Chapter CIX: Section 3: , Taipei, Taiwan, telephone: 886 (2) 2162-2000, FAX (40)

Wallis and Futuna
both island groups have fringing reefs

West Bank
landlocked; highlands are main recharge area for Israel's
coastal aquifers; there are 242 West Bank settlements and 29 East
Jerusalem settlements in addition to at least 20 occupied outposts
(August 2005 est.)

Western Sahara
the waters off the coast are particularly rich
fishing areas

World
the world is now thought to be about 4.55 billion years old,
just about one-third of the 13-billion-year age estimated for the
universe

Yemen
strategic location on Bab el Mandeb, the strait linking the
Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, one of world's most active shipping
lanes

Zambia
landlocked; the Zambezi forms a natural riverine boundary
with Zimbabwe

Zimbabwe
landlocked; the Zambezi forms a natural riverine boundary
with Zambia; in full flood (February-April) the massive Victoria
Falls on the river forms the world's largest curtain of falling water

This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006

======================================================================

@2115 Political pressure groups and leaders

Afghanistan
Jamiat-e Islami (Society of Islam) [former President
Burhanuddin RABBANI]; Ittihad-e Islami (Islamic Union for the
Liberation of Afghanistan) [Abdul Rasul SAYYAF]; there are also
small monarchist, communist, and democratic groups

Albania
Citizens Advocacy Office [Kreshnik SPAHIU]; Confederation of
Trade Unions of Albania or KSSH [Kastriot MUCO]; Front for Albanian
National Unification or FBKSH [Gafur ADILI]; Mjaft Movement [Erion
VELIAJ]; Omonia [Jani JANI]; Union of Independent Trade Unions of
Albania or BSPSH [Gezim KALAJA]

Algeria
The Algerian Human Rights League or LADH or LADDH [Yahia Ali
ABDENOUR]; SOS Disparus [Nacera DUTOUR]; Somoud [Ali MERABET]

American Samoa
NA

Andorra
NA

Angola
Front for the Liberation of the Enclave of Cabinda or FLEC
[N'zita Henriques TIAGO, Antonio Bento BEMBE]
note: FLEC's small-scale, highly factionalized armed struggle for
the independence of Cabinda Province has largely ended

Anguilla
NA

Antigua and Barbuda
Antigua Trades and Labor Union or ATLU [William
ROBINSON]; People's Democratic Movement or PDM [Hugh MARSHALL]

Argentina
Argentine Association of Pharmaceutical Labs (CILFA);
Argentine Industrial Union (manufacturers' association); Argentine
Rural Society (large landowners' association); business
organizations; Central of Argentine Workers or CTA (a radical union
for employed and unemployed workers); General Confederation of Labor
or CGT (Peronist-leaning umbrella labor organization);
Peronist-dominated labor movement; Piquetero groups (popular protest
organizations that can be either pro or anti-government); Roman
Catholic Church; students

Armenia
Yerkrapah Union [Manvel GRIGORIAN]

Aruba
NA

Austria
Austrian Trade Union Federation (nominally independent but
primarily Socialist) or OeGB; Federal Economic Chamber;
OeVP-oriented League of Austrian Industrialists or VOeI; Roman
Catholic Church, including its chief lay organization, Catholic
Action; three composite leagues of the Austrian People's Party or
OeVP representing business, labor, and farmers and other
non-government organizations in the areas of environment and human
rights

Azerbaijan
Sadval, Lezgin movement; self-proclaimed Armenian
Nagorno-Karabakh Republic; Talysh independence movement; Union of
Pro-Azerbaijani Forces (UPAF)

Bahamas, The
NA

Bahrain
Shi'a activists fomented unrest sporadically in 1994-97 and
have recently engaged in protests and marches, demanding that more
power be vested in the elected Council of Representatives and that
the government do more to decrease unemployment; several small,
clandestine leftist and Islamic fundamentalist groups are active

Bangladesh
NA

Barbados
Barbados Workers Union [Leroy TROTMAN]; Clement Payne Labor
Union [David COMISSIONG]; People's Progressive Movement [Eric
SEALY]; Worker's Party of Barbados [Dr. George BELLE]

Belarus
Assembly of Pro-Democratic NGOs [Sergey MATSKEVICH];
Belarusian Congress of Democratic Trade Unions [Alyaksandr
YAROSHUK]; Belarusian Helsinki Committee [Tatiana PROTKO];
Belarusian Organization of Working Women [Irina ZHIKHAR]; Charter 97
[Andrey SANNIKOV]; Lenin Communist Union of Youth (youth wing of the
Belarusian Party of Communists or PKB); National Strike Committee of
Entrepreneurs [Aleksandr VASILYEV, Valery LEVONEVSKY]; Partnership
NGO [Nikolay ASTREYKA]; Perspektiva kiosk watchdog NGO [Anatol
SHUMCHENKO]; Vyasna [Ales BYALATSKY]; Women's Independent Democratic
Movement [Ludmila PETINA]; Youth Front (Malady Front) [Dzmitryy
DASHKEVICH, Syarhey BAKHUN]; Zubr youth group [Vladimir KOBETS]

Belgium
Christian, Socialist, and Liberal Trade Unions; Federation
of Belgian Industries; numerous other associations representing
bankers, manufacturers, middle-class artisans, and the legal and
medical professions; various organizations represent the cultural
interests of Flanders and Wallonia; various peace groups such as Pax
Christi and groups representing immigrants

Belize
Society for the Promotion of Education and Research or SPEAR
[Adele CATZIM]

Benin
NA

Bermuda
Bermuda Employer's Union [Eddie SAINTS]; Bermuda Industrial
Union or BIU [Derrick BURGESS]; Bermuda Public Services Union or
BPSU [Ed BALL]; Bermuda Union of Teachers [Michael CHARLES]

