CRITICAL QUESTIONS

Q1: What does the Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s approval of the Combined Construction and Operating License for the Vogtle nuclear power plant in Burke County, Georgia, mean?

Q1: How has President Bashar al-Assad of Syria been able to remain in power in the wake of mounting unrest?

A1: A number of local and regional factors have and are likely to continue to enable Assad to hang on to power, at least in the short to medium term.

While the United States is in the throes of an election year, with state primaries and debates taking place nearly weekly, India too is in the midst of an important round of state elections. The first elections began on January 28, and they will continue through the end of the year. The final results for the first five elections will be announced on March 6.

Early in 2011, food price riots helped trigger one of the most unexpected and significant events of the past decade: the Arab Spring, which saw the downfall of governments in the Middle East, the death of a long-time dictator in Libya, and ongoing strife in Syria and Yemen.

Q1: What is the Trans-Pacific Partnership?

On January 13, 2012, President Obama released a proposed reorganization of the federal bureaucracy, which would see the U.S. Department of Commerce, the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR), the Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC), the Small Business Administration, the Export-Import Bank, and the U.S.

On January 5, the president announced new foundational defense guidance. Fiscal challenges clearly dictated the timing of the Department of Defense’s (DoD) most recent comprehensive review. However, new guidance was essential at some point if DoD was to transition into the post–Iraq/Afghanistan world in the most deliberate and responsible way possible.

Q1: Recent earthquake tremors centered on Youngstown, Ohio, have resurrected safety concerns related to hydraulic fracturing and shale gas extraction. Are the tremors related to fracking activity?