UNITED
STATES GOVERNMENT INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS INFORMATION
SOURCES
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Locator Services, Search Engines,
Databases, and Directories for the United States
Federal Government
Congressional Research Service
Reports on the Internet-- The
non-partisan Congressional
Research Service, based at the Library of
Congress, prepares thousands of unclassified reports a
year on a vast range of topics at the request of members
of Congress. Many CRS reports are on international
topics or U.S. foreign policy issues. These first-rate
reports are available in full-text PDF online, but they
are poorly indexed by regular search engines. One of the
most complete collections is from the Congressional Research Service
itself. Another large posting site is EveryCRSReport.com.
The Federation of American Scientists posts CRS reports
on international security issues. The Homeland
Security Digital Library posts CRS reports
concerning homeland and national security issues.
The Homeland Security Digital Library posts over 250,000 public resources concerning U.S. homeland and national security issues, broadly interpreted. Sponsored by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's National Preparedness Directorate, FEMA, and the Naval Postgraduate School Center for Homeland Defense and Security.
Cyber Cemetery-- From the
University of North Texas Libraries, affiliated with the
National Archives and Records Administration, "an
archive of [U.S.] government web sites that have ceased
operation (usually web sites of defunct government
agencies and commissions that have issued a final
report)."
Data.gov--
"Increases the ability of the public to easily find,
download, and use datasets that are generated and held
by the Federal Government. Data.gov provides
descriptions of the Federal datasets (metadata),
information about how to access the datasets, and tools
that leverage government datasets. The data catalogs
will continue to grow as datasets are added."
Federal Digital System-- From the U.S. Government Printing Office, identifies public information resources within the three branches of the federal government (including electronic information resources), describes the information available in these resources, and assists in obtaining the information. The Catalog of U.S. Government Publications is "the finding tool for federal publications that includes descriptive records for historical and current publications and provides direct links to those that are available online."
Freedom of Information Act Website--
From the U.S. National Archives and Records
Administration, facilitates access to U.S. government
information in executive branch agency records, either
through the Electronic Reading Room or by inquiry directly
to the National Archives and Records Administration.
GovEngine.com-- Directory for U.S.
federal, state, and local websites, including courts.
GovFresh-- Aggregated "live feed of official news from U.S. Government Twitter, YouTube, RSS, Facebook, Flickr accounts and more, all in one place."
govInfo--
"Provides free online access to official publications for
all three branches of the Federal Government," via a
search engine and browsing, with download capability.
GovTrack.us-- Free online service to
"research and track the activities in the U.S. Congress
[such as] the status of U.S. federal legislation, voting
records in the Senate and House of Representatives, and
information on Members of Congress, as well as
congressional committees and the Congressional Record."
Internet Archive-- Stores and
catalogues a huge amount of U.S. federal government
websites and data for historical preservation purposes.
MetaLib-- From the U.S. Government
Printing Office, a "federated search engine that searches
multiple U.S. Federal government databases, retrieving
reports, articles, and citations while providing direct
links to selected resources available online."
Online
Research Tools and Aids-- From the U.S.
National Archives and Records Administration of the
U.S. government, a guide to finding online federal records
and information about them, including from Presidential
Libraries.
USA.gov-- Large official United
States government web portal offering easy access to all
online U.S. federal, state, and local government
resources, by various means of approach. Excellent
source for such information.
United States Government Manual--
Official information source about the agencies of the
legislative, executive, and judicial branches.
Department,
Agency, Congressional, and Military Sources for
the United States Federal Government
• Agency for International Development--
USAID is the government agency that provides economic
development and humanitarian assistance to advance
U.S. economic and political interests overseas. Much
information on USAID's activities and on developing
countries, including data and
analysis about U.S. foreign aid from 1946 to the
present, with maps, videos, and charts. Note the Development
Experience Clearinghouse, the largest online
resource for USAID-funded technical and program
documentation, with items available for examination or
free electronic download.
• Census
Bureau's Foreign Trade Statistics-- Official
trade data and related information for the United
States.
• Census Bureau's International Programs
Section-- A rich
computerized data bank containing statistical tables
of past, present, and projected demographic and
socio-economic data for most countries and all areas
of the world. A popular feature is the World
Population Clock, with an interactive map and
country data.
• Central Intelligence Agency-- The CIA posts many online publications, such as maps and the highly-regarded annual World Factbook. Check the Library for available documents. The Freedom of Information Act Electronic Reading Room gives access to a searchable online database "to provide the public with an overview of access to CIA information, including electronic access to previously released documents." Note especially the CREST program, with over 11 million searchable declassified pages online. See "The Ultimate Guide to Searching CIA's Declassified Archives" for useful tips about how to search CIA archives [not a CIA source]. The Center for the Study of Intelligence conducts research on intelligence and publishes unclassified editions of the Studies in Intelligence journal, as well as books, monographs, and a quarterly newsletter. The Office of the Director of National Intelligence publishes many studies, with archives, including the Annual Threat Assessment report. The National Intelligence Council posts “Global Trends 2040: A More Contested World,” "the Intelligence Community’s major assessment of the forces - and choices - shaping the world over the next two decades."
• Congress.gov--
From the Library of Congress, a large site with much
detailed information about the Congress and its
deliberations and legislation. Other sites: United
States House of Representatives-- Official site
of the U.S. House of Representatives and United
States Senate-- Official site of the U.S.
