2012 Election

1. Remarks by the President at the Democratic National Convention.
   The White House, September 7, 2012, 8 pages.
   "In accepting the Democratic Party nomination for reelection to the Presidency of the United States, President Obama made an honest and compelling argument for not only the successes of his first term, but the promise of his second." (From 2012 Democratic National Convention)

2. Remarks by the Vice President at the Democratic National Convention.
   The White House, September 6, 2012, 8 pages.
   "But I know him, to state the obvious, from a different perspective.  I know him, and I want to show you -- I want to show you the character of a leader who had what it took when the American people literally stood on the brink of a new depression.  A leader who has what it takes to lead us over the next four years to a future as great as our people. " (From the White House)

3. Transcript of Bill Clinton's Speech to the Democratic National Convention.
   The New York Times, September 5, 2012, 15 pages.
   "I want to nominate a man whose own life has known its fair share of adversity and uncertainty. I want to nominate a man who ran for president to change the course of an already weak economy and then just six weeks before his election, saw it suffer the biggest collapse since the Great Depression; a man who stopped the slide into depression and put us on the long road to recovery, knowing all the while that no matter how many jobs that he saved or created, there'd still be millions more waiting, worried about feeding their own kids, trying to keep their hopes alive." (From the New York Times)

4. Romney's Speech to the Republican Convention.
   The New York Times, August 30, 2012, 11 pages.
   "If I am elected President of these United States, I will work with all my energy and soul to restore that America, to lift our eyes to a better future. That future is our destiny. That future is out there. It is waiting for us. Our children deserve it, our nation depends upon it, the peace and freedom of the world require it. And with your help we will deliver it. Let us begin that future together tonight." (From the New York Times)

5. Transcript: Rep. Paul Ryan's Convention Speech.
   NPR, August 29, 2012, 7 pages.
   "I accept the calling of my generation to give our children the America that was given to us, with opportunity for the young and security for the old – and I know that we are ready." (From NPR)

6. RNC 2012: Condoleezza Rice delivers speech to Republican National Convention in Tampa.
   The Washington Post, August 30, 2012, 4 pages.
   "Former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice speaks on a wide range of issues including foreign relations, defense, energy and education issues in her 2012 speech to the Republican National Convention. She also shares about her personal experience growing up during the Jim Crow laws and her parents belief in her ability to even be president." (From the Washington Post)

7. Fallows, James.
   "Slugfest."
   The Atlantic, September 2012, pp. 60-74.
   "The presidential debates this year may well determine the election's outcome.  Here's how they might unfold." (From the Atlantic)

8. Cronin, Richard and Zach Dubel.
   Maritime Security in East Asia: Boundary Disputes, Resources, and the Future of Regional Stability.
   Stimson Center, August 28, 2012, 35 pages. 
   "This report briefly surveys disputes in the East China Sea and Sea of Japan, but focuses primarily on those in the South China Sea. Both of the former are contentious potential flashpoints, and are currently at an abnormally high level of intensity and acrimony." (From the Stimson Center)

9. Glaser, Bonnie.
   "Trouble in the South China Sea."
   Foreign Policy, September 17, 2012, 8 pages.
   "With China and Japan at odds over disputed islands to the east, the potential for conflict in the south may seem muted for now. But not for long." (From Foreign Policy)

10. Nathan, Andrew J. and Andrew Scobell.
    "How China Sees America."
    Foreign Affairs, September/October 2012, pp. 32-47.
    "The United States worries about China's rise, but Washington rarely considers how the world looks through Beijing's eyes.  Even when U.S. officials speak sweetly and softly, their Chinese counterparts hear sugarcoated threats and focus on the big stick in the background." (From Foreign Affairs)

11. Paal, Douglas H.
    Asia's Maritime Disputes: How to Lower the Heat.
    Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, September 6, 2012, 3 pages.
    "Declining fisheries and a race for energy resources are fueling the flames of Asia's maritime disputes.  Outsiders can help with concrete diplomatic initiatives." (From Carnegie Endowment for International Peace)