Bhutan
Buddhist clergy; ethnic Nepalese organizations leading
militant antigovernment campaign; Indian merchant community; United
Front for Democracy (exiled)

Bolivia
Cocalero groups; indigenous organizations; labor unions;
Sole Confederation of Campesino Workers of Bolivia or CSUTCB [Roman
LOAYZA]

Bosnia and Herzegovina
NA

Botswana
NA

Brazil
Landless Worker's Movement; labor unions and federations;
large farmers' associations; religious groups including evangelical
Christian churches and the Catholic Church

British Virgin Islands
NA

Brunei
NA

Bulgaria
Confederation of Independent Trade Unions of Bulgaria or
CITUB; Podkrepa Labor Confederation; numerous regional, ethnic, and
national interest groups with various agendas

Burkina Faso
Burkinabe General Confederation of Labor or CGTB;
Burkinabe Movement for Human Rights or MBDHP; Group of 14 February;
National Confederation of Burkinabe Workers or CNTB; National
Organization of Free Unions or ONSL; watchdog/political action
groups throughout the country in both organizations and communities

Burma
National Coalition Government of the Union of Burma or NCGUB
(self-proclaimed government in exile) ["Prime Minister" Dr. SEIN
WIN] consists of individuals, some legitimately elected to the
People's Assembly in 1990 (the group fled to a border area and
joined insurgents in December 1990 to form parallel government in
exile); Kachin Independence Organization or KIO; Karen National
Union or KNU; several Shan factions; United Wa State Army or UWSA;
Union Solidarity and Development Association or USDA (pro-regime, a
social and political mass-member organization) [HTAY OO, general
secretary]

Burundi
none

Cambodia
NA

Cameroon
Southern Cameroon National Council [Ayamba Ette OTUN];
Human Rights Defense Group [Albert MUKONG, president]

Canada
NA

Cape Verde
NA

Cayman Islands
NA

Central African Republic
NA

Chad
NA

Chile
revitalized university student federations at all major
universities; Roman Catholic Church; United Labor Central or CUT
includes trade unionists from the country's five largest labor
confederations

China
no substantial political opposition groups exist, although the
government has identified the Falungong spiritual movement and the
China Democracy Party as subversive groups

Christmas Island
none

Cocos (Keeling) Islands
none

Colombia
two largest insurgent groups active in Colombia -
Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia or FARC and National
Liberation Army or ELN; largest illegal paramilitary group, a
roughly organized umbrella group of disparate paramilitary forces,
is United Self-Defense Groups of Colombia or AUC

Comoros
NA

Congo, Democratic Republic of the
NA

Congo, Republic of the
Congolese Trade Union Congress or CSC;
General Union of Congolese Pupils and Students or UGEEC;
Revolutionary Union of Congolese Women or URFC; Union of Congolese
Socialist Youth or UJSC

Cook Islands
NA

Costa Rica
Authentic Confederation of Democratic Workers or CATD
(Communist Party affiliate); Chamber of Coffee Growers; Confederated
Union of Workers or CUT (Communist Party affiliate); Costa Rican
Confederation of Democratic Workers or CCTD (Liberation Party
affiliate); Federation of Public Service Workers or FTSP; National
Association for Economic Development or ANFE; National Association
of Educators or ANDE; Rerum Novarum or CTRN (PLN affiliate) [Gilbert
BROWN]

Cote d'Ivoire
NA

Croatia
NA

Cuba
NA

Cyprus
Confederation of Cypriot Workers or SEK (pro-West);
Confederation of Revolutionary Labor Unions or Dev-Is; Federation of
Turkish Cypriot Labor Unions or Turk-Sen; Pan-Cyprian Labor
Federation or PEO (Communist controlled)

Czech Republic
Czech-Moravian Confederation of Trade Unions or CMKOS
[Milan STECH]

Denmark
NA

Djibouti
Union for Presidential Majority UMP (coalition includes
RPP, FRUD, PPSD and PND); Union for Democratic Changeover or UAD
(opposition coalition includes ARD, MRDD, UDJ, and PDD) [Ahmed Dini
AHMED]

Dominica
Dominica Liberation Movement or DLM (a small leftist party)

Dominican Republic
Citizen Participation Group (Participacion
Ciudadania); Collective of Popular Organizations or COP; Foundation
for Institution-Building and Justice (FINJUS)

East Timor
Popular Council for the Defense of the Democratic
Republic of East Timor or CPD-RDTL [Antonio-Aitahan MATAK] is
largest political pressure group; dissatisfied veterans of struggle
against Indonesia, led by one-time government advisor Cornelio GAMA
(also known as L-7), also play an important role in pressuring
government

Ecuador
Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of Ecuador or
CONAIE [Luis MACAS, president]; Coordinator of Social Movements or
CMS [F. Napoleon SANTOS]; Federation of Indigenous Evangelists of
Ecuador or FEINE [Marco MURILLO, president]; National Federation of
Indigenous Afro-Ecuatorianos and Peasants or FENOCIN [Pedro DE LA
CRUZ, president]

Egypt
despite a constitutional ban against religious-based parties,
the technically illegal Muslim Brotherhood constitutes Hosni
MUBARAK's potentially most significant political opposition; MUBARAK
tolerated limited political activity by the Brotherhood for his
first two terms, but moved more aggressively since then to block its
influence; civic society groups are sanctioned, but constrained in
practical terms; trade unions and professional associations are
officially sanctioned

El Salvador
labor organizations - Electrical Industry Union of El
Salvador or SIES; Federation of the Construction Industry, Similar
Transport and other activities, or FESINCONTRANS; National
Confederation of Salvadoran Workers or CNTS; National Union of
Salvadoran Workers or UNTS; Port Industry Union of El Salvador or
SIPES; Salvadoran Union of Ex-Petrolleros and Peasant Workers or
USEPOC; Salvadoran Workers Central or CTS; Workers Union of
Electrical Corporation or STCEL; business organizations - National
Association of Small Enterprise or ANEP; Salvadoran Assembly
Industry Association or ASIC; Salvadoran Industrial Association or
ASI

