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Steven Aftergood: Countering the Islamic State & More from CRS

Countering the Islamic State, and More from CRS Some 60 nations and partner organizations have made commitments to help counter the Islamic State with military forces or resources, according to a new report from the Congressional Research Service. But coalition efforts suffer from a lack of coherence, CRS said. “Without a single authority responsible for …

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Steven Aftergood: Librarian of Congress Opportunity

A New Direction for the Library of Congress? With the impending retirement of the longtime Librarian of Congress, James H. Billington, there is an opportunity for a fundamental reconsideration of the function and operation of the Library of Congress. In particular, the time may be ripe for a massive expansion of the Library’s digitized holdings, …

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Steven Aftergood: CRS on Microbead Threat to Water Quality

Microbeads: An Emerging Water Quality Issue Claudia Copeland, Specialist in Resources and Environmental Policy (ccopeland@crs.loc.gov, 7-7227) July 20, 2015 (IN10319) EXTRACT Microbeads are synthetic particles made of either polyethylene or polypropylene plastic. …  Because microbeads are so small, most wastewater treatment plant technology is not capable of removing them from the wastestream. Most microbeads do …

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Steven Aftergood : JASON on Open Sources — 25 Years Late

CROWD-SOURCING THE TREATY VERIFICATION PROBLEM “Never before has so much information and analysis been so widely and openly available. The opportunities for addressing future [treaty] monitoring challenges include the ability to track activity, materials and components in far more detail than previously, both for purposes of treaty verification and to counter WMD proliferation,” according to …

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Steven Aftergood: Kevin Kosar on Why Congressional Research Service is Dysfunctional, Corrupted by Congressional Partisanship

The Congressional Research Service has never been more frequently cited or more influential in informing public discourse than it is today, as its publications are increasingly shared with the public in violation of official policy. But budget cuts and congressional dysfunction seem to have bred discontent among some staff members, judging from an article by …

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Steve Aftergood: Diplomatic History of US with Iran Withheld — 61 Years Later — Due to Lasting Damage of CIA Covert Action

Department of State Delays Release of Iran History The U.S. Department of State has blocked the publication of a long-awaited documentary history of U.S. covert action in Iran in the 1950s out of concern that its release could adversely affect ongoing negotiations over Iran’s nuclear program. The controversial Iran history volume, part of the official …

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Steven Aftergood: CIA Torture Report – Oversight, But No Remedies Yet — With Strong PBI Comment

CIA Torture Report: Oversight, But No Remedies Yet The release of the executive summary of the Senate Intelligence Committee report on CIA’s post-9/11 interrogation program is, among other things, an epic act of record preservation. Numerous CIA records that might not have been disclosed for decades, or ever, were rescued from oblivion by the Senate …

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