12. Roy, Denny.
    Drop the Fallacy: The United States Is Not Blocking China's Rise.
    East West Center, September 11, 2012 2 pages.
    "The idea that the United States will not allow China to 'rise' is wrong. It is also dangerous, adding an unnecessary layer of tension into US-China relations as these two countries work through a difficult transition in the regional power structure. The truth is that under the 'hegemony' of a regional order sponsored and enforced by the United States, China's economic, technological and military rise has been virtually unabated." (From the East-West Center)

13. Sutter, Robert and Chin-hao Huang.
    China Muscles Opponents on South China Sea.
    Center for Strategic and International Studies, September 2012, 12 pages.
    "The primary focus of attention in the relationship over the summer was the dispute over territorial claims in the South China Sea as China set forth implicit choices for Southeast Asian disputants and others with an interest in the region. " (From CSIS)

14. Remarks by U.S. APEC Senior Official and Coordinator for Economic Policy in the Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs Atul Keshap American Chamber of Commerce Luncheon. 
    OT-1208, September 25, 2012,
    "For our part, we support Taiwan’s leadership on a range of areas in the APEC arena. Taiwan has been especially effective at sharing its policy successes in fostering small and medium enterprises. Taiwan has been similarly instrumental in advancing APEC's ambitious structural reform agenda." (From AIT)

15. Kalathil, Shanthi.
    Influence for Sale? China's Trade, Investment and Assistance Policies in Southeast Asia.
    Center for a New American Security, September 5, 2012, 6 pages.
    "Shanthi Kalathil argues that while China's significant investment in Southeast Asia has improved relations with Vietnam and other Southeast Asian neighbors in some ways, it has proved less effective than is commonly perceived. Kalathil contends that China’s development projects have often alienated local populations, and its nationalistic rhetoric over the South China Sea has increasingly strained its relations with other South China Sea claimants." (From the Center for a New American Security)

16. Nelson, Rebecca M.
    The Eurozone Crisis: Overview and Issues for Congress.
    (CRS Report for Congress)
    Washington, D.C.: Congressional Research Service, August 29, 2012, 22 pages.
    "What started as a debt crisis in Greece in late 2009 has evolved into a broader economic and political crisis in the Eurozone and European Union (EU). The Eurozone faces four major, and related, economic challenges: (1) high debt levels and public deficits in some Eurozone countries; (2) weaknesses in the European banking system; (3) economic recession and high unemployment in some Eurozone countries; and (4) persistent trade imbalances within the Eurozone." (From CRS Report)

17. Herbart, Katie.
    Facebook, Social Media and U.S. Elections.
    U.S. Department of State, August 30, 2012, 4 pages.
    "And what campaigns are finding is that while social media alone cannot win you an election, it can certainly help. If you’re not on it, it can certainly help you lose an election." (From U.S. Department of State)

18. Maskell, Jack.
    Gifts to the President of the United States.
    (CRS Report for Congress)
    Washington, D.C.: Congressional Research Service, August 16, 2012, 6 pages.
    "This report addresses provisions of federal law and regulation restricting the acceptance of personal gifts by the President of the United States." (From CRS Report)

19. Moffit, Robert and Alyene Senger.
    Why Traditional Medicare Must (and Will) Be Reformed.
    The Heritage Foundation, September 10, 2012, 3 pages.
    "Medicare must undergo structural reform. Its deficiencies undercut patients' comprehensive and integrated care while increasing costs and generating debt. Medicare's inadequate benefit package causes big gaps in coverage, requiring patients to buy costly supplemental insurance." (From the Heritage Foundation)

20. Rector, Robert.
    Marriage: America's Greatest Weapon Against Child Poverty.
    The Heritage Foundation, September 5, 2012, 15 pages.
    "Child poverty is an ongoing national concern, but few are aware that its principal cause is the absence of married fathers in the home. Marriage remains America's strongest anti-poverty weapon, yet it continues to decline." (From the Heritage Foundation)

21. Global Women's Issues: Women and Education.
    IIP Digital, September 18, 2012, 3 pages.
    "Few investments have as large a payoff as girls' education. Educated women are more likely to ensure health care for their families, educate their children and become income earners." (From IIP Digital)