___________________________________________________________________
U.S. Information Resource Center
Office of Public Affairs
U.S. Embassy in Australia
June 2007
___________________________________________________________________
South Asia, Afghanistan and Central Asia
International
law enforcement and governance
Economics,
finance and corporate governance
International
economic issues, trade and investment
Development
and international assistance
Homeland
security and emergency response
Science,
technology and innovation
Environment
and climate change
Transportation
and infrastructure
Social
issues, aging and retirement
Nonprofits,
philanthropy and voluntarism
Politics
and public administration
Media,
telecommunications and information technology
The Movie Business Today
Office
of International Information Programs, U.S. Dept of State, eJournal USA, June 2007
http://usinfo.state.gov/journals/itsv/0607/ijse/ijse0607.htm
This
issue of eJournal USA “analyzes the
increasing internationalization of the film industry, both in terms of
audiences and filmmaking talent; the rise of a more personal style of
independent filmmaking in recent years; the market for foreign-produced films
in the United States; and the effects of the Internet and the digital
revolution on how movies get made and distributed. Shorter pieces focus on film
festivals like Sundance that seed young talent and some film studios’ efforts
to go green in making movies.”
President Bush Trip to
Europe and G-8 Summit in Germany, June 6-8, 2007
Links
to websites, texts and documents: U.S. Department of State, June 2007
http://fpc.state.gov/fpc/c14544.htm
The United States and
International Law
Remarks
by John B. Bellinger III, Legal Adviser, U.S. Dept of State; at The Hague, June
6, 2007
http://www.state.gov/s/l/rls/86123.htm
President Bush Attends
Dedication of Victims of Communism Memorial
Remarks,
June 12, 2007
http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2007/06/20070612-2.html
The Failed States Index
2007
Foreign
Policy, July-August 2007
http://www.foreignpolicy.com/story/cms.php?story_id=3865
United Nations
Organizations: Oversight and Accountability Could Strengthened by Further Instituting International Best Practices
Government
Accountability Office (GAO) report, June 2007
http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d07597.pdf
Remarks by U.S. Secretary
of Defense Robert M. Gates
To
the International Institute of Strategic Studies, Singapore, June 2, 2007
http://www.defenselink.mil/speeches/speech.aspx?speechid=1160
Military Power of the
People’s Republic of China 2007: Annual Report to Congress
Office
of the Secretary of Defense, U.S. Dept of Defense, May 2007
http://www.defenselink.mil/pubs/pdfs/070523-China-Military-Power-final.pdf
China Naval Modernization:
Implications for U.S. Navy Capabilities – Background and Issues for Congress
Congressional
Research Service report, updated May 29, 2007
http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/row/RL33153.pdf
What Are the
High-Probability Challenges to Continued High Growth in China?
Wing
Thye Woo, Brookings Institution, May 2007
http://www3.brookings.edu/views/papers/20070522woo.pdf
China’s Economic
Fluctuations and Their Implications for Its Rural Economy
Albert
Keidel, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, May 2007
http://www.carnegieendowment.org/files/keidel_report_final.pdf
The United States-South
Korea FTA: The Foreign Policy Implications
Hearing
before a subcommittee of the U.S. House Committee on Foreign Affairs, June 13,
2007
http://foreignaffairs.house.gov/hearing_notice.asp?id=839
For
transcripts, please go to http://foreignaffairs.house.gov/testimony.asp
and scroll down. The testimony of U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Christopher
Hill is also at http://www.state.gov/p/eap/rls/rm/2007/86408.htm
Congressional Attitudes on
the Future of the U.S.-South Korea Relationship
Jason
W. Forrester, Center for Strategic and International Studies, May 2007
http://www.csis.org/media/csis/pubs/070504_congressionalattitudes_final.pdf
The Activities of the
Special Envoy for Human Rights in North Korea
U.S.
