Muslims in Europe: Promoting Integration and Countering Extremism (open access)

Muslims in Europe: Promoting Integration and Countering Extremism

This report examines policies aimed at promoting integration, combating terrorism, and countering violent extremism in five European countries with significant Muslim populations: France, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain, and the United Kingdom. The report also evaluates the role of the 27-member European Union (EU) in shaping European laws and policies related to integration and counter-radicalization.
Date: September 7, 2011
Creator: Archick, Kristin; Belkin, Paul; Blanchard, Christopher M.; Ek, Carl & Mix, Derek E.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Tests and Testing Accommodations Under the Americans with Disabilities Act (open access)

Tests and Testing Accommodations Under the Americans with Disabilities Act

None
Date: September 20, 2011
Creator: Barbour, Emily C.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Mexico's Drug Trafficking Organizations: Source and Scope of the Rising Violence (open access)

Mexico's Drug Trafficking Organizations: Source and Scope of the Rising Violence

This report provides background on drug trafficking in Mexico, identifies the major drug trafficking organizations, and analyzes the context, scope, and scale of the violence. It examines current trends of the violence, analyzes prospects for curbing violence in the future, and compares it with violence in Colombia.
Date: September 7, 2011
Creator: Beittel, June S.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Intelligence Issues for Congress (open access)

Intelligence Issues for Congress

This report gives an overview of current intelligence issues of interest to the 112th Congress. It includes background and analysis including most recent development, ongoing Congressional concerns, specific issues for the 112th Congress, and a summary of related legislation from the 109th through the 112th Congresses.
Date: September 14, 2011
Creator: Best, Richard A., Jr.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Intelligence Issues for Congress (open access)

Intelligence Issues for Congress

This report gives an overview of current intelligence issues of interest to the 112th Congress. It includes background and analysis including most recent development, ongoing Congressional concerns, specific issues for the 112th Congress, and a summary of related legislation from the 109th through the 112th Congresses.
Date: September 21, 2011
Creator: Best, Richard A., Jr.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Tax Gap: Should the 3% Withholding Requirement on Payments to Contractors by Government Be Repealed? (open access)

Tax Gap: Should the 3% Withholding Requirement on Payments to Contractors by Government Be Repealed?

This reports discusses tax gaps and withholding, and concerns and legislation regarding these issues in the 112th Congress.
Date: September 12, 2011
Creator: Bickley, James M.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Tax Gap: Should the 3% Withholding Requirement on Payments to Contractors by Government Be Repealed? (open access)

Tax Gap: Should the 3% Withholding Requirement on Payments to Contractors by Government Be Repealed?

This brief discusses the Joint Committee on Taxation (JCT) report titled Options to Improve Tax Compliance and Reform Tax Expenditures. The JCT report identified many options, including several to increase withholding.
Date: September 12, 2011
Creator: Bickley, James M.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Libya: Unrest and U.S. Policy (open access)

Libya: Unrest and U.S. Policy

This report discusses the revolution and current conflict in Libya. The current crisis was triggered in mid-February 2011 by a chain of events in Benghazi and other eastern cities that quickly spiraled out of Qadhafi's control. Although Libyan opposition groups had called for a so-called "day of rage" on February 17 to commemorate protests that had occurred five years earlier, localized violence erupted prior to the planned national protests. As of April 25, U.S. and coalition officials stated that coalition military operations had destroyed the ability of the Libyan military to control Libyan airspace and had reduced the capability of Libyan ground forces by roughly 30%-40%.
Date: September 9, 2011
Creator: Blanchard, Christopher M.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Libya: Unrest and U.S. Policy (open access)

Libya: Unrest and U.S. Policy

This report discusses the revolution and current conflict in Libya. The current crisis was triggered in mid-February 2011 by a chain of events in Benghazi and other eastern cities that quickly spiraled out of Qadhafi's control. Although Libyan opposition groups had called for a so-called "day of rage" on February 17 to commemorate protests that had occurred five years earlier, localized violence erupted prior to the planned national protests. As of April 25, U.S. and coalition officials stated that coalition military operations had destroyed the ability of the Libyan military to control Libyan airspace and had reduced the capability of Libyan ground forces by roughly 30%-40%.
Date: September 29, 2011
Creator: Blanchard, Christopher M.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Community Development Block Grant Funds in Disaster Relief and Recovery (open access)

