- Cordesman, Anthony H.
What Are the Main Risks We Face in the Middle East? 
Center for Strategic and International Studies, December 15, 2016, 5 pages.
“The Trump administration faces a wide range of major challenges in the Middle East. Some will have to be dealt with quickly, and others will have to be dealt with over years or decades. Most, however, have two things in common: There is no easy or good U.S. policy option, and no way to avoid serious risks.” (From CSIS)
- Enos, Olivia.
Improving Information Access in North Korea.
The Heritage Foundation, December 7, 2016, 6 pages.
“For dissidents struggling against totalitarian regimes, information is one of the most powerful weapons they can wield. The power of outside information was made evident during the Cold War, as Western technology and media broadcasts helped undermine the East German state. Now, America and South Korea are waging a similar battle against the authoritarian regime in Pyongyang. However, penetrating the information firewall in North Korea requires additional steps from Washington and Seoul.” (From the Heritage Foundation)
- Gill, Bates.
Can Trump Keep his Balance in Asia?
Center for Strategic and International Studies, December 7, 2016, 2 pages.
“In short, the challenges in the Asia-Pacific are simply too great to ignore – and so are the possibilities for positive action. Vigorous and effective engagement of the Asia-Pacific region will endure as a strategic imperative for the United States long after President Obama departs office. But unfortunately for the incoming White House resident, the hurdles in pursuing this strategic imperative are becoming more daunting, both in the region and at home.” (From CSIS)
- Kempe, Frederick and Others.
A Measured US Strategy for the New Africa.
Atlantic Council, December 6, 2016, 45 pages.
“Africa’s story is increasingly one of economic dynamism that is driven, in part, by political reform and improvements in governance. But, there are also very real security, humanitarian, and developmental challenges that remain to be confronted. The United States has a stake in helping to tackle these challenges, not least because it is in its own national interest to do so.” (From the Atlantic Council)
- Fefer, Rachel F.
U.S. Trade in Services: Trends and Policy
Issues.
Washington, D.C.: Congressional Research
Service, December 6, 2016, 32 pages.
“This report provides
background information and analysis on U.S. international trade in services. It
analyzes policy issues before the United States, especially relating to
negotiating international disciplines on trade in services and dealing
complexities in measuring trade in services. The report also examines emerging
issues and proposed and potential trade agreements, including the Trans-Pacific
Partnership (TPP), the Trade in Services Agreement (TiSA), and the ransatlantic
Trade and Investment Partnership (T-TIP).” (From CRS report)
- Hanemann, Thilo and Daniel H. Rosen.
Chinese
Investment in the United States: Recent Trends and Policy Agenda.
U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission,
December 8, 2016, 120 pages. “The report examines the rapidly increasing foreign direct
investment by China in the United States and how the unprecedented level of
investment, especially in sensitive sectors, raises new considerations for
lawmakers regarding U.S. national and economic security. This report was
prepared for the Commission by the Rhodium Group.” (From the U.S.-China
Economic and Security Review Commission)
- Smith, Aaron and
Monica Anderson.
Online Shopping and E-Commerce.
Pew
Research Center, December 19, 2016, 30 pages.
“Americans are incorporating a wide range of
digital tools and platforms into their purchasing decisions and buying habits,
according to a Pew Research Center survey of U.S. adults. The survey finds that
roughly eight-in-ten Americans are now online shoppers: 79% have made an online
purchase of any type, while 51% have bought something using a cellphone and 15%
have made purchases by following a link from social media sites.” (From Pew Research Center)
- 為什麼新總統上任頭100天如此重要。
Here’s Why a New President’s First 100 Days Matter so
Much.
Share
America, December 23, 2016, 3 pages.
“An American election can be hard
fought, but after a victor is decided, the president-elect must establish a
functioning government that’s responsive to the people. Donald Trump, like earlier incoming presidents, will likely develop a detailed 100-day
plan so that on Inauguration Day, January 20, his administration is ready to
go, said David Eagles, director of the Center for Presidential Transition
at the nonprofit Partnership for Public Service, a group that works with
presidential transition teams.” (From Share America)
- Akers, Beth and Matthew M. Chingos.
Three
Steps Congress Can Take to Fix the Student Debt System.
The Fiscal
Times, December 19, 2 pages.
“Higher education reform will be front and center in 2017,
as historic levels of public concern about rising college tuition and student
debt levels pressure Congress to turn to the overdue reauthorization of the Higher
Education Act. This wide-ranging federal law covers everything from student
loans to Pell grants for low-income students to the transparency of consumer
information on college prices.” ( From the Fiscal Times)
- Cass, Oren.
Four
Energy and Environment Initiatives.
Manhattan
Institute, December 12, 2016, 4 pages.