Dept of State, Office of the Special Envoy for Human Rights in North Korea, May
2007
http://www.state.gov/g/senk/85776.htm
SOUTH ASIA, AFGHANISTAN and CENTRAL
ASIA
“A Future Unbound”:
U.S.-India Relations
Remarks
by U.S. Under Secretary of State Burns to the Heritage Foundation, May 23,
2007
http://www.state.gov/p/us/rm/2007/85424.htm
India Rising: Faster
Growth, Lower Indebtedness
World
Bank policy research working paper, June 2007
Securing, Stabilizing and Reconstructing
Afghanistan: Key Issues for Congressional Oversight
Government
Accountability Office report, May 2007
http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d07801sp.pdf
Central Asia’s Energy
Risks
International
Crisis Group, May 24, 2007
http://www.crisisgroup.org/library/documents/asia/central_asia/133_central_asia_s_energy_risks.pdf
U.S. Assistance to the
Palestinians
Hearing
before the Subcommittee on the Middle East and South Asia, U.S. House Committee
on Foreign Affairs, May 23, 2007
http://foreignaffairs.house.gov/hearing_notice.asp?id=829
For
transcripts, please go to http://foreignaffairs.house.gov/testimony.asp
and scroll down.
Building a Successful
Palestinian State
The
RAND Palestinian State Study Team, 2007
http://www.rand.org/pubs/monographs/2007/RAND_MG146-1.pdf
The Arc: A Formal Structure
for a Palestinian
State
RAND,
2007
http://www.rand.org/pubs/monographs/2007/RAND_MG327-1.pdf
U.S. Policy Challenges in
North Africa
Hearing
before the U.S. House Committee on Foreign Affairs, June 6, 2007
http://foreignaffairs.house.gov/hearing_notice.asp?id=835
For
transcripts, please go to http://foreignaffairs.house.gov/testimony.asp
and scroll down.
State Department: The July
2006 Evacuation of American Citizens from Lebanon
Governmental
Accountability Office, June 7, 2007
http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d07893r.pdf
Fighting on Two Fronts:
Secular Parties in the Arab World
Marina
Ottaway and Amr Hamzawy, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, May
2007
http://www.carnegieendowment.org/files/cp85_secular_final.pdf
The Arab Economies in a
Changing World
Marcus
Noland and Howard Pack, Peterson Institute for International Economics, June
2007
http://bookstore.petersoninstitute.org/book-store/3931.html
Chapters
from this 365-page book can be read on this web site.
Syria’s Alliance with
Iran
Mona
Yacoubian, U.S. Institute of Peace, May 2007
http://www.usip.org/pubs/usipeace_briefings/2007/syria_iran.pdf
Iran’s Military
Strategy
Partly
annotated bibliography with hyperlinks, by Muir S. Fairchild Research Information
Center (formerly the Air University Library), June 2007
http://www.au.af.mil/au/aul/bibs/Iranmilstrat.htm
Global Investment in Iran:
Interactive
American
Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research, May 2007
http://www.aei.org/IranInteractive/
There
is a news release about this database at http://www.aei.org/publications/pubID.26147/pub_detail.asp
The Population of the
Middle East and North Africa: Challenges and Opportunities
Population
Reference Bureau, Population Bulletin,
June 2007
http://www.prb.org/pdf07/62.2MENA.pdf
U.S.-European Relations and
the 2007 Summit
Congressional
Research Service report, updated May 14, 2007
http://fpc.state.gov/documents/organization/87366.pdf
The Future of NATO: How
Valuable an Asset?
Hearing
before the U.S. House Committee on Foreign Affairs, June 22, 2007
http://foreignaffairs.house.gov/hearing_notice.asp?id=847
For
transcripts, please go to http://foreignaffairs.house.gov/testimony.asp
and scroll down.
Testimony
by U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Daniel Fried is also at http://www.state.gov/p/eur/rls/rm/87096.htm
Strategic Assessment of
U.S.-Russian Relations
Hearing
before the U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, June 21, 2007
http://foreign.senate.gov/hearings/2007/hrg070621a.html
Testimony
by U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Daniel Fried is also at http://www.state.gov/p/eur/rls/rm/86990.htm
Russia: In Transition or
Intransigent?
