Friday, July 24, 2009

Friday's Miscellany 07-24-2009

Afghanistan NGO Safety Office (ANSO)
· ANSO Quarterly Data Report, 2nd Quarter [Jan-June 2009]

· ANSO Quarterly Data Reports archive
· ANSO Report [bi-weekly]

American Institute for Contemporary German Studies (AICIGS)
· After the Election: Germany Will Continue to Obstruct: Global Economic Rebalancing


· America’s Opposite Hand: Germany’s Parties Agree on the Necessity of Environmental Protection and a Green New Deal
· Germany's Founding Pillars at 60: Future Challenges and Choices

· They Can and Must Increase': An Analysis of U.S.-Russian Economic Relations in International Comparison
· Toward a Transatlantic Eastern Policy? The U.S., the EU, and the "In-Between States"

· Waiting for September: German-American Relations Between Elections


Amnesty International
· Public Security Reforms and Human Rights in Jamaica

· Saudi Arabia: Assaulting Human Rights in the Name of Counter-Terrorism


Army Combined Arms Center
· Military Review July- August 2009, v. 89, no. 4

*Tactical Leader Lessons Learned in Afghanistan: Operation Enduring Freedom VIII by Colonel William B. Ostlund
*Exploiting Insurgent Violence in Afghanistan by Lieutenant Colonel Thomas Brouns
*Adult Education in Afghanistan: The Key to Political and Economic Transformation by Captain Chad M. Pillai
*Rethinking IED Strategies: From Iraq to Afghanistan by Commander John Moulton
*Afghanistan's Nangarhar Inc: A Model for Interagency Success by Major David K. Spencer
*The Israeli Defense Forces Response to the 2006 War with Hezbollah by Matt M. Matthews
*Detainee Healthcare as Part of Information Operations by Lieutenant Colonel Beverly D. Patton
*Understanding Innovation by Colonel Thomas M. Williams
*Future Strategic Environment in an Era of Persistent Conflict by Major Paul S. Oh
*How to End the Genocide in Darfur and Why it Won’t Happen by Midshipman Brendon J. Mills
*Misguided Intentions: Resisting AFRICOM by Captain Moussa Diop Mboup, Michael Mihalka and Major Douglas Lathrop,
*Leveraging Liminality in Post-Conflict Security Sector Reform by Major Louis P. Melancon
*The Role of Empathy in Irregular Warfare by Major John Bauer
*The School of Advanced Military Studies: An Accident of History by Brigadier General Huba Wass de Czege
*Terrorists: Neither Soldiers nor Criminals by Amitai Etzioni
*Field Hospital Support for Civilians in Counterinsurgency Operations by Colonel Albert R. Bryan
*Influencing a Soldier, Lessons Learned by Steve McGregor
*Eight Imperatives for Success in Afghanistan From “Commander’s Initial Guidance,” 13 June 2009 by GEN Stanley A. McChrystal

British American Security Information Council (BASIC)
· The Shadow NATO Summit: Options for NATO - Pressing the Rest Button on the Strategic Concept


Brookings Institution
· Aid Coordination on the Ground: Are Joint Country Assistance Strategies the Answer?

· Climate Change and Vulnerable Societies

· Iran: Recent Developments and Implications for U.S. Policy
· Policy Outlook for Immigration Reform

· Protecting the Displaced in Colombia: The Role of Municipal Authorities

· Reducing Systemic Risk in the Financial Sector
· Sky’s the Limit? National and Global Implications of China’s Reserve Accumulation

Center for Infrastructure Protection
· The CIP Report, v. 8, no. 1, July 2009

*Australian Infrastructure
*Israel's Counterterrorism Efforts
*Italian Infrastructure Protection
*UK Infrastructure Protection
*Piracy Economics and the Law
*International Medical Services
*Pandemic Influenza
*Legal Insights
*Cyber Conflict Perspectives

Center for National Policy
· The Navy's Fighter Gap: Fact or Fiction?


Center for Nonproliferation Studies
· Full-Scale Exercise Mocking Up Non-Nuclear State Verification of Nuclear Warhead Dismantlement Held


Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS)
· The Afghanistan Campaign: Can We Win?

· CSIS Commission on Smart Global Health Policy [new website]

· The Geopolitics of Russian Energy
· International Family Planning: A Common-Ground Approach to an Expanded U.S. Role
· A Shared Security Strategy for a Euro-Atlantic Partnership of Equals


Centre for European Reform
· Intelligence, Emergencies and Foreign Policy: The EU's Role in Counter-Terrorism

· Liberalism Retreats in China
· Medvedev and the New European Security Architecture

Chr. Michelsen Institute (CMI)
· Beyond the Surge: Policy Options for Afghanistan

Combating Terrorism Center (CTC)
· CTC Sentinel, July 2009, v. 2, no. 7

*The Terrorist Threat to Pakistan's Nuclear Weapons
*The Significance of Qari Zain's Assassination in Pakistan
*Pakistan's New Offensive in South Waziristan
*A Diagnosis of Somalia's Failing Transitional Government
*The Status of Conflict in the Southern and Central Regions of Somalia
*A New Phase of Resistance and Insurgency in Iranian Baluchistan
*Incorporating Law Enforcement Interrogation Techniques on the Battlefield
*Recent Highlights in Terrorist Activity
· Radical Islamic Ideology in Southeast Asia


Congress. House Armed Services Committee
· Hearings

*Proposed Reconfiguration of the National Defense Stockpile [July 23, 2009]
*Oversight of Family Support Programs [July 22, 2009]
*H. Res. 602 – Requesting that the President and directing that the Secretary of Defense transmit to the House of Representatives All Information in Their Possession Relating to Specific Communications Regarding Detainees and Foreign Persons Suspected of Terrorism. [July 21, 2009]

