Foreign Policy of the United States : Volume 5

After the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, the U.S. recognised the independence of all the former Central Asian republics, supported their admission into Western organisations, and elicited regional support to counter Iranian influence in the region. Congress was at the forefront in urging the formation of coherent U.S. policies for aiding these and other Eurasian states of the former Soviet Union. This book examines ongoing congressional interests, which are likely to include boosting regional border and customs controls, boosting trafficking in persons and drugs, encouraging regional integration with South Asia and Europe, advancing energy security, and countering terrorism. In addition, recent legislation and implementation, trade issues and political, economic and social conditions impacting U.S. relations are examined with regards to Chile, China, Costa Rica, Egypt, El Salvador and France. Moreover, restrictions on travel to Cuba have been a key and often contentious component in U.S. efforts to isolate Cuba''s communist government for much of the past 40 years. The authors of this book examine some of the actions already taken by Congress to ease restrictions on travel to Cuba and educational travel. Background information and analysis of the U.S.-EU economic relationship is provided as well, including economic and political framework of the relationship and the scope and magnitude of the ties based on data from various sources.