“Here are four steps that Congress and the new Trump
administration can take:1. Expedite permitting processes for energy
infrastructure by establishing fixed timelines, assigning a single agency
responsible for coordination, and deeming pipelines and export terminals as ‘in
the national interest.’ 2. Open more public lands and waters to
natural-resource development and create a settled, reliable framework that
encourages private investment.3. Suspend New Source Performance Standards under
the Clean Air Act, allowing industrial facilities to be built and expanded
under the same standards that already apply to existing facilities. 4. Refocus
climate policy away from wind and solar, toward more effective existing technologies
and the development of new ones.”(From Manhattan Institute)
- Connor, Phillip.
International
Migration: Key findings from the U.S., Europe and the world.
Pew
Research Center, December 15, 2016, 9 pages.
“Millions of people have migrated from their homes to other
countries in recent years. Some migrants have moved voluntarily, seeking
economic opportunities. Others have been forced from their homes by political
turmoil, persecution or war and have left their countries to seek asylum
elsewhere.” (From Pew Research Center)
- Kerr, Paul K.
Iran’s Nuclear Program: Status.
Washington, D.C.: Congressional Research
Service, November 30, 2016, 67 pages.
“Although Iran claims that its nuclear program is
exclusively for peaceful purposes, the program has generated considerable
concern that Tehran is pursuing a nuclear weapons program. The U.N. Security
Council responded to Iran’s refusal to suspend work on its uranium enrichment
program by adopting several resolutions that imposed sanctions on Tehran.
Despite evidence that sanctions and other forms of pressure have slowed the
program, Iran continued to enrich uranium, install additional centrifuges, and
conduct research on new types of centrifuges. Tehran has also worked on a
heavy-water reactor, which is a proliferation concern because its spent fuel
would have contained plutonium—the other type of fissile material used in
nuclear weapons. However, plutonium must be separated from spent fuel—a
procedure called ‘reprocessing.’ Iran has said that it will not engage in
reprocessing.”(From CRS report)
- Kerr, Paul K. and Mary Beth D. Nikitin.
Nuclear Cooperation with Other Countries: A
Primer.
Washington, D.C. : Congressional Research
Service, December 6, 2016, 16 pages.
“In order for the United States to engage in significant
civilian nuclear cooperation with other states, it must conclude a framework
agreement that meets specific requirements under Section 123 of the Atomic
Energy Act (AEA). Significant nuclear cooperation includes the export of
reactors, critical parts of reactors, and reactor fuel. The AEA also provides
for export control licensing procedures and criteria for terminating
cooperation. Congressional review is required for Section 123 agreements; the
AEA establishes special parliamentary procedures by which Congress may act on a
proposed agreement.” (From CRS report)
- Matthijs, Matthias.
Europe After Brexit: A Less Perfect Union.
Foreign Affairs, January/February 2016 issues, 9 pages.
“The United Kingdom’s vote to leave the European Union has
triggered the worst political crisis the EU has ever faced. Since the early
1950s, the EU has steadily expanded, but on June 23, 52 percent of British
voters ignored the experts’ warnings of economic misery and opted to leave the
bloc. At the annual British Conservative Party conference in October, Prime
Minister Theresa May promised to invoke Article 50, which formally begins
negotiations and sets a two-year deadline for leaving the EU, by March 2017.” (From Foreign Affairs)
- Welchm, Craig.
Five Big Environmental Wins in 2016.
National Geographic, December 15, 2016, 4 pages.
“The planet had a rough year in 2016.
African elephants and rhinoceroses were ravaged by poachers. A new United
Nations report suggested that biodiversity loss, land degradation, and water
shortages are worsening. Arctic sea ice dwindled to record lows after several
of the warmest years on record. But here are some environmental achievements to
celebrate: renewable energy, protected oceans, and deconstructed dams.” (From National
Geographic)
- The e-Skills
Manifesto 2016: Digital Skills in the United States.
Information Technology and Innovation Foundation, December 6, 2016,
7 pages.
“ITIF summarized the state of U.S. digital education as part of the
European Commission’s eSkills for Jobs 2016 campaign. While the United States
has seen an increase in interest among students to enter IT industries,
attracted by high wages and diverse opportunities, schools are struggling to
expand offerings to meet this demand. The United States should train computer
science teachers, incentivize universities to improve retention rates, and expand
existing workforce training initiatives” ( From ITIF)
- DeMers, Jayson.
7 Technology Trends that will Dominate 2017.
The Forbes, November
16, 2016, 3 pages.
"There are seven major tech trends we’re in store for in 2017. If
you’re eyeing a sector in which to start a business, any of these is a pretty
good bet. If you're already an entrepreneur, think about how you can leverage
these technologies to reach your target audience in new ways. (From Forbes)
- Ezell, Stephen and Scott Andes.
Localizing the Economic
Impact of Research and Development: Policy Proposals for the Trump Administration
and Congress.
Brookings Institution, December 2016, 45 pages. "This report provides 50 policy actions the Trump administration and
Congress can take to bolster America’s technology transfer, commercialization,
and innovation capacity, from the local to the national level." (From the Brookings Institution)
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