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FOCUS July 2012

Category - International Relations

  1. Bromund, Ted R. and Dean Cheng.
    Arms Trade Treaty Could Jeopardize U.S. Ability to Provide for Taiwan's Defense.
    The Heritage Foundation, June 4, 2012, 3 pages.
    "The U.N. Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) will be negotiated in July in New York. One reason to be concerned about the ATT is the risks that it poses to America's ability to sell arms to Taiwan. The U.S. is legally—as well as strategically and morally—obliged to provide for Taiwan's defense. It should neither sign nor ratify a treaty that would increase the difficulty of meeting that commitment." (From the Heritage Foundation)

  2. Kan, Shirley A. and Wayne M. Morrison.
    U.S.-Taiwan Relationship: Overview of Policy Issues. 
    (CRS Report for Congress)
    Washington, D.C.: Congressional Research Service, June 15, 2012, 24 pages.
    "Since Taiwan and the PRC resumed their quasi-official dialogue in 2008 under President Ma and cross-strait tension decreased, some have stressed concerns about steps seen as needed to be taken by the United States and by Taiwan to strengthen their relationship." (From CRS Report)

  3. Lawrence, Susan V. and Thomas Lum.
    U.S.-China Diplomacy Over Chinese Legal Advocate Chen Guangcheng. http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/row/R42554.pdf 
    Washington, D.C.: Congressional Research Service, May 29, 2012, 18 pages.
    "This report begins by examining implications of the Chen case for the place of human rights in U.S.-China relations. It then discusses why Beijing may have been willing to negotiate with the United States at all over the fate of a Chinese citizen inside China. The report highlights the remaining issues in the case, details the understandings reached between the two governments, and then provides background on Chen Guangcheng and a list of his family and other associates in China who may be at risk. The report includes a map showing Chen's home district and Beijing, the city to which he escaped." (From CRS Report)

  4. Paal, Douglas H.
    Taiwan: Outlook for Cross-Strait Relations.
    Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, June 12, 2012, 3 pages.
    "Although cross-strait relations appear more stable than they have been in more than sixty years, that does not mean, however, that observers should expect further big steps to improve relations between Taipei and Beijing." (From the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace)

  5. Panetta, Leon E.
    Shangri-La Security Dialogue.  
    (Panetta Describes U.S. Shift in Asia-Pacific)
    U.S. Department of Defense, June 2, 2012, 5 pages.
    "The United States is a Pacific power and will remain engaged in the region, Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta said during a speech delivered at the 11th Annual Shangri-La Dialogue here." (From IIP Digital) 

  1. Trafficking in Persons Report 2012: Taiwan.
    OT-1204, June 21, 2012, 3 pages.
    "Taiwan is a destination, and to a much lesser extent, source and transit territory for men, women, and children subjected to sex trafficking and forced labor. Most trafficking victims in Taiwan are migrant workers from Vietnam, Thailand, Indonesia, mainland China, Cambodia, the Philippines, Bangladesh, and India." (From U.S. Department of State)

  1. Brill, Alex Brill and James K. Glassman.
    Who should the '20' be?
    (A New Membership System to Boost the Legitimacy of the G20 at a Critical Time for the Global Economy)
    American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research, June 14, 2012, 18 pages.
    "This paper makes the case that correcting this deficiency is essential, and that the most important change must be made at the most basic level: the G20 cannot achieve adequate legitimacy until it adopts clear criteria for membership." (From AEI)

  2. Elwell, Craig K.
    Economic Recovery: Sustaining U.S. Economic Growth in a Post-Crisis Economy.  
    (CRS Report for Congress)
    Washington, D.C.: Congressional Research Service, May 17, 2012, 23 pages.
    "Economic recovery began in mid-2009. Real gross domestic product (GDP) has been on a positive track since then, although the pace has been uneven and slowed significantly in 2011.  The stock market has recovered from its lows, and employment has increased moderately. On the other hand, significant economic weakness remains evident, particularly in the balance sheet of households, the labor market, and the housing sector." (From CRS Report)

  3. Nides, Thomas.
    Global Economic Statecraft: International Travel and Tourism.
    U.S. Department of State, June 13, 2012, 10 pages.
    "On June 14th, American embassies and consulates around the world will host events that highlight our economic statecraft agenda to help create American jobs, and to strengthen our shared economic future. Businesses, governments, and civil society leaders will come together to find new ways to invest and to work together – whether through a public dialogue, a partnership announcement, or a meeting to discuss export opportunities." (From U.S. Department of State)