*Shaping a workforce for today’s acquisition environment that can meet DOD’s needs [July 21, 2009]

Congress. House. Foreign Affairs Committee
· IRAN: Recent Developments and Implications for U.S. Policy

· From L’Aquila to Copenhagen: Climate Change and Vulnerable Societies

· Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and Voice of America: Soft Power and the Free Flow of Information

Congress. House. Homeland Security Committee
· Securing the Modern Electric Grid from Physical and Cyber Attacks

· MARKUP of H.R. 1517, H.R. 1726, H.R. 3239 [Subcommittee on Border, Maritime and Global Counterterrorism]

· Protecting the Protectors: Examining the Personnel Challenges Facing the Federal Air Marshal Service


Congress. House. Oversight ad Government Reform Committee
· Following the Money: Report of the Special Inspector General for the Troubled Asset Relief Program (SIGTARP)

· Oversight Committee to Examine Risks of Peer to Peer Networks

Congress. House. Science & Technology Committee
· Effectively Transforming Our Electric Delivery System to a Smart Grid


Congress. Senate. Energy & Natural Resources Committee
· Full Committee Hearing: To Consider the Preparedness of Federal Land Management Agencies for the 2009 Wildfire Season


Congress. Senate. Foreign Affairs Committee
· Climate Change and Global Security: Challenges, Threats and Diplomatic Opportunities

· The Case for Reform: Foreign Aid and Development in a New Era

Council on Foreign Relations (CFR)
· Brazil on the International Stage

· The China-North Korea Relationship
· The Media Landscape in Iran


Department of Homeland Security
· Department of Homeland Security: Progress in Implementing 9/11 Commission Recommendations


Department of Homeland Security Inspector General
· OIG-09-86 - Efforts to Identify Critical Infrastructure Assets and Systems
· OIG-09-85 - FEMA's Temporary Housing Unit Program and Storage Site Management
· OIG-09-84 - Management Advisory Report: Computer Data Match of FEMA and HUD Housing Assistance Provided to Victims of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita

· OIG-09-83 - FEMA Response to Formaldehyde in Trailers
· OIG-09-82 - U.S. Coast Guard's Acquisition of the Vertical-Takeoff-and-Landing Unmanned Aerial Vehicle · OIG-09-81 - Management Advisory Report: Accountability for Property Purchased through Grant Funding

Department of State Bureau of Political Military Affairs
· To Work the Earth in Safety


Department of State Inspector General
· Report of Inspection, Embassy Baghdad, Iraq - ISP-I-09-30A

· Report of Inspection, Embassy Mexico City, Mexico - ISP-I-09-21A

· Report of Inspection, Embassy Naimey, Niger - ISP-I-09-22A

· Report of Inspection, Embassy Paris, France and Constituent Posts - ISP-I-05-06A
· Report of Inspection, Inspection of the American Institute in Taiwan - ISP-I-05-24A

Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
· Reforming the Nation's Financial System: A Timeline


Freedom House
· Freedom in the World 2009

· Undermining Democracy: 21st Century Authoritarians

· Worst of the Worst 2009


Foreign Policy Research Institute (FPRI)
· Toward an Intelligence-based Nuclear Cooperation Regime


Government Accountability Office (GAO)
· Combating Gangs: Better Coordination and Performance Measurement Would Help Clarify Roles of Federal Agencies and Strengthen Assessment of Efforts, GAO-09-708
· Defense Critical Infrastructure: Actions Needed to Improve the Consistency, Reliability, and Usefulness of DOD's Tier 1 Task Critical Asset List, GAO-09-740R
· Disaster Assistance: Greater Coordination and an Evaluation of Programs' Outcomes Could Improve Disaster Case Management, GAO-09-561
· Drug Control: U.S. Counternarcotics Cooperation with Venezuela Has Declined, GAO-09-806

· Federal Air Marshal Service: Actions Taken to Fulfill Core Mission and Address Workforce Issues, GAO-09-903T [testimony]

· Gulf Coast Disaster Recovery: Community Development Block Grant Program Guidance to States Needs to Be Improved, GAO-09-541
· Hurricane Katrina: Barriers to Mental Health Services for Children Persist in Greater New Orleans, Although Federal Grants Are Helping to Address Them, GAO-09-563
· Hurricane Katrina: Federal Grants Have Helped Health Care Organizations Provide Primary Care, but Challenges Remain, GAO-09-588

· International Trade: Prior Updates of the Trade Advisory System Offer Insights for Current Review GAO-09-842T [testimony]
· Project Bioshield: HHS Can Improve Agency Internal Controls for Its New Contracting Authorities, GAO-09-820

· Project BioShield Act: HHS Has Supported Development, Procurement, and Emergency Use of Medical Countermeasures to Address Health Threats, GAO-09-878R

· Transportation Security: Key Actions Have Been Taken to Enhance Mass Transit and Passenger Rail Security, but Opportunities Exist to Strengthen Federal Strategy and Programs, GAO-09-678
· Troubled Asset Relief Program: Treasury Actions Needed to Make the Home Affordable Modification Program More Transparent and Accountable, GAO-09-837
· Troubled Asset Relief Program: Status of Efforts to Address Transparency and Accountability Issues, GAO-09-920T [testimony]
· Wildland Fire Management: Federal Agencies Have Taken Important Steps Forward, but Additional Action Is Needed to Address Remaining Challenges, GAO-09-906T [testimony]

