes numerous funding assumptions. Neither H.Con.Res. 353 as passed, nor S.Con.Res. 100 as reported, assume s future revenues from leasing the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge for oil and gas exploration, as the Administration proposed. In the absence of an agreement with the Senate, the House passed a resolution (H.Res. 428) which provides that H.Con.Res. 353 'shall have force and effect in the House', as though it were adopted by Congress. To date, the Senate has not taken further action to adopt S. Con.Res. 100. This report will be updated as legislative action occurs."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Bearden, David M.
2002-06-10
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Homeland Security: Coast Guard Operations-Background and Issues for Congress [June 7, 2002]
"The Administration's proposal, announced June 6, 2002, to create a new Department of Homeland Security (DHLS) would, if implemented, transfer the Coast Guard from the Department of Transportation (DoT) to DHLS. The Coast Guard, with about 43,600 full-time uniformed and civilian personnel, would be the largest federal agency absorbed into DHLS. The Administration's proposal mirrors other bills introduced in Congress prior to June 6, 2002 that would transfer the Coast Guard into a new department or agency for homeland security. In addition to the issue of the Coast Guard's location in the executive branch, the Coast Guard's homeland security operations, particularly after September 11, 2001, raise other potential issues for Congress. This report will be updated as events warrant."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
O'Rourke, Ronald
2002-06-07
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India-U.S. Relations [Updated June 7, 2002]
"Although the end of the Cold War freed U.S.-India relations from the constraints of a bipolar world, bilateral relations continued for a decade to be affected by the burden of history, most notably the longstanding India-Pakistan regional rivalry. Recent years, however, have brought a sea change in U.S.- India relations, which was reflected in India's swift offer of full support for the U.S.-led war on terrorism following the September 11, 2001, terrorist attack on New York and Washington. The continuing U.S. concern in South Asia, however, is the reduction of tensions between India and Pakistan, which center on their competing claims to the former princely state of Kashmir, and the prevention of nuclear and ballistic missile proliferation. India and Pakistan have so far ignored U.S. and international pressure to sign the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty or the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT)."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Gupta, Amit
2002-06-07
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Iraq: Compliance, Sanctions, and U.S. Policy [Updated June 6, 2002]
"In recent years, the United States has been unable to maintain an international consensus for strict enforcement of all applicable U.N. Security Council resolutions on Iraq, but it has largely succeeded in preventing Iraq from reemerging as an immediate strategic threat to the region. There is U.S. concern about the long-term threat posed by Iraq and, in the wake of the September 11 attacks, the Bush Administration has said it will prevent Iraq from re-emerging as a significant threat to U.S. security. The exact form of that Administration stance has not yet been announced, whether it be through international sanctions and diplomacy, military action, or covert action. [...] In late 1998, the Clinton Administration publicly added a major new dimension to U.S. Iraq policy - openly promoting a change of regime. Accomplishing this additional U.S. objective, which the Bush Administration says is the cornerstone of its Iraq policy, is considered risky and difficult, and is not openly supported by many other governments. How to accomplish that objective appears to be the subject of vigorous debate within the Administration. The opening of a diplomatic dialogue with Baghdad (the United States suspended relations with Iraq in January 1991) has not been under consideration, although Iraq has sought talks with the United States."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Katzman, Kenneth
2002-06-06