Equatorial Guinea
NA

Eritrea
Eritrean Islamic Jihad or EIJ (also including Eritrean
Islamic Jihad Movement or EIJM (also known as the Abu Sihel
Movement)); Eritrean Islamic Salvation or EIS (also known as the
Arafa Movement); Eritrean Liberation Front or ELF [ABDULLAH
Muhammed]; Eritrean National Alliance or ENA (a coalition including
EIJ, EIS, ELF, and a number of ELF factions) [HERUY Tedla Biru];
Eritrean Public Forum or EPF [ARADOM Iyob]

Estonia
NA

Ethiopia
Afar Revolutionary Democratic Union Front or ARDUF; Oromo
Liberation Front or OLF [DAOUD Ibsa]; Oromo National Liberation
Front or ONLF

Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas)
none

Faroe Islands
NA

Fiji
NA

France
historically-Communist labor union (Confederation Generale du
Travail) or CGT, approximately 700,000 members (claimed);
left-leaning labor union (Confederation Francaise Democratique du
Travail) or CFDT, approximately 889,000 members (claimed);
independent labor union (Confederation Generale du Travail - Force
Ouvriere) or FO, 300,000 members (est.); independent white-collar
union (Confederation Generale des Cadres) or CGC, 196,000 members
(claimed); employers' union (Mouvement des Entreprises de France) or
MEDEF, 750,000 companies as members (claimed)

French Guiana
NA

French Polynesia
NA

Gabon
NA

Gambia, The
NA

Georgia
Georgian independent deputies from Abkhaz government in
exile; separatists in the breakaway regions of Abkhazia and South
Ossetia; supporters of former President Zviad GAMSAKHURDYA ousted in
1991

Germany
business associations, employers' organizations; expellee,
refugee, trade unions, and veterans groups

Ghana
NA

Gibraltar
Chamber of Commerce; Gibraltar Representatives
Organization; Women's Association

Greece
General Confederation of Greek Workers or GSEE [Khristos
POLYZOGOPOULOS]; Federation of Greek Industries or SEV [Odysseas
KYRIAKOPOULOS]; Civil Servants Confederation or ADEDY [Spyros
PAPASPYROS]

Greenland
NA

Grenada
NA

Guadeloupe
Christian Movement for the Liberation of Guadeloupe or
KLPG; General Federation of Guadeloupe Workers or CGT-G; General
Union of Guadeloupe Workers or UGTG; Movement for Independent
Guadeloupe or MPGI; The Socialist Renewal Movement

Guam
NA

Guatemala
Agrarian Owners Group or UNAGRO; Alliance Against Impunity
or AAI; Committee for Campesino Unity or CUC; Coordinating Committee
of Agricultural, Commercial, Industrial, and Financial Associations
or CACIF; Mutual Support Group or GAM

Guernsey
none

Guinea
Student and teacher unions

Guinea-Bissau
NA

Guyana
Amerindian People's Association; Guyana Citizens Initiative;
Guyana Bar Association; Guyana Human Rights Association; Guyana
Public Service Union or GPSU; Private Sector Commission; Trades
Union Congress

Haiti
Autonomous Organizations of Haitian Workers or CATH [Fignole
ST-CYR]; Confederation of Haitian Workers or CTH; Federation of
Workers Trade Unions or FOS; Grand-Anse Resistance Committee, or
KOREGA; Group of 184 Civil Society Organizations, or G-184 [Andy
APAID]; National Popular Assembly or APN; Papaye Peasants Movement
or MPP [Chavannes JEAN-BAPTISTE]; Popular Organizations Gathering
Power or PROP; Roman Catholic Church; Protestant Federation of Haiti

Holy See (Vatican City)
none (exclusive of influence exercised by
church officers)

Honduras
Committee for the Defense of Human Rights in Honduras or
CODEH; Confederation of Honduran Workers or CTH; Coordinating
Committee of Popular Organizations or CCOP; General Workers
Confederation or CGT; Honduran Council of Private Enterprise or
COHEP; National Association of Honduran Campesinos or ANACH;
National Union of Campesinos or UNC; Popular Bloc or BP; United
Confederation of Honduran Workers or CUTH

Hong Kong
Article 45 Concern Group (pro-democracy); Chinese General
Chamber of Commerce (pro-China); Chinese Manufacturers' Association
of Hong Kong; Confederation of Trade Unions or CTU (pro-democracy)
[LAU Chin-shek, president; LEE Cheuk-yan, general secretary];
Federation of Hong Kong Industries; Federation of Trade Unions or
FTU (pro-China) [CHENG Yiu-tong, executive councilor]; Hong Kong
Alliance in Support of the Patriotic Democratic Movement in China
[Szeto WAH, chairman]; Hong Kong and Kowloon Trade Union Council
(pro-Taiwan); Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce; Hong Kong
Professional Teachers' Union [CHEUNG Man-kwong, president];
Neighborhood and Workers' Service Center or NWSC (pro-democracy);
The Alliance [Bernard CHAN, exco member]

Hungary
NA

Iceland
NA

India
numerous religious or militant/chauvinistic organizations,
including Vishwa Hindu Parishad, Bajrang Dal, and Rashtriya
Swayamsevak Sangh; various separatist groups seeking greater
communal and/or regional autonomy, including the All Parties
Hurriyat Conference in the Kashmir Valley and the National Socialist
Council of Nagaland in the Northeast