Human Rights First
· In Pursuit of Justice: Prosecuting Terrorism Cases in the Federal Courts - 2009 Update and Recent Developments


Human Rights Watch
· Arbitrary Killings by Security Forces: Submission to the Investigative Bodies on the November 28-29, 2008 Violence in Jos, Plateau State, Nigeria
=

Human Security Report Project - Afghanistan Conflict Monitor
· Beyond The Surge: Policy Options For Afghanistan

Institute for Foreign Policy Analysis
· A New NATO, Euro-Atlantic Security, and the Greek-American Partnership


International Crisis Group
· Indonesia: The Hotel Bombings
· Israel’s Religious Right and the Question of Settlements

International Energy Agency (IEA)
· Oil Market Report - June 2009

· Oil Market Report website

International Peace Institute
· Managing Complexity: Political and Managerial Challenges in United Nations Peace Operations

· Peacebuilding: Task Forces on Strengthening Multilateral Security Capacity


International Relations and Security Network
· Assam: Black Widow’s Web

· Germany’s Afghan Dilemma
· Indonesia Terror: War of Ideas
· Iran Watch: Breaking the Rubicon Cord
· Migration: Politics of Cultural Conflict
· Tatars: Kiev's Anti-Russian Allies
· Tibet Is Not Xinjiang

Jamestown Foundation
· China Brief, July 23, 2009, v. 9, no. 15

*The Xinjiang Crisis: A Test for Beijing's Carrot-and-Stick Strategy
*KMT's Change of Guard: Ma’s Power Play in Taiwanese Politics
*China Makes Strides in Energy “Go-out” Strategy
*China-Bangladesh Relations and Potential for Regional Tensions

Japan Ministry of Defense
· Defense of Japan 2009


Joint Improvised Explosive Device Defeat Organization (JIEDDO)
· Joint Improvised Explosive Device Defeat Organization Annual Report 2008


Lexington Institute
· Are Jets a Better Fit for the Afghan Environment?

· There's no Reason to Cut Funds for C-130 Modernization

Migration Policy Institute
· The Next Generation of E-Verify: Getting Employment Verification Right


Minority Rights Group
· State of the World's Minorities and Indigenous Peoples 2009


National Defense University
· JFQ (Joint Force Quarterly), no. 54, 3rd Quarter 2009

*An Interview with Admiral Michael G. Mullen, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
*On Strategic Leadership
*Advancing the Army Professional Military Ethic
*Keepers of the Flame
*Ethical Challenges for Commanders and Their Chaplains
*Ethics and Intelligence
*A Long, Hard Fall from the Pedestal
*Lawfare: A Decisive Element of 21st-century Conflicts?
*The Detainee Interrogation Debate and the Legal-Policy Process
*Institutional Ethics: Drawing Lines for Militant Democracies
*Law and Ethics
*Afghanistan: The Path to Victory
*Destroy the Taliban’s Sanctuary
*Trapping Ourselves in Afghanistan and Losing Focus on the Essential Mission
*Gangs, Drugs, Terrorism—and Information-sharing
*Healing Hidden Wounds: The Mental Health Crisis of America’s Veterans
*The Joint Narrative: Describing the Future Environment and Joint Operations
*Getting Indonesia Right: Managing a Security Partnership with a Nonallied Country
*The Enduring Value of NORAD
*Cyber Operations: The New Balance
*The Stance on the Cluster Munitions Ban: U.S. Philosophy Explained
*Global Distributed ISR Operations: The Changing Face of Warfare
*Eliminating High Seas Piracy: Legal and Policy Considerations
*Charting a New U.S.-Iraqi Relationship
*Hard Day’s Night: A Retrospective on the American Intervention in Somalia
*Gaming the 21st Century: What to Game?
*Joint Doctrine and Irregular Warfare

Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE)
· A Summary of Challenges on Addressing Human Trafficking for Labour Exploitation in the Agricultural Sector in the OSCE Region


Partnership for Public Service
· Cyber IN-Security: Strengthening the Federal Cybersecurity Workforce


Peterson Institute for International Economics
· American Multinationals and American Economic Interests: New Dimensions to an Old Debate

· Sanctioning North Korea: The Political Economy of Denuclearization and Proliferation


Pew Global Attitudes Project
· Key Indicators Database

· Most Muslim Publics not so Easily Moved: Confidence in Obama Lifts U.S. Image Ground the World

Pew Hispanic Center
· Mexican Immigrants: How Many Come? How Many Leave?


RAND
· 2015: A Connected and Diversified Europe: eIDM Vision Paper

· The Phoenix Program and Contemporary Counterinsurgency


Small Wars Journal
· Police Operational Art for a Five-Dimensional Operational Space


Stimson Center
· Avoiding One Pitfall in U.S.-India Relations


UK House of Lords European Union Committee
· Money Laundering and the Financing of Terrorism
*v. I: Report

*v. II: Evidence


UK Parliament
· Helicopter Capability


United Nations Development Programme
· Arab Human Development Report 2009 - Challenges to Human Security in the Arab Countries


US Institute of Peace
· Interview with Manal Omar about Iraq


Washington Institute for Near East Policy
· 'How This Ends': Iraq's Uncertain Path toward National Reconciliation

· In Their Own Words: Making Sense of the International Community's Nuclear Deadline with Iran
· Saudi Efforts to Combat Terrorist Financing

World Public Opinion.org
· Global Poll Finds Widespread Belief that Afghans Want NATO Forces Out
· Publics Want More Aggressive Government Action On Economic Crisis: Global Poll

Wednesday, July 22, 2009

CTC Report: Radical Islamic Ideology in Southeast Asia

From CTC [Combating Terrorism Center at the US Military Academy]

The CTC is pleased to announce the release of its latest report, Radical Islamic Ideology in Southeast Asia.