Testimony
by U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Daniel Fried before the Helsinki
Commission, Washington DC, May 24, 2007
http://www.state.gov/p/eur/rls/rm/85479.htm
Russian Oil and Gas
Challenges
Congressional
Research Service report, updated May 16, 2007
http://fpc.state.gov/documents/organization/87363.pdf
Africa Command: U.S.
Strategic Interests and the Role of the U.S. Military in Africa
Congressional
Research Service report, May 16, 2007
http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/natsec/RL34003.pdf
Nigeria at a Crossroads:
Elections, Legitimacy and a Way Forward
Hearing
before the Subcommittee on Africa and Global Health, U.S. House Committee on
Foreign Affairs, June 7, 2007
http://foreignaffairs.house.gov/hearing_notice.asp?id=837
For
transcripts, please go to http://foreignaffairs.house.gov/testimony.asp
and scroll down.
Testimony
by U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Jendayi E. Frazer is also at http://www.state.gov/p/af/rls/rm/86195.htm
INTERNATIONAL LAW ENFORCEMENT and
GOVERNANCE
Trafficking
in Persons Report 2007
U.S. Dept of State, June 12, 2007
http://www.state.gov/g/tip/rls/tiprpt/2007/
Global
Corruption Report 2007
Transparency International, 2007
http://www.transparency.org/publications/publications/gcr_2007
The Inflation Outlook
Speech
by Jeffrey M. Lacker, president, Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond, May 22,
2007
http://www.richmondfed.org/news_and_speeches/presidents_speeches/index.cfm/id=99
Communicating a Policy
Path: The Next Frontier in Central Bank Transparency?
George
A. Kahn, Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City, Economic Review, First Quarter 2007
http://www.kansascityfed.org/PUBLICAT/ECONREV/PDF/1q07kahn.pdf
A Great Nation: How
Americans Can Lead and Prosper in a Changing World
Technology
CEO Council, June 2007
http://www.techceocouncil.org/documents/TCC-A_Great_Nation_Final.pdf
There
is a news release at: http://www.techceocouncil.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=255&Itemid=159
Improving Federal Consumer
Protection in Financial Services
Hearing
before the U.S. House Committee on Financial Services, June 13, 2007
http://www.house.gov/apps/list/hearing/financialsvcs_dem/ht061307.shtml
Improving Credit Card
Consumer Protection
Hearing
before a subcommittee of the U.S. House Committee on Financial Services, June
7, 2007
http://www.house.gov/apps/list/hearing/financialsvcs_dem/press060707.shtml
A Look Back: The Impact of
Sarbanes-Oxley
Speech
by U.S. Under Secretary of Commerce Cynthia A. Glassman, May 12, 2007
https://www.esa.doc.gov/GlassmanSpeeches/Princeton%20Speechfordeliveryv511.pdf
Executive Stock Options:
Should the IRC and Stockholders Be Given Different Information?
Hearing
before the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, U.S. Senate Committee on
Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, June 5, 007
http://hsgac.senate.gov/index.cfm?Fuseaction=Hearings.Detail&HearingID=452
The State of the
International Financial System
Hearing
before the U.S. House Committee on Financial Services, June 20, 2007
http://www.house.gov/apps/list/hearing/financialsvcs_dem/ht062007.shtml
Witness:
Henry Paulson, U.S. Secretary of the Treasury
Asia, the World Economy,
and the International Financial System
Speech
by Timothy Geithner, president and chief executive officer, Federal Reserve
Bank of New York, in Singapore, June 13, 2007
http://www.newyorkfed.org/newsevents/speeches/2007/gei070613.html
Will the U.S. Current
Account Have a Hard or Soft Landing?