Indonesia
NA

Iran
political pressure groups conduct most of Iran's political
activities; groups that generally support the Islamic Republic
include Ansar-e Hizballah, Muslim Students Following the Line of the
Imam, Tehran Militant Clergy Association (Ruhaniyat), Islamic
Coalition Party (Motalefeh), and Islamic Engineers Society; active
pro-reform student groups include the Office of Strengthening Unity
(OSU); opposition groups include Freedom Movement of Iran, the
National Front, Marz-e Por Gohar, and various ethnic and Monarchist
organizations; armed political groups that have been almost
completely repressed by the government include Mujahidin-e Khalq
Organization (MEK), People's Fedayeen, Democratic Party of Iranian
Kurdistan, and Komala

Iraq
an insurgency against the Iraqi Transitional Government and
Coalition forces is primarily concentrated in Baghdad and in areas
west and north of the capital; the diverse, multigroup insurgency is
led principally by Sunni Arabs whose only common denominator is a
shared desire to oust the Coalition and end US influence in Iraq

Ireland
NA

Isle of Man
none

Israel
Israeli nationalists advocating Jewish settlement on the West
Bank and Gaza Strip; Peace Now supports territorial concessions in
the West Bank and Gaza Strip; Yesha (settler) Council promotes
settler interests and opposes territorial compromise; B'Tselem
monitors human rights abuses

Italy
Italian manufacturers and merchants associations
(Confindustria, Confcommercio); organized farm groups
(Confcoltivatori, Confagricoltura); Roman Catholic Church; three
major trade union confederations (Confederazione Generale Italiana
del Lavoro or CGIL [Guglielmo EPIFANI] which is left wing,
Confederazione Italiana dei Sindacati Lavoratori or CISL [Savino
PEZZOTTA], which is Roman Catholic centrist, and Unione Italiana del
Lavoro or UIL [Luigi ANGELETTI] which is lay centrist)

Jamaica
New Beginnings Movement or NBM; Rastafarians (black
religious/racial cultists, pan-Africanists)

Japan
NA

Jersey
none

Jordan
Anti-Normalization Committee [Ali Abu SUKKAR, president vice
chairman]; Jordan Bar Association [Hussein Mujalli, chairman];
Jordanian Press Association [Sayf al-SHARIF, president]; Muslim
Brotherhood [Salem AL-FALAHAT, secretary general]

Kazakhstan
Adil-Soz [Tamara KALEYEVA]; Almaty Helsinki Group [Ninel
FOKINA]; Confederation of Free Trade Unions [Sergei BELKIN]; For a
Just Kazakhstan [Bolat ABILOV, Altynbek SARSENBAYEV]; For Fair
Elections [Yevgeniy ZHOVTIS, Sabit ZHUSUPOV, Sergey DUVANOV, Ibrash
NUSUPBAYEV]; Kazakhstan International Bureau on Human Rights
[Yevgeniy ZHOVTIS, executive director]; Pensioners Movement or
Pokoleniye [Irina SAVOSTINA, chairwoman]; Republican Network of
International Monitors [Dos KUSHIM]; Transparency International
[Sergei ZLOTNIKOV]

Kenya
human rights groups; labor unions; Muslim organizations;
National Convention Executive Council or NCEC, a proreform coalition
of political parties and nongovernment organizations [Kivutha
KIBWANA]; Protestant National Council of Churches of Kenya or NCCK
[Mutava MUSYIMI]; Roman Catholic and other Christian churches;
Supreme Council of Kenya Muslims or SUPKEM [Shaykh Abdul Gafur
al-BUSAIDY]

Kiribati
NA

Korea, North
none

Korea, South
Federation of Korean Industries; Federation of Korean
Trade Unions; Korean Confederation of Trade Unions; Korean National
Council of Churches; Korean Traders Association; Korean Veterans'
Association; National Council of Labor Unions; National Democratic
Alliance of Korea; National Federation of Farmers' Associations;
National Federation of Student Associations

Kuwait
a number of political groups act as de facto parties; several
legislative blocs operate in the National Assembly: tribal groups,
merchants, Shi'a activists, Islamists, and secular liberals

Kyrgyzstan
Council of Free Trade Unions; Kyrgyz Committee on Human
Rights [Ramazan DYRYLDAYEV]; National Unity Democratic Movement;
Union of Entrepreneurs

Laos
noncommunist political groups proscribed; most opposition
leaders fled the country in 1975

Latvia
Headquarters for the Protection of Russian Schools (SHTAB)
[Aleksandr KAZAKOV]

Lebanon
none

Lesotho
NA

Liberia
NA

Libya
various Arab nationalist movements with almost negligible
memberships may be functioning clandestinely, as well as some
Islamic elements; an anti-QADHAFI Libyan exile movement exists,
primarily based in London, but has little influence

Liechtenstein
NA

Lithuania
NA

Luxembourg
ABBL (bankers' association); ALEBA (financial sector
trade union); Centrale Paysanne (federation of agricultural
producers); CEP (professional sector chamber); CGFP (trade union
representing civil service); Chambre de Commerce (Chamber of
Commerce); Chambre des Metiers (Chamber of Artisans); FEDIL
(federation of industrialists); Greenpeace (environment protection);
LCGP (center-right trade union); Mouvement Ecologique (protection of
ecology); OGBL (center-left trade union)

Macau
NA

Macedonia
Civic Movement of Macedonia [Gordana SILJANOVSKA]; World
Macedonian Congress [Todor PETROV]

Madagascar
Committee for the Defense of Truth and Justice or KMMR;
Committee for National Reconciliation or CRN [Albert Zafy]; National
Council of Christian Churches or FFKM

Malawi
NA

Malaysia
NA

Maldives
various unregistered political parties

Mali
Patriotic Movement of the Ghanda Koye or MPGK; United Movement
and Fronts of Azawad or MFUA

Malta
NA

Marshall Islands
NA

Martinique
Caribbean Revolutionary Alliance or ARC; Central Union
for Martinique Workers or CSTM [Marc PULVAR]; Frantz Fanon Circle;
League of Workers and Peasants; Proletarian Action Group or GAP