The 17 July 2008 terrorist attacks on two hotels in Jakarta, Indonesia served as a vivid reminder of the breadth of the battle space and the importance of constant vigilance. This break in Indonesia’s four-year calm might be a one-time event or an indication of a resurgent regional terror threat. With crude weapons and little logistical support, a small group of people were capable of carrying out an attack that received global media attention. The focus on the perpetrators of this attack may also veil the importance of ideologies other than global jihadism to political violence in the region, such as various strands of ethno-nationalism. As this report highlights, global jihadism is not the only ideology animating terrorist violence, and ethno-nationalism is still a prevalent force in Southeast Asia.

This volume continues the CTC tradition of trying to understand actors posing a real or potential threat to the United States and follows projects such as The Militant Ideology Atlas and Cracks in the Foundation. Edited by Dr. Scott Helfstein, this volume is an attempt to gain greater granularity on the nature of jihadism in Southeast Asia. The volume uses a country-based approach, focusing on jihadi ideology in Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, and Thailand. The final chapter looks at jihadi content on the internet. We hope this report serves both the academic and practitioner communities to better understand the landscape of terrorism in Southeast Asia.

Friday Miscellany 07-17-2009

Aerospace Industries Association (AIA)
·
The Unseen Cost: Industrial Base Consequences of Defense Strategy Choices

Afghanistan Analysts Network
·
The Other Side: Dimensions of the Afghan Insurgency: Causes, Actors an Approaches to ‘Talks’

Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission
·
AIHRC-UNAMA Joint Monitoring of Political Rights Presidential and Provincial Council Elections First Report 25 April – 12 June 2009


Air Force Association (AFA)
·
Note from AFA President -- F-22

American Enterprise Institute (AEI)
·
Polls on Patriotism and Military Service

·
Private Sector and Public Sector Malaria Treatment in Africa

Amnesty International
·
Everything Left Behind: Internal Displacement in Colombia

Arms Control Association
·
Iran’s Outstanding Nuclear Issues at a Glance

Association of the U.S. Army (AUSA)
·
Reforming the National Security Council for the 21st Century: Integrating Homeland Security and Transnational Threats
·
Teams of Leaders in U.S. European Command: A Soft-power Multiplier
·
Transforming U.S. Army Pacific

Atlantic Council of the U.S.
·
Public Sector Pensions Report: Transparency Standards Lacking

Australia Defence Department
·
Defence Capability Plan 2009

Brookings Institution
·
Afghanistan Index
·
Building Asia Pacific Regional Architecture: The Challenge of Hybrid Regionalism
·
Crisis in Pakistan: Educate Women and Girls for Long-Term Solutions
·
Going Home? Prospects and Pitfalls for Large-Scale Return of Iraqis
·
Target the Drug Lords in Afghanistan, Not the Farmers
·
Toward a New Frontier Improving the U.S.-Canadian Border

Canadian Defence and Foreign Affairs Institute (CDFAI)
·
Resource Industries and Security Issues in Northern Alberta

Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
·
China's Prospects In The Current Global Climate
· The Evolving Situation in Iran

CATO
·
Thinking Clearly about Economic Inequality

Center for American Progress
·
Window of Opportunity for a Two-State Solution: Policy Recommendations to the Obama Administration on the Israeli-Palestinian Front

Center for Defense Information (CDI)
·
The F-22 Controversy, Part I: Arguments for Stopping Production

Center for National Policy
·
North Korea's Weapons Tests: What's Next?

Center for Naval Analyses (CNA)
·
China's Participation in Anti-Piracy Operations off the Horn of Africa: Drivers and Implications
· ‎
“A Wing and a Prayer”: Summary and Analysis of the NAHLN HPAI Exercise Program

Center for Nonproliferation Studies
·
Battle Lines Being Drawn in the CTBT Debate: An Analysis of the Strategic Posture Commission's Arguments against U.S. Ratification
·
Obama's Moscow Visit Highlights Both Progress and Obstacles in U.S.-Russian Nuclear Relations

Center for Security Policy
·
Latin American Yalta
·
Welcome to Faisal County
·
Zeroing in on Peru

Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS)
·
Rolls-Royce North America Military Strategy Forum
·
Russia-US Joint Working Group on Investment and Institutional Integrity
·
The U.S.-China Strategic and Economic Dialogue

Center for the Study of Weapons of Mass Destruction
·
Are We Prepared?: Four WMD Crises That Could Transform U.S. Security

Centre for European Reform
·
The EU Finally Opens Up the European Defence Market

Centre for Social Cohesion
·
The BNP and the Online Fascist Network

Central Intelligence Agency (CIA)
·
Creating Global Intelligence: The Creation of the US Intelligence Community and Lessons for the 21st Century

Congress. House. Armed Services Committee
·
Hearings
*Prosecuting Law of War Violations: Reforming the Military Commissions Act of 2006 [July 16, 2009]
*Oversight Hearing for the Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System (EMALS) [July 16, 2009]
*Managing Service Contracts: What Works and What Doesn’t? [July 16, 2009]
*Addressing a New Generation of Threats from Weapons of Mass Destruction: Department of Energy Nonproliferation Programs and the Department of Defense Cooperative Threat Reduction Program [July 16, 2009]
*Beyond Service Core Competency: Are Our Junior Officers Prepared for Today’s Security Environment? [July 16, 2009]