Senate. Note especially the following committees--
House of Representatives Committee on Foreign Affairs;
Senate Committee on Foreign Relations;
House of Representatives Armed Services Committee; Senate
Committee on Armed Services. The
Congressional
Budget Office may be of interest, for its
nonpartisan "independent analyses of budgetary and
economic issues to support the Congressional budget
process." Note the Treaty Documents search feature
for formal treaties to which the U.S. is a party.
• Customs and Border Protection--
"The single unified border agency of the United
States." Information on the agency's border control
and customs functions, with official statements,
import, export, border security, and international
travel information, regulations, statistics, and
forms. Note the Customs Rulings Online Search System,
a database of CBP rulings, plus trade-related links.
• Department of Agriculture-- The
Foreign Agricultural Service
maintains Countries and
Regions and Commodities sections
about the agricultural situation and agricultural
trade overseas, by categories and countries. The Economic
Research Service has a search facility and its Topics Page
posts many international reports.
• Department
of Commerce-- Economic news and statistics on
international trade and the U.S. economy. The Bureau of
Economic Analysis supplies online data,
articles, and surveys on U.S. international commercial
transactions and the U.S. position in the world
economy. The International
Trade and Investment Country Facts application
"gives users a snapshot of statistics on trade and
investment between the United States and another
country by simply clicking on a world map."
• Department of Defense--
Department of Defense's starting point for U.S.
military information online. Check the Publications page for online
documents, such as the major National
Defense Strategy. There is a News
Stories section. The Joint
Electronic Library provides access to official
publications and research papers of the U.S. armed
forces, through the Joint Chiefs of Staff site.
• Department of Homeland Security--
Charged with protecting the U.S. homeland from
terrorist attacks, this organization posts information
about its mission, policies, regulations, and actions.
The Yearbook
of Immigration Statistics posts statistics and
reports on immigration matters. Homeland Security
Investigations explains the wide range and
activities of DHS investigation of transnational
crimes.
• Department of Labor-- Note
especially the Bureau of International Labor
Affairs.
• Department of State-- Very
extensive site, for an official view of U.S. foreign
policy. Press Releases include official statements, media notes,
and notices to the press. Abundant information for
world travelers is found at the Bureau
of Consular Affairs. The Countries and Areas section
provides facts about most countries. Declassifed
documents are available at the Freedom
of Information Act Electronic Reading Room.
There is a video section. The Websites
of U.S. Embassies, Consulates, and Diplomatic
Missions page links to the Web sites of U.S.
diplomatic missions around the world. Also see the
site of the American Foreign Service Association,
the professional association of the U.S. Foreign
Service. AFSA publishes the Foreign Service Journal for "an
insider's view on how U.S. foreign policy is made." (All issues since 1919
are available in an archive.) Archives of past materials from
the Department since the 1990s are also available. The
Overseas
Security Advisory Council posts advisories on
security-related issues around the world as "the focal
point for the exchange of unclassified information
between the U.S. Department of State and the private
sector in the U.S. on security-related incidents and
threats overseas." The Department maintains a public
online treaty compilation of texts of international
agreements to which the U.S. is a party.
• Foreign Relations of the United
States-- From the Office of the Historian in the
U.S. Department of State, a series of volumes in the
official documentary historical record of major U.S.
foreign policy decisions and significant diplomatic
activity. Recently-released volumes contain
declassified records from all the foreign affairs
agencies. Many volumes are online in full-text, from
1861 onward.
• Government
Accountability Office-- "Provides Congress, the
heads of executive agencies, and the public with
timely, fact-based, non-partisan information that can
be used to improve government and save taxpayers
billions of dollars." Produces studies on international
affairs topics touching U.S. foreign policy.
• U.S. Citizenship and Immigration
Services-- Provides immigration and
naturalization information, including laws,
statistics, and forms.
• U.S.
Mission to the United Nations-- From the Office
of Press and Public Affairs, U.S. Mission to the
United Nations, New York City.
• United States Trade Representative--
Responsible for developing and coordinating U.S.
international trade, commodity, and direct investment
policy, and leading or directing negotiations with
other countries on such matters. Note the many
full-text reports and trade agreements available.
• White
House-- Official statements from the Executive
Office of the President. A Briefing Room
covers recent events, with an archive. The Compilation of Presidential Documents
site of the Office of the Federal Register and the
National Archives and Records Administration contains
annual archives of the "official publications of
materials released by the White House Press Secretary,"
going back to 1992. The National Archives Presidential Library
Explorer searches the digital records of over a
dozen presidents. Documents of the Barack Obama
administration are being assembled by the National
Archives and Records Administration at the Barack
Obama Presidential Library. Parts of the White
House archives from the George W. Bush administration
are available online at the George W. Bush Presidential Library
and Museum. Parts of the White House archives from
the Bill Clinton administration are available online at
the Clinton
Presidential Materials Project and the William
J. Clinton Presidential Library and Museum. Some
of the web archives from the Obama administration can be
found at the Barack Obama Presidential Library.
The Donald J. Trump
Presidential Library archives records from the
Trump presidency. The presidential documents of the
George W. Bush, Bill Clinton, Barack Obama, and Donald
Trump administrations are also available online through
the govinfo site of the U.S.
Government Publishing Office. Vice-presidential records from
these periods are available as well.