Mauritania
Arab nationalists; Ba'thists; General Confederation of
Mauritanian Workers or CGTM [Abdallahi Ould MOHAMED, secretary
general]; Independent Confederation of Mauritanian Workers or CLTM
[Samory Ould BEYE]; Islamists; Mauritanian Workers Union or UTM
[Mohamed Ely Ould BRAHIM, secretary general]

Mauritius
various labor unions

Mayotte
NA

Mexico
Confederation of Employers of the Mexican Republic or
COPARMEX; Confederation of Industrial Chambers or CONCAMIN;
Confederation of Mexican Workers or CTM; Confederation of National
Chambers of Commerce or CONCANACO; Coordinator for Foreign Trade
Business Organizations or COECE; Federation of Unions Providing
Goods and Services or FESEBES; National Chamber of Transformation
Industries or CANACINTRA; National Peasant Confederation or CNC;
National Union of Workers or UNT; Regional Confederation of Mexican
Workers or CROM; Revolutionary Confederation of Workers and Peasants
or CROC; Roman Catholic Church

Moldova
NA

Monaco
NA

Mongolia
NA

Montserrat
NA

Morocco
Democratic Confederation of Labor or CDT [Noubir AMAOUI];
General Union of Moroccan Workers or UGTM [Abderrazzak AFILAL];
Moroccan Employers Association or CGEM [Hassan CHAMI]; National
Labor Union of Morocco or UNMT [Abdelslam MAATI]; Union of Moroccan
Workers or UMT [Mahjoub BENSEDDIK]

Mozambique
Institute for Peace and Democracy (Instituto para Paz e
Democracia) or IPADE [Raul DOMINGOS, president]; Etica [Abdul CARIMO
Issa, chairman]; Movement for Peace and Citizenship (Movimento para
Paz e Cidadania); Mozambican League of Human Rights (Liga
Mocambicana dos Direitos Humanos) or LDH [Alice MABOTE, president];
Human Rights and Development (Direitos Humanos e Desenvolvimento) or
DHD [Artemisia FRANCO, secretary general]

Namibia
NA

Nauru
NA

Nepal
Maoist guerrilla-based insurgency [Pushpa Kamal DAHAL, also
known as PRACHANDA, chairman; Dr. Baburam BHATTARAI]; numerous
small, left-leaning student groups in the capital; several small,
radical Nepalese antimonarchist groups

Netherlands
Netherlands Trade Union Federation or FNV (consisting of
a merger of Socialist and Catholic trade unions); Christian Trade
Union Federation or CNV; Trade Union Federation of Middle and High
Personnel or MHP; Federation of Catholic and Protestant Employers
Associations; Interchurch Peace Council or IKV; large multinational
firms; the nondenominational Federation of Netherlands Enterprises

Netherlands Antilles
Unions (AVBO) and Employers Association (VBC)

New Caledonia
NA

New Zealand
NA

Nicaragua
National Workers Front or FNT is a Sandinista umbrella
group of eight labor unions including - Farm Workers Association or
ATC, Health Workers Federation or FETASALUD, Heroes and Martyrs
Confederation of Professional Associations or CONAPRO, National
Association of Educators of Nicaragua or ANDEN, National Union of
Employees or UNE, National Union of Farmers and Ranchers or UNAG,
Sandinista Workers Central or CST, and Union of Journalists of
Nicaragua or UPN; Permanent Congress of Workers or CPT is an
umbrella group of four non-Sandinista labor unions including -
Autonomous Nicaraguan Workers Central or CTN-A, Confederation of
Labor Unification or CUS, Independent General Confederation of Labor
or CGT-I, and Labor Action and Unity Central or CAUS; Nicaraguan
Workers' Central or CTN is an independent labor union; Superior
Council of Private Enterprise or COSEP is a confederation of
business groups

Niger
Coalition Against a High Cost of Living [Nouhou ARZIKA]

Nigeria
NA

Niue
NA

Norfolk Island
none

Northern Mariana Islands
NA

Norway
NA

Oman
none

Pakistan
military remains most important political force; ulema
(clergy), landowners, industrialists, and small merchants also
influential

Palau
NA

Panama
Chamber of Commerce; National Civic Crusade; National Council
of Organized Workers or CONATO; National Council of Private
Enterprise or CONEP; National Union of Construction and Similar
Workers (SUNTRACS); Panamanian Association of Business Executives or
APEDE; Panamanian Industrialists Society or SIP; Workers
Confederation of the Republic of Panama or CTRP

Papua New Guinea
NA

Paraguay
Ahorristas Estafados or AE; National Coordinating Board of
Campesino Organizations or MCNOC [Luis AGUAYO]; National Federation
of Campesinos or FNC [Odilon ESPINOLA]; National Workers Central or
CNT [Secretary General Juan TORRALES]; Paraguayan Workers
Confederation or CPT; Roman Catholic Church; Unitary Workers Central
or CUT [Jorge Guzman ALVARENGA Malgarejo]

Peru
leftist guerrilla groups include Shining Path [Abimael GUZMAN
Reynoso (imprisoned), Gabriel MACARIO (top leader at-large)]; Tupac
Amaru Revolutionary Movement or MRTA [Victor POLAY (imprisoned),
Hugo AVALLENEDA Valdez (top leader at-large)]