Congressional
Budget Office, June 11, 2007
http://www.cbo.gov/ftpdocs/82xx/doc8208/06-11-Current_Account.pdf
Foreign Direct Investment:
Effects of a “Cheap” Dollar
Congressional
Research Service report, May 11, 2007
http://fpc.state.gov/documents/organization/85620.pdf
Foreign Investors’ Outlays
to Acquire or Establish U.S. Businesses Increased in 2006
Bureau
of Economic Analysis, U.S. Dept of Commerce, June 5, 2007
http://www.bea.gov/newsreleases/international/fdi/2007/fdi06.htm
Trade Enforcement for a 21st
Century Economy
Hearing
before the U.S. Senate Committee on Finance, June 12, 2007
http://finance.senate.gov/sitepages/hearing061207.htm
U.S. Economic Relations
with China: Strategies and Options on Exchange Rates and Market Access
Hearing
before a subcommittee of the U.S. Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and
Urban Affairs, May 23, 2007
http://banking.senate.gov/index.cfm?Fuseaction=Hearings.Detail&HearingID=264
U.S. Interests in Reform of
China’s Financial Sector
Hearing
before the U.S. House Committee on Financial Services, June 6, 2007
http://www.house.gov/apps/list/hearing/financialsvcs_dem/ht2060607.shtml
U.S.-Japan Investment
Initiative 2007 Report
U.S.-Japan
Economic Partnership for Growth, June 2007
http://www.state.gov/documents/organization/86189.pdf
There
is a U.S. Dept of State media note at: http://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/ps/2007/jun/86096.htm
USTR Schwab and Indonesia
Trade Minister Pangestu Announce Steps to Deepen Trade and Investment Relations
News
release, Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR), May 21, 2007
Toward a U.S.-Indonesia
Free Trade Agreement
Gary
Clyde Hufbauer and Sjamsu Rahardja, Peter G. Peterson Institute for
International Economics, June 2007
http://bookstore.petersoninstitute.org/book-store/4020.html
Chapters
from the book can be read at this website.
DEVELOPMENT and INTERNATIONAL
ASSISTANCE
Foreign Assistance Reform:
Successes, Failures, and Next Steps
Hearing
before the U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, June 12, 2007
http://foreign.senate.gov/hearings/2007/hrg070612p.html
The Reauthorization of
OPIC
Hearing
before a subcommittee of the U.S. House Committee on Foreign Affairs, May 24,
2007
http://foreignaffairs.house.gov/hearing_notice.asp?id=833
For
transcripts, please go to http://foreignaffairs.house.gov/testimony.asp
and scroll down.
U.S.-Funded Assistance
Programs in China
Congressional
Research Service report, May 18, 2007
http://fpc.state.gov/documents/organization/85618.pdf
The Role and Effectiveness
of the World Bank in Combating Global Poverty
Hearing
before the U.S. House Committee on Financial Services, May 22, 2007
http://www.house.gov/apps/list/hearing/financialsvcs_dem/ht052207.shtml
Vulture Funds and the
Threat to Debt Relief in Africa: A Call to Action at the G8 and Beyond
Hearing
before the Subcommittee on Africa and Global Health, U.S. House Committee on
Foreign Affairs, May 22, 2007
http://foreignaffairs.house.gov/hearing_notice.asp?id=830
For
transcripts, please go to http://foreignaffairs.house.gov/testimony.asp
and scroll down.
About Urban Mega Regions:
Knowns and Unknowns
Shahid
Yusuf, World Bank policy research working paper, June 2007
International Food Aid
Programs: Options to Enhance Effectiveness
Hearing
before the Subcommittee on Africa and Global Health, U.S. House Committee on
Foreign Affairs, May 24, 2007
http://foreignaffairs.house.gov/hearing_notice.asp?id=832
For
transcripts, please go to http://foreignaffairs.house.gov/testimony.asp
and scroll down.
U.S. Food and Agricultural
Imports: Safeguards and Selected Issues
Congressional
Research Service report, May 21, 2007
http://fpc.state.gov/documents/organization/85615.pdf
The U.S. Farm Economy
Congressional
Research Service report, updated May 31, 2007
http://fpc.state.gov/documents/organization/86253.pdf
Will Energy Markets Refuel
the Rural Economy?