Congress. House. Foreign Affairs Committee
·
Chinese Interrogation vs. Congressional Oversight: The Uighurs at Guantanamo

Congress. House. Homeland Security Committee
·
Combating Border Violence: The Role of Interagency Coordination in Investigations
·
General Aviation Security: Assessing Risks and the Road Ahead

Congress. Senate. Commerce, Science and Technology Committee
·
Chairman Rockefeller Alarmed by Magnitude of Cyber Attacks

Congress. Senate. Foreign Relations
·
$150 Oil: Instability, Terrorism and Economic Disruption
·
Maritime Disputes and Sovereignty Issues in East Asia

Congress. Senate. Homeland Security & Governmental Affairs
·
Identification Security: Reevaluating the Real ID Act

Congressional Budget Office (CBO)
·
The Long-Term Budget Outlook
·
Options for Combining the Navy's and the Coast Guard's Small Combatant Programs
·
Preliminary Analysis of the Insurance Coverage Specifications Provided by the House Tri-Committee Group
·
S. 1390, National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2010

Country Indicators for Foreign Policy
·
Afghanistan 2009 [Fragile States Country Report]

Defense Science Board (DSB)
·
Fulfillment of Urgent Operational Needs

Department of Defense (DoD) Chemical and Biological Defense Program (CBDP)
·
Department of Defense (DoD) Chemical and Biological Defense Program (CBDP) Research, Development and Acquisition (RDA) Plan (based on the FY10 President's Budget (PB), dated May 2009)

Department of Defense Inspector General (DODIG)
·
D-2009-090 Information Operations Career Force Management, July 2, 2009
·
D-2009-093 Ship Utilization in Support of the Global War on Terror, July 15, 2009
·
D-2009-092 Validity of DOD Civilian Employee Accounts, July 15, 2009

Department of Homeland Security. Office of Immigration Statistics
·
Immigration Enforcement Actions: 2008

Department of Homeland Security Privacy Impact Assessment
·
Comparative Case Studies of Radical Rhetoric
·
Department of Homeland Security Web Portals

Department of State Inspector General
·
Nonimmigrant Visa Adjudication: Standards for Refusing Applicants (ISP-CA-05-58)

Foreign Policy Research Institute (FPRI)
·
The PRI Makes a Comeback in Mexico

Government Accountability Office (GAO)
·
Assessing the Reliability of Computer-Processed Data (Supersedes GAO-03-273G), GAO-09-680G
·
Coast Guard: As Deepwater Systems Integrator, Coast Guard Is Reassessing Costs and Capabilities but Lags in Applying Its Disciplined Acquisition Approach, GAO-09-682
·
Coast Guard: Better Logistics Planning Needed to Aid Operational Decisions Related to the Deployment of the National Security Cutter and Its Support Assets, GAO-09-497
·
Coast Guard Retiree Health Care: Coast Guard Contributions to and Payments from the DOD Medicare-Eligible Retiree Health Care Fund (MERHCF), GAO-09-857R
·
Electronic Health Records: Program Office Improvements Needed to Strengthen Management of VA and DOD Efforts to Achieve Full Interoperability, GAO-09-895T [testimony]
·
Grants Management: Grants.gov Has Systematic Weaknesses That Require Attention, GAO-09-589
·
Information Security: Agencies Continue to Report Progress, but Need to Mitigate Persistent Weaknesses, GAO-09-546
·
Personnel Security Clearances: An Outcome-Focused Strategy Is Needed to Guide Implementation of the Reformed Clearance Process, GAO-09-488
·
President's Emergency Plan For AIDS Relief: Partner Selection and Oversight Follow Accepted Practices but Would Benefit from Enhanced Planning and Accountability, GAO-09-666
·
Reserve Forces: Army Needs to Reevaluate its Approach to Training and Mobilizing Reserve Component Forces, GAO-09-720
·
State Department: Key Transformation Practices Could Have Helped in Restructuring Arms Control and Nonproliferation Bureaus, GAO-09-738
·
VA Health Care: Preliminary Findings on VA's Provision of Health Care Services to Women Veterans, GAO-09-899T [testimony]
·
VA Health Care: Preliminary Findings on VA's Provision of Health Care Services to Women Veterans, GAO-09-884T [testimony]

Heritage Foundation
·
Congress Should Support the Development of an Allied Variant of the F-22A
·
The President's Ghana Trip: Obama Should Advance Freedom in Africa
·
The State Secret Protection Act Is Not Like the Classified Information Procedures Act (CIPA)
·
The U.S.-U.K. Defense Trade Cooperation Treaty Merits Early Consideration
·
U.S. Air Force Fifth-Generation Fighter: The F-22A Raptor Requirements Retreat

Hudson Institute
·
One View of the United States and Iraq

Human Rights Watch
·
"Hostages to Peace": Threats to Human Rights and Democracy in Somaliland
·
Soldiers Who Rape, Commanders Who Condone: Sexual Violence and Military Reform in the Democratic Republic of Congo

Institute for National Security Studies (INSS)
·
Diverging Roads: 21st-Century U.S.-Thai Defense Relations
·
Strategic Forum 242 - Managing Strategic Competition with China

Institute for Science and International Security (ISIS)
·
A Smuggler's Procurement of Nuclear Dual-Use Pressure Transducers for Iran
·
Smugglers Assist North Korea-Directed Illicit Trade to Myanmar

Institute for Security Studies (ISS)
·
Policy Brief No 2: Intelligence and Accountability in Africa
·
Brief No 1: Security Sector Reform in Zimbabwe, What, Why and How?
·
SA Crime Quarterly No 28, June 2009
·
Co-Chair's Summary: ISS/CGCC Workshop, Cape Town: The Role of Civil Society in the Implementation of the UN Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy in Africa
·
Co-Chair's Recommendations: ISS/CGCC Workshop, Cape Town: The Role of Civil Society in the Implementation of the UN Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy in Africa

