|
- Carter, Ash.
Statement on the U.S. Military Strategy in the Middle East and the
Counter-ISIL Campaign before the House Armed Services Committee. 
U.S. Department of Defense,
December 1, 2015, 5 pages.
“That’s the right strategic approach for two principal
reasons. First, it emphasizes the necessity of capable, motivated local
forces – as the only force that can assure a lasting victory. Such forces
are hard to find, but they do exist. And we can enable them – and we are
constantly looking for effective ways to expand doing so and I’ll describe some
of them – but we cannot substitute for them. And, second, this strategic
approach sets the conditions for a political solution to the civil war in Syria
and to crippling sectarianism in Iraq, which are the only durable ways to
prevent a future ISIL-like organization from re-emerging. And that’s why
the diplomatic work, led by Secretary Kerry and the State Department, is the
first and absolutely critical line of effort in our strategy.” (From U.S.
Department of Defense)
- Dobbins, James and others.
A Peace Plan for Syria.
RAND Corporation, December 17, 2015, 11 pages.
“This essay presents a peace plan for Syria that is focused less
on defining the nature of the Syrian state that might emerge from the conflict
and more on the steps necessary to secure and sustain a ceasefire for the
extended period that is likely to be needed for the Syrian parties to actually
agree on new governing arrangements. The proposal calls for deferring a
comprehensive political solution and resolution of the Assad question and
focusing instead on a ceasefire backed by international enforcement, regional
devolution of power, humanitarian assistance, and a longer-term political
process.” (From RAND Corporation)
- Habeck, Mary and others.
A Global Strategy for Combating Al Qaeda
and the Islamic State.
American
Enterprise Institute, December 2015, 21 pages.
“The
United States faces a fundamental challenge to its way of life. Al Qaeda and
the Islamic State (ISIS), two groups that have already killed thousands of
Americans and tens of thousands of Muslims, are waging war on the United
States, our allies, and our friends as part of a general strategy to create a
global caliphate. As evidenced by their gains in Syria, Iraq, Libya, Yemen, and
South Asia, the extremists are no longer on the run and arguably are winning.
Al Qaeda, in particular, has expanded its control and influence in the past few
years, with affiliates and linked groups present in more than 20 countries.” (From
American Enterprise Institute)
- Horta, Loro.
Understanding PLA Reforms.
Center for Strategic and International Studies, December 15, 2015,
2 pages.
“Xi announced that major military reforms would soon be carried
out, including the reduction of 300,000 personnel. In the following months
reforms were announced, including consolidation of the current seven military
regions into four strategic zones, which suggests that the PLA will abandon its
Soviet structure in favor of one similar to that of the US. Last year, major
reforms were announced concerning military discipline and China’s military
industries. Chinese state media has been replete with articles reporting
resistance from the military to the reforms. The fact that state-controlled
media has reported this dissatisfaction suggests significant resistance from
the PLA. Why is Xi so determined to carry out these reforms?” (From the
CSIS)
- Tellis, Ashley J. and others.
“Assessing National Power in Asia.”
Strategic Asia 2015–16: Foundations of National Power in the
Asia-Pacific, November 2015, 21 pages.
“By examining the resources of the major countries in the
Asia-Pacific and their ability to convert these resources into national
performance, this volume in the Strategic Asia series lays the foundation for a
three-year study of each nation’s likelihood of achieving its desired outcomes
in international relations.” (From The National Bureau of Asian Research)
- Morrison, Wayne M.
China-U.S. Trade Issues.
Washington, D.C. : Congressional Research Service, December 15,
2015, 61 pages.
“U.S.-China economic ties have expanded substantially over the
past three decades. Total U.S.-China trade rose from $2 billion in 1979 to $591
billion in 2014. China is currently the United States’ second-largest trading
partner, its third-largest export market, and its biggest source of imports.”
(From CRS Report)
- Boudreau, Vincent.
2016 Election Update: The Impact of
Immigrant Communities on U.S. Elections.
The U.S. State Department,
December 2, 2015, 6 pages.
“First of all, about demographic shifts in the United States
that will affect this issue – and these are, I think, interesting and
substantial. I’d like to talk to you a
little about where public opinion currently stands and how it operates in the
current election. I’d like then to say something about where we are in the
current political process and why it’s – it may be a little bit distinct. And
then I want to leave a few minutes at the end to talk about how developments
like the Paris tragedy has affected the way that immigration plays in the
contemporary American election.”(From the U.S. State Department)
- Antos, Joseph and others.
Improving Health and Health Care: An Agenda
for Reform: Executive Summary.
American Enterprise Institute, December 2015, 2 pages.
