Focus On: Intellectual Property Rights

Essays by government, academic, and industry experts introduce intellectual property rights issues and key concepts -- patents, trademarks, copyrights, trade secrets, and new forms of IP. Articles also explain why countries need effective intellectual property systems, and what governments in each region are doing to enforce IPR. Includes a glossary of IP terms, a list of print and Internet IP resources, and a separate resource list for children and young adults.

Principles of Entrepreneurship

Economists and business people differ in their definitions of entrepreneurship. Most, however, agree that entrepreneurship is vital for stimulating economic growth and employment opportunities in all societies. This is particularly true in the developing world, where successful small businesses are the primary engines of job creation and poverty reduction. This page introduces the first eight of what eventually will be a series of 21 one-page primers on the fundamentals of entrepreneurship. It discusses the essentials for building and running a business from the planning stages to marketing a product.

USA Economy in Brief

This mini-publication discusses the factors that make the U.S. economy the world's most productive, competitive, and influential. It focuses on workers and productivity, small and large business, the service economy, goods and services, the role of government, and the concept of "creative destruction," the process where jobs, companies, entire industries come and go because of their success or failure in the marketplace. USA Economy in Brief includes colorful charts to illustrate, for instance, U.S. annual exports and imports and the U.S. trade deficit.

The State Department at Work in the 21st Century: Global Actions  

This edition of eJournal USA presents descriptions of how several State Department offices and bureaus work together to accomplish the department's mission—"to create a more secure, democratic, and prosperous world for the benefit of the American people and the international community."

U.S. Foreign Policy in the 21st Century

Regional Issues
Introduced by Secretary Rice, this electronic journal features essays by each regional bureau Assistant Secretary outlining U.S. policy in that region. Each essay also explains the Assistant Secretary’s personal vision for that region, and outlines how the Secretary “transformational diplomacy” will help our international partners build and sustain democratic, well-governed states.

Going the Distance: The U.S. Tsunami Relief Effort 2005

On December 26, 2004, a magnitude 9.0 earthquake off Northern Sumatra, Indonesia, triggered a tsunami -- giant waves -- that submerged populated areas of Indonesia, Thailand, Sri Lanka, India, and Malaysia, as well as other nations. The U.S. government and the American people responded with symnpathy and immediate efforts to send relief to the victims, both in the form of funds and supplies. In addition to a pledge of $350 million in relief assistance from the U.S. government, U.S. citizens in all walks of life donated their own money to relief efforts. In the affected areas, the U.S. military and the U.S. Agency for International Development began work on the ground. This electronic publication tells that story. (January 2005)

Iraq: A Population Silenced

Focuses on human rights abuses that have occurred in Iraq since Saddam Hussein assumed power in 1979. Discussion includes physical and psychological torture, use of chemical weapons, execution and imprisonment of political opponents, and persecution of women and children. The pamphlet includes first-person and eyewitness accounts of the atrocities.  (February 2003)

The Proliferation Security Initiative (PSI)

This publication explains the Proliferation Security Initiative (PSI), a response to the growing challenge posed by the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction (WMD), their delivery systems, and related materials worldwide. The goal of the PSI is to create a more dynamic, creative, and proactive approach to preventing WMD proliferation to or from nation states and non-state actors. The initiative was announced by President Bush, May 31, 2003, and adopted by 11 countries in Paris, September 4, 2003. PSI does not create formal "obligations" for participating states, but does represent a political commitment to establish "best practices" to stop proliferation-related shipments.  (June 2004)

The United States of America and UNESCO: Building Knowledge, Bridging Cultures

This pamphlet, commemorating the return on October 1, 2003, of the United States to a reformed UNESCO, lays out the U.S. priorities for working with this international institution to expand and improve education, promote scientific progress and press freedom, enhance understanding, and protect cultural heritage around the world. Color photographs highlight U.S. and UNESCO projects that promote education, press freedom, science and cultural preservation. The pamphlet includes a brief history of the U.S. participation in the creation of UNESCO, the reasons behind the decision to withdraw in 1984, and the reforms undertaken by UNESCO since then that prompted the U.S. decision to rejoin.  (August 2003)