Institute of Medicine
·
Combating Tobacco in Military and Veteran Populations
·
Report Brief

International Crisis Group
·
Sudan: Justice, Peace and the ICC

International Relations and Security Network
·
Afghanistan: When the War Is Unwinnable
·
Bosnia, EU: Suffering Incompetence
·
East Timor: Justice in the Dock
·
India’s Nuclear Dilemma Exposed
·
Iran Watch: Decisive Friday Prayer
·
UK: Disconnected Democracy

Jamestown Foundation
·
Terrorism Monitor, July 12, 2009, v. 7, no. 21
*Jihadis Identify U.S. Plots Against China in Xinjiang and Africa
*The Afghan Taliban and Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb Threaten France Over Hostility to Burkas
*The Role of the Revolutionary Guards and Basij Militia in Iran's "Electoral Coup"
*The Baghdadi Tapes: Supposedly Imprisoned Iraqi Islamist Claims He Still Leads Fight Against U.S. Occupation

Lexington Institute
·
Raulonomics: Tough Diagnosis and Partial Prescriptions in Raul Castro's Economic Policies · Some Nuclear Cuts are Feasible, but Big Ones are Dangerous

Markle Foundation
·
Reforming the Culture of National Security: Vision, Clarity, and Accountability

Minority Rights Group International
·
State of the World's Minorities and Indigenous Peoples 2009
·
Peoples Under Threat 2009

National Academies Press
·
America's Future in Space: Aligning the Civil Space Program with National Needs [free download but registration is required]

National Employment Law Project
·
A Scorecard on the Post-9/11 Port Worker Background Checks

National Priorities Project
·
Cost of War Tops $915 Billion
·
Cost of War Counter

National Security Archive
·
More Dubious Secrets

New America Foundation
·
Sustainable Broadband Adoption Application Guide

Peterson Institute for International Economics
·
The Global Financial Crisis and Development Strategy for Emerging-Market Economies
·
Pacific Asia and the Asia Pacific: The Choices for APEC

Pew Internet
·
The Internet and the Recession

Small Wars Journal
·
Mistakes Were Made: How Not to Conduct Post-Conflict Management and Counterinsurgency
·
The US Air Force and Irregular Warfare: Success as a Hurdle

Stimson Center
·
The Quadrennial Diplomacy and Development Review

Strategic Studies Institute
·
New Partnerships for a New Era: Enhancing the South African Army's Stabilization Role in Africa

UK Cabinet Office
·
The Road to 2010: Addressing the Nuclear Question in the Twenty First Century

UK Parliament
·
Arctic Changes
·
CO2 Capture, Transport and Storage

US Institute of Peace (USIP)
·
Counting the Costs of Somali Piracy
·
Negotiating with the Taliban: Reconciliation in Afghanistan and Pakistan?
· A Renewable Energy Peace Park in the Golan as a Framework to an Israeli-Syrian Agreement
·
United States Institute of Peace Teaches International Security Personnel to Resolve Conflicts without Resorting to the Use of Force

Washington Institute for Near East Policy
·
New 'Arab Street' Polls: United States Gaining Ground, Iran Losing
·
Targeting Human Rights Abuse in Iran: A Postelection Strategy
·
Waning Vigilance: Al-Qaeda's Resurgence in Yemen
·
Who Will Be the Next King of Saudi Arabia... And Does It Matter?

World Public Opinion.org
·
Muslim and African Nations on Bashir Indictment and Darfur

Sunday, July 12, 2009

Friday's Miscellany 07-10-2009

American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU)
· The Persistence of Racial and Ethnic Profiling in the United States

American Enterprise Institute (AEI)
· Algeria - Iran Foreign Relations

· Quotes from Iranian Officials on Foreign Influence in the Situation in Iran

American Institute for Contemporary German Studies (AICGS)
· Keynes in Lederhosen: Assessing the German Response to the Financial Crisis

· 'They Can and Must Increase': An Analysis of U.S.-Russian Economic Relations in International Comparison
· Toward a Transatlantic Eastern Policy? The U.S., the EU, and the "In-Between States"

American Institute of Architects
· Design for Diplomacy: New Embassies for the 21st Century

Amnesty
· Fatal Flaws - Barriers to Maternal Health in Peru

· Israel/Gaza: Operation "Cast Lead": 22 Days of Death and Destruction

· Nigeria: Petroleum, Pollution and Poverty in the Niger Delta
· Rule Without Law: Human Rights Violations in the North Caucasus

Arms Control Association
· Preventive Military Action: The Worst Way to Deal With Iran's Nuclear Program


Atlantic Council of the United States
· Confidence Building between Turks and Iraqi Kurds


BASIC
· The START Follow-On Negotiations: Russians Focus on Delivery Vehicles


Brookings Institution
· Applying Counterinsurgency Principles in Pakistan’s Frontier

· Mastering Counterinsurgency: A Workshop Report

Carnegie Endowment for International Peace (CEIP)
· Defending U.S. Leadership on Disarmament

· Local Elections and National Democracy Opportunities in Morocco

· The Taliban's Winning Strategy in Afghanistan
· Verifying North Korea's Nuclear Programme: Technical Options and Policy Choices

CATO
· An International Monetary Fund Currency to Rival the Dollar? Why Special Drawing Rights Can't Play That Role


