**      PALAU RATIFIES THE COMPREHENSIVE TEST BAN TREATY
**      NEW MILITARY REGS ON INFORMATION ASSURANCE, COMSEC
**      CRS REPORTS ON FOREIGN AFFAIRS

PALAU RATIFIES THE COMPREHENSIVE TEST BAN TREATY

On August 1, the Pacific island nation of Palau became the 139th country
to ratify the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty that would ban all nuclear
explosions.

Among states that possess nuclear weapons, only France, Russia and the
United Kingdom have ratified the Treaty.  To enter into force, the CTBT
Organization explained in an August 7 news release, the Treaty must be
ratified by ten other countries including the United States, China,
Iran, Israel, India, Pakistan and North Korea, none of which have shown
any eagerness to proceed.

     http://www.fas.org/irp/news/2007/08/palau-ctbt.html

The John F. Kennedy Presidential Library last week released declassified
recordings of President Kennedy discussing the debate over a nuclear
test ban in 1963.  See the Library news release here:

     http://www.fas.org/sgp/news/2007/08/jfk080306.html

Detailed background on the history and status of the nuclear test ban
debate is available from the Congressional Research Service in "Nuclear
Weapons: Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty," updated July 12, 2007:

     http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/nuke/RL33548.pdf

NEW MILITARY REGS ON INFORMATION ASSURANCE, COMSEC

A newly updated U.S. Army regulation on information assurance defines
standards and procedures for protecting classified and unclassified
information in automated information systems.  See "Information
Assurance," AR 25-2, August 3, 2007:

     http://www.fas.org/irp/doddir/army/ar25-2.pdf

Meanwhile, a new U.S. Navy Instruction establishes policy on monitoring
of Navy communications for internal security purposes.  See
"Communications Security (COMSEC) Monitoring of Navy Telecommunications
and Automated Information Systems (AIS)," OPNAV Instruction 2201.3A,
August 2, 2007:

    http://www.fas.org/irp/doddir/navy/opnavinst/2201_3a.pdf

CRS REPORTS ON FOREIGN AFFAIRS

Recent reports of the Congressional Research Service on various foreign
affairs topics include the following, obtained by Secrecy News.  CRS
does not makes its reports directly available to the public.

"Iraq: Oil and Gas Legislation, Revenue Sharing, and U.S. Policy,"
updated July 25, 2007:

     http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/mideast/RL34064.pdf

"Gangs in Central America," updated August 2, 2007:

     http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/row/RL34112.pdf

"Afro-Latinos in Latin America and Considerations for U.S. Policy,"
updated July 13, 2007:

     http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/row/RL32713.pdf

"Security and Prosperity Partnership of North America: An Overview and
Selected Issues," August 2, 2007:

     http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/row/RS22701.pdf

"Israeli-Arab Negotiations: Background, Conflicts, and U.S. Policy,"
updated July 9, 2007:

     http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/mideast/RL33530.pdf

"Turkey's 2007 Elections: Crisis of Identity and Power," updated July
11, 2007:

     http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/mideast/RL34039.pdf

"The Kaesong North-South Korean Industrial Complex," July 19, 2007:

     http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/row/RL34093.pdf

"The Proposed South Korea-U.S. Free Trade Agreement (KORUS FTA),"
updated July 18, 2007:

     http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/row/RL33435.pdf

"Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia: Political Developments and
Implications for U.S. Interests," updated July 31, 2007:

     http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/row/RL33453.pdf

"Cyprus: Status of U.N. Negotiations and Related Issues," updated July
20, 2007:

     http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/row/RL33497.pdf

"Pakistan-U.S. Relations," updated July 23, 2007:

     http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/row/RL33498.pdf

"Cambodia: Background and U.S. Relations," updated July 18, 2007:

     http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/row/RL32986.pdf

"China-U.S. Trade Issues," updated July 20, 2007:

     http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/row/RL33536.pdf

"China Naval Modernization: Implications for U.S. Navy Capabilities --
Background and Issues for Congress," updated July 20, 2007:

     http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/row/RL33153.pdf

"China/Taiwan: Evolution of the 'One China' Policy -- Key Statements
from Washington, Beijing, and Taipei," updated July 9, 2007:

     http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/row/RL30341.pdf

"U.S. Clothing and Textile Trade with China and the World: Trends Since
the End of Quotas," July 10, 2007:

     http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/row/RL34106.pdf

"U.S.-Peru Economic Relations and the U.S.-Peru Trade Promotion
Agreement," July 27, 2007:

     http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/row/RL34108.pdf

"The United Kingdom: Issues for the United States," updated July 16,
2007:

     http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/row/RL33105.pdf

_______________________________________________
Secrecy News is written by Steven Aftergood and published by the
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