Federal
Reserve Bank of Kansas City, Economic Review, First Quarter 2007
http://www.kansascityfed.org/PUBLICAT/ECONREV/PDF/1q07hend.pdf
Rethinking Insurgency
Steven
Metz, Strategic Studies Institute, U.S. Army War College, June 2007
http://www.strategicstudiesinstitute.army.mil/pdffiles/PUB790.pdf
Universal Compliance: A
Strategy for Nuclear Security
Carnegie
Endowment for International Peace, June 2007
http://www.carnegieendowment.org/files/univ_comp_rpt07_final1.pdf
There
is a “2007 Report Card” at: http://www.carnegieendowment.org/files/univ_comp_reportcard_final.pdf
Global Initiative to Combat
Nuclear Terrorism: Joint Statement
U.S.-Russia
Joint Statement. Text, U.S. Dept of State, June 12, 2007
http://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/ps/2007/jun/86331.htm
Terrorist Ideology
Open
hearing hearing before the U.S. Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, June
12, 2007
http://intelligence.senate.gov/hearings.cfm?hearingId=2811
Terrorist Precursor Crimes:
Issues and Options for Congress
Congressional
Research Service report, May 24, 2007
http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/terror/RL34014.pdf
Adding Hezbollah to the EU
Terrorist List
Hearing
before the Subcommittee on Europe, U.S. House Committee on Foreign Affairs,
June 20, 2007
http://foreignaffairs.house.gov/hearing_notice.asp?id=846
For
transcripts, please go to http://foreignaffairs.house.gov/testimony.asp
and scroll down.
Violent Islamist Extremism:
The European Experience
Hearing
before the U.S. Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs,
June 27, 2007
http://hsgac.senate.gov/index.cfm?Fuseaction=Hearings.Detail&HearingID=460
Correlates of Public
Support for Terrorism in the Muslim World
Ethan
Bueno de Mesquita, Working paper, U.S. Institute of Peace, May 2007
http://www.usip.org/pubs/working_papers/wp1.pdf
Habeas Corpus and
Detentions at Guantanamo Bay
Hearing
before a subcommittee of the U.S. House Committee on the Judiciary, June 26,
2007
http://judiciary.house.gov/Oversight.aspx?ID=344
HOMELAND SECURITY and EMERGENCY
RESPONSE
National Continuity Policy:
A Brief Overview
Congressional
Research Service report, June 8, 2007
http://fpc.state.gov/documents/organization/87357.pdf
Private Sector
Preparedness, Part I: Defining the Problem and Proposing Solutions
Hearing
before a subcommittee of the U.S. Senate Committee on Homeland Security and
Governmental Affairs, June 21, 2007
http://hsgac.senate.gov/index.cfm?Fuseaction=Hearings.Detail&HearingID=459
Comprehensive Immigration
Reform: Government Perspectives on Immigration Statistics
Hearing
before a subcommittee of the U.S. House Committee on the Judiciary, June 6,
2007
http://judiciary.house.gov/Oversight.aspx?ID=334
Immigration’s Economic
Impact
Council
of Economic Advisers, June 20, 2007
http://www.whitehouse.gov/cea/cea_immigration_062007.html
There
is a PDF version at http://www.whitehouse.gov/cea/cea_immigration_062007.pdf
Comprehensive Immigration
Reform: Business Community Perspectives
Hearing
before a subcommittee of the U.S. House Committee on the Judiciary, June 6,
2007
http://judiciary.house.gov/Oversight.aspx?ID=333
Comprehensive Immigration
Reform: Labor Movement Perspectives
Hearing
before a subcommittee of the U.S. House Committee on the Judiciary, May 24,
2007
http://judiciary.house.gov/Oversight.aspx?ID=329
Protecting U.S. and Guest
Workers: The Recruitment and Employment of Temporary Foreign Labor
Hearing
before the U.S. House Committee on Education and Labor, June 7, 2007
http://edlabor.house.gov/hearings/fc060707.shtml
Immigration Guest Worker
Program
A compilation,
by BNA Inc., of links to reports, analyses etc, May 2007
http://www.bna.com/webwatch/immigrationguest.html
Holding Employers
Accountable for the Workers They Hire
White
House fact sheet, May 30, 2007
http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2007/05/20070530-7.html
Employment Eligibility
Verification Systems
Hearing
before the Subcommittee on Social Security, U.S. House Committee on Ways and
Means, June 7, 2007
http://waysandmeans.house.gov/hearings.asp?formmode=detail&hearing=564
Immigrants in Florida:
Characteristics and Contributions
Research
Institute for Social and Economic Policy, Florida International University, May
2007
http://www.risep-fiu.org/reports/IMMIGRANTS_spring_2007.pdf
Immigration Fraud:
Policies, Investigations, and Issues
Congressional
Research Service report, May 17, 2007
http://fpc.state.gov/documents/organization/85617.pdf
SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY and INNOVATION
EPA and Nanotechnology:
Oversight for the 21st Century
Project
on Emerging Nanotechnologies, Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars,
May 23, 2007
http://www.nanotechproject.org/124/52307-epa-and-nanotechnology-oversight-for-the-21st-century
Are Regulatory Costs
Impeding Innovation?
