This report describes the relationship between the United States and Lebanon, as well as Lebanon's political profile.

This report includes information about Egypt/United States relations, issues in these relations, and information regarding the United States' foreign assistance to Egypt

comprehensive test ban treaty, or CTBT, is the oldest item on the nuclear arms control agenda. Three treaties currently limit testing to underground only, with a maximum force equal to 150,000 tons of TNT. According to the Natural Resources Defense Council, the United States conducted 1,030 nuclear tests, the Soviet Union 715, the United Kingdom 45, France 210, and China 45. Since 1997, the United States has held 13 "subcritical experiments" at the Nevada Test Site to study the behavior of plutonium under pressures generated by explosives. The most recent was held December 14, 2000. Russia has reportedly conducted several such tests since 1998, including several in fall 2000. It claims it has not done other nuclear tests since 1991, though some suspect it may have conducted a low-yield nuclear test in August 1997 and September 1999. The last U.S. test was held in 1992; the last U.K. test, in 1991. In May 1998, India and Pakistan each announced several nuclear tests and declared themselves nuclear weapons states. Each declared a moratorium on further tests, but separately stated, in the summer of 2000, that the time was not right to sign the CTBT.

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This report discusses the General Mining Law of 1872, which is the law that grants free access to individuals and corporations to prospect for minerals in public domain lands, and allows them, upon making a discovery, to stake (or “locate”) a claim on that deposit.

To address the challenges facing the U.S. Intelligence Community in the 21st Century, Congressional and executive branch initiatives have sought to improve coordination among the different agencies and to encourage better analysis. In December 2004, the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act (P.L. 108-458) was signed, providing for a Director of National Intelligence (DNI) with substantial authorities to manage the national intelligence effort. The legislation calls for a separate Director of the Central Intelligence Agency.