Center for American Progress
· After the “Reset”: A Strategy and New Agenda for U.S. Russia Policy


Center for Security Policy
· 'Take My Voice': An Everywoman's Story from Iran

· Time to reject dictatorship in Latin America
· U.S. Nuclear Deterrence in the 21st Century – Getting It Right
· Your Deterrent: What's at Stake at the Moscow Summit

Center for Security Studies (CSS)
· No. 57: "The New Appeal of Nuclear Energy and the Dangers of Proliferation"

· No. 58: "US$147/B One Year On: Political Winners and Strategic Losers"

Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS)
· Conflict, Community, and Criminality in Southeast Asia and Australia

· Crossing the Natural Gas Bridge

· Equipping USAID for Success

Combating Terrorism Center (CTC)
· CTC Sentinel, v. 2, no. 6, June 2009

*Al-Qa`ida’s Pakistan Strategy – Don Rassler
*Preventing Another Mumbai: Building a Police Operational Art – John Sullivan and Adam Elkus
*The Indian Mujahidin and Lashkar-i-Tayyiba’s Transnational Networks – Praveen Swami
*Taming Iranian-backed Special Groups in Maysan Province – Michael Knights
*Invoking Zarqawi” Abu Muhammad al-Maqdisi’s Jihad Deficit – Joas Wagenmakers
*Terrorist Financing on the Internet – Michael Jacobson
· Embattled in Arabia: Shi‘is and the Politics of Confrontation in Saudi Arabia


Congress. House. Armed Services Committee
· Hearings Information

*Status of Army and Marine Corps Reset Requirements [July 9, 2009]
*Challenges to Effective Acquisition and Management of Information Technology Systems [July 9, 2009]

Congress. House. Energy and Commerce Committee
· Regulation of Bottled Water


Congress. House. Foreign Affairs Committee
· The Crisis in Honduras

· The Export Administration Act: A Review of Outstanding Policy Considerations
· Nuclear Cooperation with the United Arab Emirates: Review of the Proposed U.S.-UAE Agreement


Congress. House. Homeland Security Committee
· Markup: H.R. 1881 - “The Transportation Security Workforce Enhancement Act of 2009”

· “FEMA Housing: An Examination of Current Problems and Innovative Solutions”

Congress. House. Judiciary Committee
· Legal Issues Surrounding the Military Commissions System


Congress. House. Oversight and Government Reform Committee
· The Rise of the Mexican Drug Cartels and U.S. National Security

· Tracking the Money: Preventing Waste, Fraud and Abuse of Recovery Act Funding

Congress. Senate. Armed Services Committee
· Legal Issues Regarding Military Commissions and the Trial of Detainees for Violations of the Law of War


Congress. Senate. Commerce, Science & Transportation Committee
· U.S. Coast Guard Oversight


Congress. Senate. Foreign Relations Committee
· Industrial Competiveness Under Climate Politics: Lessons from Europe


Congress. Senate. Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee
· From Strategy to Implementation: Strengthening U.S.-Pakistan Relations

· The Federal Protective Service: Time for Reform

Council for Foreign Relations
· Crisis Between Ukraine and Russia

· Gross or Net International Financial Flows
· U.S. Immigration Policy

Department of Defense
· Progress Toward Security and Stability in Afghanistan - June 2009


Department of Defense Inspector General (DODIG)
· D-2009-041 Expeditionary Fire Support System and Internally Transportable Vehicle Programs [with errata memos]
o http://www.dodig.mil/Audit/reports/fy09/09-041Errata.pdf
o http://www.dodig.mil/Audit/reports/fy09/09-041Errata_2.pdf

Department of Homeland Security Inspector General
· OIG-09-80 - Better Oversight Needed of Support Services Contractors in Secure Border Initiative Programs

· OIG-O9-30 - Management Oversight Challenges Remain for DHS' Intelligence Systems Information Technology Security Program: Unclassified Summary

e-International Relations
· The War on Terror and the Crisis in Pakistan


Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)
· Bank Crime Statistics 2008


Government Accountability Office (GAO)
· Bottled Water: FDA Safety and Consumer Protections Are Often Less Stringent Than Comparable EPA Protections for Tap Water, GAO-09-610

· Climate Change Trade Measures: Considerations for U.S. Policy Makers, GAO-09-724R
· Climate Change Trade Measures: Estimating Industry Effects, GAO-09-875T [testimony]
· Coast Guard: Observations on the Fiscal Year 2010 Budget and Related Performance and Management Challenges, GAO-09-810T [testimony]
· Defense Logistics: Observations on Army's Implementation of the Logistics Modernization Program, GAO-09-852R
· Force Structure: Actions Needed to Improve DOD's Ability to Manage, Assess, and Report on Global Defense Posture Initiatives, GAO-09-706R
· Homeland Security: Preliminary Results Show Federal Protective Service's Ability to Protect Federal Facilities Is Hampered By Weaknesses in Its Contract Security Guard Program, GAO-09-859T [testimony] · Military Base Realignments and Closures: DOD Needs to Update Savings Estimates and Continue to Address Challenges in Consolidating Supply-Related Functions at Depot Maintenance Locations
· Military Personnel: Reserve Compensation Has Increased Significantly and Is Likely to Rise Further as DOD and VA Prepare for the Implementation of Enhanced Educational Benefits, GAO-09-726R
· Overseas Contingency Operations: Reported Obligations for the Department of Defense
· Recovering Servicemembers: DOD and VA Have Jointly Developed the Majority of Required Policies but Challenges Remain, GAO-09-728
· Recovery Act: States' and Localities' Current and Planned Uses of Funds While Facing Fiscal Stresses, GAO-09-829
· Recovery Act: States' and Localities' Current and Planned Uses of Funds While Facing Fiscal Stresses, GAO-09-831T [testimony]
· Recovery Act: States' and Localities' Current and Planned Uses of Funds While Facing Fiscal Stresses (Appendixes), GAO-09-830SP
· Transit Security Grant Program: DHS Allocates Grants Based on Risk, but Its Risk Methodology, Management Controls, and Grant Oversight Can Be Strengthened, GAO-09-491
· Troubled Asset Relief Program: Status of Participants' Dividend Payments and Repurchases of Preferred Stock and Warrants GAO-09-889T [testimony]