Community Development Block Grant Funds in Disaster Relief and Recovery

This report discusses the CDBG program, which administered by the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) is the federal government’s largest and most widely available source of financial assistance to support state and local government-directed neighborhood revitalization, housing rehabilitation, and economic development activities.
Date: September 21, 2011
Creator: Boyd, Eugene
System: The UNT Digital Library
Immigration Legislation and Issues in the 112th Congress (open access)

Immigration Legislation and Issues in the 112th Congress

Report detailing issues and legislative concerns regarding immigration during the 112th Congress, with a focus on comprehensive reform.
Date: September 30, 2011
Creator: Bruno, Andorra; Ester, Karma; Lee, Margaret Mikyung; Manuel, Kate M.; Rosenblum, Marc R. & Wasem, Ruth Ellen
System: The UNT Digital Library
Fishery, Aquaculture, and Marine Mammal Issues in the 112th Congress (open access)

Fishery, Aquaculture, and Marine Mammal Issues in the 112th Congress

This report provides the information related to the fishery, aquaculture, and marine mammal issues in the 112th Congress
Date: September 16, 2011
Creator: Buck, Eugene H. & Upton, Harold F.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Afghanistan Casualties: Military Forces and Civilians (open access)

Afghanistan Casualties: Military Forces and Civilians

This report collects statistics from a variety of sources on casualties sustained during Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF), which began on October 7, 2001. OEF actions took place primarily in Afghanistan; however, OEF casualties also includes American casualties in Pakistan, Uzbekistan, Guantanamo Bay (Cuba), Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Jordan, Kenya, Kyrgyzstan, the Philippines, Seychelles, Sudan, Tajikistan, Turkey, and Yemen.
Date: September 7, 2011
Creator: Chesser, Susan G.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Afghanistan Casualties: Military Forces and Civilians (open access)

Afghanistan Casualties: Military Forces and Civilians

This report collects statistics from a variety of sources on casualties sustained during Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF), which began on October 7, 2001, and is ongoing. OEF actions take place primarily in Afghanistan; however, OEF casualties also includes American casualties in Pakistan, Uzbekistan, Guantanamo Bay (Cuba), Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Jordan, Kenya, Kyrgyzstan, the Philippines, Seychelles, Sudan, Tajikistan, Turkey, and Yemen.
Date: September 30, 2011
Creator: Chesser, Susan G.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Presidential Nominating Process: Current Issues (open access)

Presidential Nominating Process: Current Issues

This report discusses issues regarding the Presidential Nomination Process including information about the 2008 election, calendar changes from 1988 to 2008, changes to national party rules for 2012, an evaluation of the primary system, reform proposals, and legislative considerations.
Date: September 20, 2011
Creator: Coleman, Kevin J.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Africa: U.S. Foreign Assistance Issues (open access)

Africa: U.S. Foreign Assistance Issues

This report discusses the issue of U.S. economic assistance to sub-Saharan Africa, highlighting the importance of continued assistance in light of U.S. national security and also various U.S.-led efforts to promote reform amongst African citizens themselves. U.S. assistance finds its way to Africa through a variety of channels, including the USAID-administered DA program, food aid programs, and indirect aid provided through international financial institutions and the United Nations.
Date: September 15, 2011
Creator: Dagne, Ted
System: The UNT Digital Library
The Democratic Republic of Congo: Background and Current Developments (open access)

The Democratic Republic of Congo: Background and Current Developments

This report discusses in brief the current political state of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, as well as the crisis situation in eastern Congo that has displaced more than 250,000 civilians. It also describes U.S., U.N., and other international efforts to aid in resolving the crisis.
Date: September 1, 2011
Creator: Dagne, Ted
System: The UNT Digital Library
Attempt: An Abridged Overview of Federal Criminal Law (open access)