Category - Politics

  1. The 2012 Long-Term Budget Outlook.
    Congressional Budget Office, June 5, 2012, 4 pages.
    "Over the past few years, the federal government has been recording budget deficits that are the largest as a share of the economy since 1945. Consequently, the amount of federal debt held by the public has surged. By the end of this year, CBO projects that the federal debt will reach roughly 70 percent of gross domestic product (GDP), the highest percentage since shortly after World War II." (From the Congressional Budget Office)

  2. Art, Robert J.
    Introduction from America's Path: Grand Strategy for the Next Administration.
    Center for a New American Security, May 31, 2012, 8 pages.
    "In America's Path: Grand Strategy for the Next Administration, editors and CNAS experts Richard Fontaine and Dr. Kristin M. Lord bring together four strategists - Dr. Robert J. Art, Dr. Richard K. Betts, Dr. Peter Feaver and Dr. Anne-Marie Slaughter - with diverse backgrounds and perspectives to advance a common mission of promoting informed debate about America's role in the world and the best ways to fulfill it." (From Center for a New American Security)

  3. Digital Government: Building a 21st Century Platform to Better Serve the American People.
    The White House, May 23, 2012, 31 pages.
    "Mission drives agencies, and the need to deliver better services to customers at a lower cost—whether an agency is supporting the warfighter overseas, a teacher seeking classroom resources or a family figuring out how to pay for college—is pushing every level of government to look for new solutions." (From the White House)

  4. Pew Research Center.
    Overview from the Rise of Asian Americans.
    Pew Research Center, June 19, 2012, 17 pages.
    "Asian Americans are the best-educated, highest-income, fastest-growing race group in the country. Pew Research Center's new report paints a comprehensive portrait of Asian Americans, examining their demographic characteristics, social and family values, education, economic circumstances and more. The report also explores six subgroups by country of origin." (From Pew Research Center)

  5. Rainie, Lee.
    Social Media and the 2012 U.S. Presidential Elections.
    U.S. Department of State, June 20, 2012, 7 pages.
    "We've found that 15 percent of Internet users use Twitter. So it's 66 percent of Internet users use Facebook and social networking sites, 15 percent use Twitter. So there's a difference and a gap; it's not everyone is using Twitter. And some American pundits have talked about this election being the Twitter election. This is a special way now that the political community is organizing itself and interacting with voters. There are a small number of people using Twitter; it's not everyone. And Twitter is important for campaigns to communicate with journalists, with other elites, to share their message and perhaps mobilize other people. But it is not all of the population who are doing it." (From U.S. Department of State)

  6. U.S. Department of State.
    U.S. Elections: Electoral College.
    U.S. Department of State, June 23, 2012, 2 pages.
    "More than 100 million voters will likely cast ballots in nationwide U.S. elections on November 6, 2012. But only 538 men and women will elect the next president of the United States, and those elections will take place in 50 state capitals and in Washington, D.C., on December 17." (From U.S. Department of State)

Category - Global Issues

  1. Archick, Kristin.
    U.S.-EU Cooperation Against Terrorism.
    (CRS Report for Congress)
    Washington, D.C.: Congressional Research Service, May 21 2012, 19 pages.
    "Congressional decisions related to improving border controls and transport security, in particular, may affect how future U.S.-EU cooperation evolves. In addition, given the European Parliament's growing influence in many of these policy areas, Members of Congress may be able to help shape Parliament's views and responses through ongoing contacts and the existing Transatlantic Legislators' Dialogue (TLD). This report examines the evolution of U.S.-EU counterterrorism cooperation and the ongoing challenges that may be of interest in the 112th Congress." (From CRS Report)

  2. Kendall, Alexandra E.
    U.S. Response to the Global Threat of HIV/AIDS: Basic Facts.
    (CRS Report for Congress)
    Washington, D.C.: Congressional Research Service, June 15 2012,
    "This report outlines basic facts related to global HIV/AIDS, including characteristics of the epidemic and U.S. legislation, programs, funding, and partnerships related to global HIV/AIDS. It concludes with a brief description of some of the major issues that might be considered by the 112th Congress in its response to the disease." (From CRS Report)

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