R&D: The Federal Government Looks into State Bankruptcy, Ways to Deal with Iran, and Ecuador Puts Police Under Civilian Control

Here is your R&D for January 21st:

Path Is Sought for States to Escape Debt Burdens from the New York Times
States governments are not the only ones worried about their finances.  According to the New York Times, the federal government is looking for ways to let states declare bankruptcy to escape their debts.

Diplomacy, Sanctions & Sabotage: Put Pressure on Iran from the Washington Institute for Near East Policy (courtesy of RealClearWorld)
As Iran continues to move ahead with its nuclear program, the international community has sought to confront it in soft and hard power ways.  This report breaks down each response and what impact it has had on Iran so far.

Ecuador Puts Police Under Civilian Control from the Latin American Herald Tribune
Ecuador ended the quasi-sovereign status of its national police forces this week via government decree.  The move comes in response to a police uprising against President Rafael Correa last fall.

Tunisian Dominoes? from the New York Times
Will Tunisia’s recent revolution spark unrest in other parts of the Arab world?  That is what this op-ed in the New York Times seeks to explain.

GAO reports high cost of ‘don’t ask’ from Politico
The Government Accountability Office reported yesterday that “don’t ask, don’t tell” cost the Pentagon at least $193 million from 2004 to 2009 because it had to discharge over 3,000 soliders that were homosexual.