Attempt: An Abridged Overview of Federal Criminal Law

This report is an abridged version of CRS Report R42001, Attempt: An Overview of Federal Criminal Law, by Charles Doyle, without the footnotes, attributions, citations to authority, or appendix found in the longer report.
Date: September 13, 2011
Creator: Doyle, Charles
System: The UNT Digital Library
Attempt: An Overview of Federal Criminal Law (open access)

Attempt: An Overview of Federal Criminal Law

It is not a crime to attempt to commit most federal offenses. Unlike state law, federal law has no generally applicable crime of attempt. Congress, however, has outlawed the attempt to commit a substantial number of federal crimes on an individual basis. In doing so, it has proscribed the attempt, set its punishment, and left to the federal courts the task of further developing the law in this area. This report gives a background on, defines, explores defenses of, the sentencing of, and relations of other offenses to attempts of federal crimes.
Date: September 13, 2011
Creator: Doyle, Charles
System: The UNT Digital Library
Canada-U.S. Relations (open access)

Canada-U.S. Relations

This report begins with a short overview of Canada's political scene, economic conditions, security and foreign policy, and environmental initiatives, focusing particularly on issues that may be relevant to U.S. policymakers. This country survey is followed by several summaries of current bilateral issues in the political, international security, trade, and environmental arenas. The questions following each summary are designed as potential inquiries to Canadian officials to promote thought and discussion among policymakers.
Date: September 13, 2011
Creator: Ek, Carl & Fergusson, Ian F.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Criminal Prohibitions on the Publication of Classified Defense Information (open access)

Criminal Prohibitions on the Publication of Classified Defense Information

The recent online publication of classified defense documents by the organization WikiLeaks and subsequent reporting by the New York Times and other news media have focused attention on whether such publication violates U.S. criminal law. The Justice Department and Department of Defense are investigating the circumstances to determine whether any prosecutions will be undertaken in connection with the disclosure. This report identifies some criminal statutes that may apply and also discusses the statutory prohibitions that may be implicated, such as the Espionage Act.
Date: September 8, 2011
Creator: Elsea, Jennifer K.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Congressional Authority to Limit Military Operations (open access)

Congressional Authority to Limit Military Operations

This report begins by discussing constitutional provisions allocating war powers between Congress and the President, and presenting a historical overview of relevant court cases. It considers Congress's constitutional authority to end a military conflict via legislative action. The report discusses Congress's ability to limit funding for U.S. participation in hostilities, examining relevant court cases and prior measures taken by Congress to restrict military operations, as well as possible alternative avenues to fund these activities in the event that appropriations are cut. The report then provides historical examples of measures that restrict the use of particular personnel, and concludes with a brief analysis of arguments that might be brought to bear on the question of Congress's authority to limit the availability of troops to serve in ongoing military operations.
Date: September 8, 2011
Creator: Elsea, Jennifer K.; Garcia, Michael John & Nicola, Thomas J.
System: The UNT Digital Library
United States-Canada Trade and Economic Relationship: Prospects and Challenges (open access)

United States-Canada Trade and Economic Relationship: Prospects and Challenges

This report discusses trade and economic relationship between the United States and Canada, which conduct the world’s largest bilateral trade relationship.
Date: September 14, 2011
Creator: Fergusson, Ian F.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Earthquakes: Risk, Detection, Warning, and Research (open access)

Earthquakes: Risk, Detection, Warning, and Research

This report discusses the National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program (NEHRP), a program under which the federal government supports efforts to assess and monitor earthquake hazards and risk in the United States. This report also discusses earthquake hazards and risk in the United States; federal programs that support earthquake monitoring; the U.S. capability to detect earthquakes and issue notifications and warnings; and federally supported research to improve the fundamental scientific understanding of earthquakes with a goal of reducing U.S. vulnerability.
Date: September 2, 2011
Creator: Folger, Peter
System: The UNT Digital Library