George C. Dimitriou

Noteworthy new and updated reports from the U.S. Congressional Research Service that have not been made readily available to the public include the following:

· Russia-Georgia Conflict in South Ossetia: Context and Implications for U.S. Interests, August 13, 2008.

· Stability in Russia’s Chechnya and Other Regions of the North Caucasus: Recent Developments, August 12, 2008.

· Russian Political, Economic, and Security Issues and U.S. Interests, updated July 28, 2008.

NATO will hold a summit in Bucharest, Romania, April 2-4, 2008. New threats such as cyber attacks and energy cut-offs have arisen, and the allies will debate means to counter them. They will also decide whether to invite any of the candidates for membership — Albania, Croatia, and the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) , pending resolution of the Macedonia naming dispute — into the alliance, and review as well the desire of Georgia and Ukraine to be placed in a Membership Action Plan (MAP), a significant step on the road to a formal candidacy for membership.

Some background material from the Congressional Research Service:

· The NATO Summit at Bucharest,2008

· Enlargement Issues at NATO’s Bucharest Summit