Heritage Foundation
· Arms Control with Russia: Senators Should Provide Their Advice to the Obama Administration

· Crisis in Honduras: A Diplomatic Balancing Act for the United States

· Fixing the Fighter Gap Facing the U.S. Navy, Air Force, and Air National Guard
· The Growing Air Power Fighter Gap: Implications for U.S. National Security

· North Korean Launches Affirm Need for Missile Defense

· President Obama Retreats on Third-Site Missile Defenses
· What Is Next in Iran?

· Why a Federal Interagency History Office Is Needed


Human Rights Watch
· Precisely Wrong: Gaza Civilians Killed by Israeli Drone-Launched Missiles

· Selling Justice Short: Why Accountability Matters for Peace
· Well Oiled: Oil and Human Rights in Equatorial Guinea

Information Sharing Environment (ISE)
· 2009 Annual Report to the Congress on the ISE


Institute for Science and International Security (ISIS)
· Misconceptions about Iran’s Nuclear Program


International Crisis Group
· Congo: A Comprehensive Strategy to Disarm the FDLR

· Guinea-Bissau: Beyond Rule of the Gun
· Iraq and the Kurds: Trouble Along The Trigger Line

International Energy Agency
· End-User Petroleum Product Prices and Average Crude Oil Import Costs - June 2009

· Monthly Natural Gas Survey - April 2009

International Relations and Security Network
· Desperation Route [U.S. Mexico border]

· EU: Czechs Get Stacked Deck
· Forty Tons of Guns for Somalia
· Georgia: Between War and a Future
· Gripen: Pedigree, Profile, Price
· Iran Watch: The Twin Crises
· The New Appeal of Nuclear Energy and the Dangers of Proliferation
· Peace Eludes Philippines
· Turkmenistan for US Logistics

Jamestown Foundation
· China Brief, July 9, 2009, v. 9, no. 14

*The Net Revolution: Chinese Netizens vs. Green Dam
*Chinese Perceptions of U.S. Decline and Power
*China’s Re-emergence as an Arms Dealer: The Return of the King?
*China’s Claims to an Extended Continental Shelf in the East China Sea:
*Meaning and Implications
· Terrorism Monitor, July 9, 2009, v. 7, no. 20
http://www.jamestown.org/uploads/media/TM_007_50.pdf
*Jihad Ideologue Abu Muhammad al-Maqdisi Challenges Jordan's Neo-Zarqawists
*Alleged Iranian and Hezbollah Agents on Trial for Targeting Russian-Operated Radar Station in Azerbaijan
*Can Afghanistan's New "Guardian" Militia Restore Security in the Provinces?

Joint Inspectors General
· Unclassified Report on the President’s Surveillance Program


Lexington Institute
· Delay of Army Warfighter Network Would be Dangerous

· July 4, 2009: A Celebration Tinged With Sadness
· Global Warming and the Politics of Mania

National Academies Press
· Optimizing U.S. Air Force and Department of Defense Review of Air Force Acquisitions Programs [free download but registration is required]

· Sustainable Critical Infrastructure Systems: A Framework for Meeting 21st Century Imperatives [free download but registration is required]


New America Foundation
· The American-German Divide


Peterson Institute for International Economics
· India-Pakistan Trade: A Roadmap for Enhancing Economic Relations


Pew Research Center for the People & the Press
· Public Praises Science; Scientists Fault Public, Media


RAND
· The Effect of Knowledge Management Systems on Organizational Performance: Do Soldier and Unit Counterinsurgency Knowledge and Performance Improve Following "Push" or "Adaptive-Push" Training?
· A Survey of Missions for Unmanned Undersea Vehicles

Small Wars Journal
· America’s Strategic Intent Applied in South Asia

· Information Counterrevolution
· Six Reasons Insurgencies Lose: A Contrarian View
· Third-Generation Gangs and Criminal Insurgency in Latin America

Stimson Center
· Improving Criminal Accountability in United Nations Peace Operations

· Security Sector Reform Best Practices and Lessons Learned Repository

UK Parliament
· Economic Indicators, July 2009


US Institute of Peace (USIP)
· Counting the Costs of Somali Piracy

· Hamas: Ideological Rigidity and Political Flexibility
· A Renewable Energy Peace Park in the Golan as a Framework to an Israeli-Syrian Agreement
· U.S. Policy and Bosnia-Herzegovina: An Assessment

US State Department
· United States-Japan Investment Initiative 2009 Report


Washington Institute for Near East Policy
· Defending the City: NYPD's Counterterrorism Operations

· Iran Sanctions: The German Control Problem
· Iraq Withdrawal Deadline: Subtle Shift in U.S. Mission
· The PA Financial Crisis: Causes and Implications
· Responding to the Iran Crisis: How to Reconcile Competing Priorities
· Saudi Media Take the Lead Against Iran's Regime
· Shiite Clerical Establishment Supports Khamenei

World Public Opinion.org
· America's Global Image in the Obama Era