“Despite,
and in a sense because of, the enactment of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) in
2010, US health care is still badly in need of reform and revitalization.
Instead of more federal regulation and subsidies, what US health care needs is
adoption of market principles, starting with broad empowerment of the
patient-consumer. The proposals advanced in this volume would replace many counterproductive
and outdated federal policies with practical, market-based reforms that aim to
provide all Americans with access to high-quality health care at affordable
prices.” (From American Enterprise Institute)
Full
Report.
- DeSilver, Drew.
Supreme Court Could Reshape Voting districts, with Big Impact on
Hispanics.
Pew Research Center, December 10, 2015, 3 pages.
“The
U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments recently in a Texas case that challenges the
way nearly every U.S. voting district – from school boards to Congress – is
drawn. The case asks the court to specify what the word “person” means in its
“one person, one vote” rule. The outcome of the case could have major impacts
on Hispanic voting strength and representation from coast to coast.” (Pew
Research Center)
- O’Sullivan, Stephanie.
“Innovation and Diversity in the Cyber Fight.”
Vital
Speeches of the Day, December 2015, pp. 383-385.
"It’s
clear that the threat is real. And yet, we don’t do all we could to prevent
those attacks. There are four concrete and simple steps we can take today to
improve our cyber posture and two far more complex steps that I think are
absolutely necessary to affect real change." (From Vital
Speeches of the Day)
- Kruger, Lennard G.
Internet Governance and the Domain Name
System: Issues for Congress.
Washington, D.C. : Congressional Research Service, November 20,
2015, 33 pages.
“The Internet is often described as a “network of networks”
because it is not a single physical entity, but hundreds of thousands of
interconnected networks linking hundreds of millions of computers around the
world. As such, the Internet is international, decentralized, and comprised of
networks and infrastructure largely owned and operated by private sector
entities. As the Internet grows and becomes more pervasive in all aspects of
modern society, the question of how it should be governed becomes more
pressing.” (From CRS Report)
- Leggett, Jane A.
CRS INSIGHT: Climate Change Pact Agreed
in Paris.
Washington, D.C. : Congressional Research Service, December 15,
2015, 2 pages.
“Delegations
of 195 nations adopted, on December 12, 2015, a Paris Agreement that creates a
structure for nations to pledge to abate their greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions,
to adapt to climate change, and to cooperate to these ends, including financial
and other support. A single framework to promote transparency and track progress
of Parties' efforts applies, for the first time, to all Parties. The Parties
also adopted a Decision to give effect to the Paris Agreement.” (From CRS
Report)
- Lipka, Michael.
Muslims and Islam: Key Findings in the U.S.
and Around the World.
Pew Research Center, December 7, 2015, 6 pages.
“Muslims are the fastest-growing religious group in the world.
The growth and regional migration of Muslims, combined with the ongoing impact
of the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) and other extremist groups that
commit acts of violence in the name of Islam, have brought Muslims and the
Islamic faith to the forefront of the political debate in many countries. Yet
many facts about Muslims are not well known in some of these places, and most
Americans – who live in a country with a relatively small Muslim population –
say they know little or nothing about Islam.” (From Pew Research Center)
- Perry, Mark J.
Innovation can cut Global Carbon Emissions.
American Enterprise Institute, December 1, 2015, 2 pages.
“Climate action has a powerful force on its side — American
creativity and ingenuity. When fully unleashed, U.S. innovations in advanced
energy technologies could radically cut carbon emissions and become a huge
market for global economic growth.” (From American Enterprise Institute)
-
World Intellectual Property
Report 2015: Executive Summary.
World Intellectual Property
Organization, December 2015, 5 pages.
“WIPO's latest World
Intellectual Property Report (WIPR) explores the role of IP at the nexus of innovation and economic growth, focusing on the
impact of breakthrough innovations. The
2015 report shows how three historical breakthrough innovations –
airplanes, antibiotics and semiconductors – fueled new business activity. It
examines three current technologies with breakthrough potential: 3D printing, nanotechnology
and robotics. And it considers the future outlook for innovation-driven growth.”
(From World Intellectual Property
Organization)
Full
Report
- Wu, John.
Fueling Innovation: The Role of R&D in
Economic Growth.
Information Technology &
Innovation Foundation, December 7, 2015. 2 pages.
“Innovation
drives economic growth. But what fuels innovation? At the heart of it, research
and development (R&D) activities allow scientists and researchers to
develop new knowledge, techniques, and technologies. As technology changes,
people can produce more with either the same amount or fewer resources, thereby
increasing productivity. As productivity grows, so does the economy.” (From
the Information Technology & Innovation Foundation)
|
