Research conducted relative to Internet crimes against children can be grouped into several subtopics: unwanted solicitation for sexual contact or pictures; pornography (children as the subject); harassment and bullying; and unwanted exposure to sexually explicit material. Many of the studies described in this document have been conducted by researchers affiliated with the Crimes Against Children Research Center at the University of New Hampshire who extrapolated data from the First (2000) and Second (2005) Youth Internet Safety Survey. These surveys canvassed a nationally representative...

This report provides a description and assessment of Internet-accessible databases relevant for social science research on terrorism. The body of this report details those websites that provide actual data, e.g., names of terrorist organizations and incidents of terrorist activity; several have search capabilities. These websites are maintained primarily by U.S. government agencies, non-U.S. research centers, and international organizations. An appendix to this report provides an extensive list of additional resources that provide commentary and analysis of terrorism events and trends. These...

This book describes the current status of narcotics trafficking in four countries of Central Asia (Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan), in the three former Soviet republics of the south Caucasus (Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia), and in Chechnya. The purpose of the book is to reveal the role of Russian organized crime and Central Asian terrorist organizations in narcotics trafficking in those areas. To achieve this goal, the book describes the overall present structure of trafficking routes and organizations, insofar as these are known. A wide variety of sources has been...

This book sets forth the statutes, regulations, and Executive Branch directives that define and govern access to Sensitive But Unclassified (SBU) information. Although there is growing concern in the post 9/11 world that guidelines for the protection of SBU (often referred to as Sensitive Homeland Security Information) are needed, a uniform legal definition or set of procedures applicable to all Federal government agencies does not now exist. Regulations are booked to be under development in the Office of Management and Budget and the Department of Homeland Security. The dissemination of SBU...

Marijuana is considered by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and the National Drug Intelligence Center (NDIC) to be "a leading drug threat to the country." However, U.S. law enforcement authorities generally regard marijuana as a lower threat than cocaine and diverted pharmaceuticals because it is less often associated with violent crime and property crime. Marijuana is the most readily available and widely used and abused illicit drug in the nation. Its prevalence has contributed to both an acceptance of marijuana use among some adults and adolescents and a perception that the drug...

Emergency situations arise from a wide variety of natural and man-made events ranging from earthquakes and hurricanes to domestic disturbances and terrorist strikes to nuclear power accidents and airplane crashes. Information about these events can be disseminated by several means, but one of the most important channels for communicating information about emergency situations is the modern mass media. Despite reservations that may be expressed about their ability to play the role of communicator impartially, the media transmit considerable information about the circumstances and hazards of...

The U.S. military has provided support to civil authorities in response to civil emergencies and natural disasters dating back to the Truman era. The terminology applied to this function has varied over the years: military assistance, or military support to civil authorities; military support of civil defense; and employment of military resources in natural disaster emergencies within the United States. As will be illustrated in this report's discussion of U.S. Defense Department (DoD) regulatory documents, the specific responsibilities of the department and the service branches were...

This book assesses conditions that contribute to or are potentially hospitable to transnational criminal activity and terrorist activity in selected regions of the world during the period 1999-2002. Although the focus of the book is on transnational activity, domestic criminal activity is recognized as a key foundation for transnational crime, especially as the forces of globalization intensify. The book has been arranged geographically into the following major headings: Africa, the former Soviet Union and Eastern Europe, South Asia, Southeast Asia, Western Europe, and the Western Hemisphere....

This book is based on open source research into the scope of organized crime and terrorist activity in the Republic of Mexico during the period 1999 to 2002, and the extent of cooperation and possible overlap between criminal and terrorist activity in that country. The analyst examined those organized crime syndicates that direct their criminal activities at the United States, namely Mexican narcotics trafficking and human smuggling networks, as well as a range of smaller organizations that specialize in trans-border crime. The presence in Mexico of transnational criminal organizations, such...

This book is a contribution to the debate about the advisability and feasibility of elevating the rank of the chief of the National Guard Bureau (CNGB) from that of three-star to four-star general. The book aims to shed light on the debate by examining the primary duties and responsibilities of a number of four-star billets, including the chairman and vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff; the unified and specified combatant commanders; the military service chiefs and vice chiefs; the commander, U.S. Forces Korea; and the deputy commander, U.S. European Command. The book also examines...