Philippines
AKBAYAN [Reps. Etta ROSALES, Mario AGUJA, and Risa
HONTIVEROS-BARAQUIEL]; ALAGAD [Rep. Rodante MARROLITA]; ALIF [Rep.
Acmad TOMAWIS]; An Waray [Rep. Horencio NOEL]; Anak Mindanao [Mujiv
HATAMIN]; ANAKPAWIS [Reps. Crispin BELTRAN and Rafael MARIANO]; APEC
[Reps. Ernesto PABLO, Edgar VALDEZ]; Association of Philippine
Electric Cooperatives (APEC) [Reps. Edgar VALDEZ, Ernesto PABLO, and
Sunny Rose MADAMBA]; AVE [Rep. Eulogio MAGSAYSAY]; Bayan Muna [Reps.
Satur OCAMPO, Joel VIRADOR, and Teodoro CASINO, Jr.]; BUHAY [Reps.
Rene VELARDE and Hans Christian SENERES]; BUTIL [Rep. Benjamin
CRUZ]; CIBAC [Rep. Emmanuel Joel VILLANUEVA]; COOP-NATCO [Rep.
Guillermo CUA]; GABRIELA [Rep. Liza MAZA]; Partido Ng Manggagawa
[Rep. Renato MAGTUBO]; Veterans Federation of the Philippines [Rep.
Ernesto GIDAYA] (2006)

Pitcairn Islands
none

Poland
All Poland Trade Union Alliance or OPZZ (trade union) [Jan
GUZ]; Roman Catholic Church [Cardinal Jozef GLEMP]; Solidarity Trade
Union [Janusz SNIADEK]

Portugal
NA

Puerto Rico
Boricua Popular Army or EPB (a revolutionary group also
known as Los Macheteros); note - the following radical groups are
considered dormant by Federal law enforcement: Armed Forces for
National Liberation or FALN, Armed Forces of Popular Resistance,
Volunteers of the Puerto Rican Revolution

Qatar
none

Reunion
NA

Romania
various human rights and professional associations

Russia
NA

Rwanda
IBUKA - association of genocide survivors

Saint Helena
none

Saint Kitts and Nevis
NA

Saint Lucia
NA

Saint Pierre and Miquelon
NA

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
NA

Samoa
NA

San Marino
NA

Sao Tome and Principe
NA

Saudi Arabia
none

Senegal
labor; Muslim brotherhoods; students; teachers

Seychelles
Roman Catholic Church; trade unions

Sierra Leone
trade unions and student unions

Singapore
NA

Slovakia
Federation of Employers' Associations of the Slovak
Republic; Association of Towns and Villages or ZMOS; Confederation
of Trade Unions or KOZ

Slovenia
NA

Solomon Islands
Isatabu Freedom Movement (IFM); Malaita Eagle Force
(MEF); note - these rival armed ethnic factions crippled the Solomon
Islands in a wave of violence from 1999 to 2003

Somalia
numerous clan and sub-clan factions are currently vying for
power

South Africa
Congress of South African Trade Unions or COSATU
[Zwelinzima VAVI, general secretary]; South African Communist Party
or SACP [Blade NZIMANDE, general secretary]; South African National
Civics Organization or SANCO [Mlungisi HLONGWANE, national
president]; note - COSATU and SACP are in a formal alliance with the
ANC

Spain
business and landowning interests; Catholic Church; free labor
unions (authorized in April 1977); Socialist General Union of
Workers or UGT and the smaller independent Workers Syndical Union or
USO; university students; Trade Union Confederation of Workers'
Commissions or CC.OO.; Nunca Mas (Galician for "Never Again"; formed
in response to the oil tanker Prestige oil spill)

Sri Lanka
Buddhist clergy; labor unions; Liberation Tigers of Tamil
Eelam or LTTE [Velupillai PRABHAKARAN](insurgent group fighting for
a separate state); radical chauvinist Sinhalese groups such as the
National Movement Against Terrorism; Sinhalese Buddhist lay groups

Sudan
Umma Party [Sadiq al-MAHDI]; Popular Congress Party or PCP
[Hassan al-TURABI]

Suriname
Association of Indigenous Village Chiefs [Ricardo PANE];
Association of Saramaccan Authorities or Maroon [Head Captain WASE];
Women's Parliament Forum or PVF [Iris GILLIAD]

Swaziland
NA

Sweden
NA

Switzerland
NA

Syria
Kurdish Democratic Alliance (includes several groups but has
no designated leader); Kurdish Democratic Front (includes several
groups but has no designated leader); Muslim Brotherhood (operates
in exile in London) [Sadr al-Din al-BAYANUNI]; National Democratic
Front [Hassan Abd al-AZIM]

Taiwan
Taiwan independence movement, various business and
environmental groups
note: debate on Taiwan independence has become acceptable within the
mainstream of domestic politics on Taiwan; political liberalization
and the increased representation of opposition parties in Taiwan's
legislature have opened public debate on the island's national
identity; a broad popular consensus has developed that Taiwan
currently enjoys de facto independence and - whatever the ultimate
outcome regarding reunification or independence - that Taiwan's
people must have the deciding voice; advocates of Taiwan
independence oppose the stand that the island will eventually unify
with mainland China; goals of the Taiwan independence movement
include establishing a sovereign nation on Taiwan and entering the
UN; other organizations supporting Taiwan independence include the
World United Formosans for Independence and the Organization for
Taiwan Nation Building

Tajikistan
unregistered political parties: Agrarian Party
[Hikmatullo NASREDDINOV]; Party of Justice [Abdurahim KARIMOV];
People's Unity Party [Abdumalik ABDULLOJONOV]; Progressive Party
[Sulton QUVVATOV]; Socialist Party [Mirhuseyn NAZRIYEV]; note - this
is the SPT that was disbanded, another pro-government SPT (listed
above under political parties) replaced it; Unity Party [Hikmatullo
SAIDOV]

Tanzania
NA

Thailand
NA

Togo
NA

Tokelau
none

Tonga
Human Rights and Democracy Movement Tonga or HRDMT [Rev.
Simote VEA, chairman]; Public Servant's Association [Finau TUTONE]

Trinidad and Tobago
Jamaat-al Muslimeen [Yasin BAKR]