Speech
by U.S. Under Secretary of Commerce Cynthia A. Glassman, May 10, 2007
https://www.esa.doc.gov/GlassmanSpeeches/Costs_Impeding_Innovation.pdf
The Globalization of
R&D and Innovation
Hearing
before the U.S. House Committee on Science and Technology, June 12, 2007
http://science.house.gov/publications/hearings_markups_details.aspx?NewsID=1864
More Diverse, More
Domestic, More Efficient: A Vision for America’s Energy Future
Business
Roundtable, June 6, 2007
http://www.businessroundtable.org/pdf/Energy/Business_Roundtable_Energy_Report_06062007.pdf
Energy Efficiency: Can Tax
Incentives Reduce Consumption?
Hearing
before a subcommittee of the U.S. Senate Committee on Finance, May 24,
2007
http://finance.senate.gov/sitepages/hearing052407.htm
Energy Efficiency
Technologies and Programs
Hearing
before a subcommittee of the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and
Transportation, June 21, 2007
http://commerce.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=Hearings.Hearing&Hearing_ID=1875
Coal Gasification:
Opportunities and Challenges
Hearing
before the U.S. Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, May 24,
2007
http://energy.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=Hearings.Hearing&Hearing_ID=1633
Expansion of the Strategic
Petroleum Reserve
Special
report. Office of the Inspector General, U.S. Dept of Energy, June 2007
http://www.ig.energy.gov/documents/IG-0767.pdf
The Economic Consequences
of Gasoline “Price Gouging” Legislation
A
white paper by the Council of Economic Advisers, June 20, 2007
http://www.whitehouse.gov/cea/Price_Gouging_WP_062007.pdf
The Use of Profit by the
Five Major Oil Companies
Congressional
Research Service report, June 19, 2007
http://fpc.state.gov/documents/organization/87370.pdf
Fuel Economy
Compilation,
by BNA Inc., of links to reports, analyses etc, June 2007
http://www.bna.com/webwatch/fueleconomy.html
Legislative Hearing on
Discussion Draft Concerning Alternative Fuels, Infrastructure and Vehicles
Subcommittee
on Energy and Air Quality, U.S. House Committee on Energy and Commerce, June 7,
2007
http://energycommerce.house.gov/cmte_mtgs/110-eaq-hrg.060707.Legislative.hrg.shtml
A Path Toward the Broader
Use of Biofuels
Hearing
before the Subcommittee on Energy and Environment, U.S. House Committee on
Science and Technology, June 14, 2007
http://science.house.gov/publications/hearings_markups_details.aspx?NewsID=1866
Nuclear Power Joint
Fact-Finding
The
Keystone Center, June 2007
http://www.keystone.org/spp/documents/FinalReport_NJFF6_12_2007(1).pdf
This
report presents information on a wide range of aspects of nuclear energy.
Annual Report on U.S. Wind
Power Installation, Cost, and Performance Trends, 2006
U.S.
Dept of Energy, May 2007
http://www.nrel.gov/docs/fy07osti/41435.pdf
There
is a news release at http://www.energy.gov/news/5091.htm
Research, Education and
Training Programs to Facilitate Adoption of Solar Energy Technologies
Hearing
before a subcommittee of the U.S. House Committee on Science and Technology,
June 19, 2007
http://science.house.gov/publications/hearings_markups_details.aspx?NewsID=1878