Tunisia
the Islamic fundamentalist party, Al Nahda (Renaissance), is
outlawed

Turkey
Confederation of Public Sector Unions or KESK [Sami EVREN];
Confederation of Revolutionary Workers Unions or DISK [Suleyman
CELEBI]; Independent Industrialists' and Businessmen's Association
or MUSIAD [Omer BOLAT]; Moral Rights Workers Union or Hak-Is [Salim
USLU]; Turkish Confederation of Employers' Unions or TISK [Refik
BAYDUR]; Turkish Confederation of Labor or Turk-Is [Salih KILIC];
Turkish Confederation of Tradesmen and Craftsmen or TESK [Dervis
GUNDAY]; Turkish Industrialists' and Businessmen's Association or
TUSIAD [Omer SABANCI]; Turkish Union of Chambers of Commerce and
Commodity Exchanges or TOBB [M. Rifat HISARCIKLIOGLU]

Turkmenistan
NA

Turks and Caicos Islands
NA

Tuvalu
none

Uganda
Popular Resistance Against a Life President or PRALP

Ukraine
Committee of Voters of Ukraine [Ihor POPOV]

United Arab Emirates
NA

United Kingdom
Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament; Confederation of
British Industry; National Farmers' Union; Trades Union Congress

United States
NA

Uruguay
Architect's Society of Uruguay (professional organization);
Catholic Church; Chamber of Uruguayan Industries (manufacturer's
association); Chemist and Pharmaceutical Association (professional
organization); PIT-CNT (powerful federation of Uruguayan unions);
Rural Association of Uruguay (rancher's association); students;
Uruguayan Construction League

Uzbekistan
Agrarian and Entrepreneurs' Party [Marat ZAHIDOV]; Birlik
(Unity) Movement [Abdurakhim POLAT, chairman]; Erk (Freedom)
Democratic Party [Muhammad SOLIH, chairman] was banned 9 December
1992; Ezgulik Human Rights Society [Vasilia INOYATOVA]; Free
Farmers' Party or Ozod Dehqonlar [Nigara KHIDOYATOVA]; Human Rights
Society of Uzbekistan [Tolib YAKUBOV, chairman]; Independent Human
Rights Society of Uzbekistan [Mikhail ARDZINOV, chairman]; Mazlum;
Sunshine Coalition [Sanjar UMAROV, chairman]

Vanuatu
NA

Venezuela
FEDECAMARAS, a conservative business group; VECINOS
groups; Venezuelan Confederation of Workers or CTV (labor
organization dominated by the Democratic Action)

Vietnam
none

Virgin Islands
NA

Wallis and Futuna
NA

Western Sahara
none

Yemen
NA

Zambia
NA

Zimbabwe
Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition [Wellington CHIBEBE]; National
Constitutional Assembly or NCA [Lovemore MADHUKU]; Zimbabwe Congress
of Trade Unions or ZCTU [Lovemore MATOMBO]

This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006

======================================================================

@2116 Economy - overview

Afghanistan
Afghanistan's economic outlook has improved
significantly since the fall of the Taliban regime in 2001 because
of the infusion of over $8 billion in international assistance,
recovery of the agricultural sector and growth of the service
sector, and the reestablishment of market institutions. Real GDP
growth is estimated to have slowed in the last fiscal year primarily
because adverse weather conditions cut agricultural production, but
is expected to rebound over 2005-06 because of foreign donor
reconstruction and service sector growth. Despite the progress of
the past few years, Afghanistan remains extremely poor, landlocked,
and highly dependent on foreign aid, farming, and trade with
neighboring countries. It will probably take the remainder of the
decade and continuing donor aid and attention to significantly raise
Afghanistan's living standards from its current status, among the
lowest in the world. Much of the population continues to suffer from
shortages of housing, clean water, electricity, medical care, and
jobs, but the Afghan government and international donors remain
committed to improving access to these basic necessities by
prioritizing infrastructure development, education, housing
development, jobs programs, and economic reform over the next year.
Growing political stability and continued international commitment
to Afghan reconstruction create an optimistic outlook for continuing
improvements in the Afghan economy in 2006. Expanding poppy
cultivation and a growing opium trade may account for one-third of
GDP and looms as one of Kabul's most serious policy challenges.
Other long-term challenges include: boosting the supply of skilled
labor, reducing vulnerability to severe natural disasters, expanding
health services, and rebuilding a war torn infrastructure.

Akrotiri
Economic activity is limited to providing services to the
military and their families located in Akrotiri. All food and
manufactured goods must be imported.

Albania
Lagging behind its Balkan neighbors, Albania is making the
difficult transition to a more modern open-market economy. The
government has taken measures to curb violent crime and to spur
economic activity and trade. The economy is bolstered by annual
remittances from abroad of $600-$800 million, mostly from Greece and
Italy; this helps offset the towering trade deficit. Agriculture,
which accounts for about one-quarter of GDP, is held back because of
frequent drought and the need to modernize equipment, to clarify
property rights, and to consolidate small plots of land. Energy
shortages and antiquated and inadequate infrastructure contribute to
Albania's poor business environment, which make it difficult to
attract and sustain foreign investment. The planned construction of
a new thermal power plant near Vlore and improved transmission and
distribution facilities will help relieve the energy shortages.
Also, the government is moving slowly to improve the poor national
road and rail network, a long-standing barrier to sustained economic
growth. On the positive side: growth was strong in 2003-05 and
inflation is not a problem.

Algeria
The hydrocarbons sector is the backbone of the economy,
accounting for roughly 60% of budget revenues, 30% of GDP, and over
95% of export earnings. Algeria has the seventh-largest reserves of
natural gas in the world and is the second-largest gas exporter; it
ranks 14th in oil reserves. Sustained high oil prices in recent
years, along with macroeconomic policy reforms supported by the IMF,
have helped improve Algeria's financial and macroeconomic
indicators. Algeria is running substantial trade surpluses and
building up record foreign exchange reserves. Real GDP has risen due
to higher oil output and increased government spending. The
government's continued efforts to diversify the economy by
attracting foreign and domestic investment outside the energy
sector, however, has had little success in reducing high
unemployment and improving living standards. The population is
becoming increasingly restive due to the lack of jobs and housing
and frequently stages protests, which have resulted in arrests and
injuries, including some deaths as government forces intervened to
restore order. Structural reform within the economy, such as
development of the banking sector and the construction of
infrastructure, moves ahead slowly hampered by corruption and
bureaucratic resistance.

American Samoa
American Samoa has a traditional Polynesian economy
in which more than 90% of the land is communally owned. Economic
activity is strongly linked to the US with which American Samoa
conducts most of its foreign trade. Tuna fishing and tuna processing
plants are the backbone of the private sector, with canned tuna the
primary export. Transfers from the US Government add substantially
to American Samoa's economic well being. Attempts by the government
to develop a larger and broader economy are restrained by Samoa's
remote location, its limited transportation, and its devastating
hurricanes. Tourism is a promising developing sector.

Andorra
Tourism, the mainstay of Andorra's tiny, well-to-do economy,
accounts for more than 80% of GDP. An estimated 11.6 million
tourists visit annually, attracted by Andorra's duty-free status and
by its summer and winter resorts. Andorra's comparative advantage
has recently eroded as the economies of neighboring France and Spain
have been opened up, providing broader availability of goods and
lower tariffs. The banking sector, with its partial "tax haven"
status, also contributes substantially to the economy. Agricultural
production is limited - only 2% of the land is arable - and most
food has to be imported. The principal livestock activity is sheep
raising. Manufacturing output consists mainly of cigarettes, cigars,
and furniture. Andorra is a member of the EU Customs Union and is
treated as an EU member for trade in manufactured goods (no tariffs)
and as a non-EU member for agricultural products.

Angola
Angola's high growth rate is driven by its oil sector, with
record oil prices and rising petroleum production. Oil production
and its supporting activities contribute about half of GDP and 90%
of exports. Increased oil production supported 12% growth in 2004
and 19% growth in 2005. A postwar reconstruction boom and
resettlement of displaced persons has led to high rates of growth in
construction and agriculture as well. Much of the country's
infrastructure is still damaged or undeveloped from the 27-year-long
civil war. Remnants of the conflict such as widespread land mines
still mar the countryside even though an apparently durable peace
was established after the death of rebel leader Jonas SAVIMBI in
February 2002. Subsistence agriculture provides the main livelihood
for half of the population, but half of the country's food must
still be imported. In 2005, the government started using a $2
billion line of credit from China to rebuild Angola's public
infrastructure, and several large-scale projects are scheduled for
completion by 2006. The central bank in 2003 implemented an exchange
rate stabilization program using foreign exchange reserves to buy
kwanzas out of circulation, a policy that was more sustainable in
2005 because of strong oil export earnings, and has significantly
reduced inflation. Consumer inflation declined from 325% in 2000 to
about 18% in 2005, but the stabilization policy places pressure on
international net liquidity. To fully take advantage of its rich
national resources - gold, diamonds, extensive forests, Atlantic
fisheries, and large oil deposits - Angola will need to continue
reforming government policies and to reduce corruption. The
government has made sufficient progress on reforms recommended by
the IMF such as promoting greater transparency in government
spending but continues to be without a formal monitoring agreement
with the institution.

Anguilla
Anguilla has few natural resources, and the economy depends
heavily on luxury tourism, offshore banking, lobster fishing, and
remittances from emigrants. Increased activity in the tourism
industry, which has spurred the growth of the construction sector,
has contributed to economic growth. Anguillan officials have put
substantial effort into developing the offshore financial sector,
which is small, but growing. In the medium term, prospects for the
economy will depend largely on the tourism sector and, therefore, on
revived income growth in the industrialized nations as well as on
favorable weather conditions.

Antarctica
Fishing off the coast and tourism, both based abroad,
account for Antarctica's limited economic activity. Antarctic
fisheries in 2003-04 (1 July-30 June) reported landing 136,262
metric tons (estimated fishing from the area covered by the
Convention on the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources
(CCAMLR), which extends slightly beyond the Antarctic Treaty area).
Unregulated fishing, particularly of Patagonian toothfish, is a
serious problem. The CCAMLR determines the recommended catch limits
for marine species. A total of 23,175 tourists visited in the
2004-05 Antarctic summer, up from the 19,486 visitors the previous
year. Nearly all of them were passengers on commercial
(nongovernmental) ships and several yachts that make trips during
the summer. Most tourist trips last approximately two weeks.

Antigua and Barbuda
Tourism continues to dominate the economy,
accounting for more than half of GDP. Weak tourist arrival numbers
since early 2000 have slowed the economy, however, and pressed the
government into a tight fiscal corner. The dual-island nation's
agricultural production is focused on the domestic market and
constrained by a limited water supply and a labor shortage stemming
from the lure of higher wages in tourism and construction.
Manufacturing comprises enclave-type assembly for export with major
products being bedding, handicrafts, and electronic components.
Prospects for economic growth in the medium term will continue to
depend on income growth in the industrialized world, especially in
the US, which accounts for slightly more than one-third of tourist
arrivals.

Arctic Ocean
Economic activity is limited to the exploitation of
natural resources, including petroleum, natural gas, fish, and seals.

Argentina
Argentina benefits from rich natural resources, a highly
literate population, an export-oriented agricultural sector, and a
diversified industrial base. Over the past decade, however, the
country has suffered problems of inflation, external debt, capital
flight, and budget deficits. Growth in 2000 was a negative 0.8%, as
both domestic and foreign investors remained skeptical of the
government's ability to pay debts and maintain the peso's fixed
exchange rate with the US dollar. The economic situation worsened in
2001 with the widening of spreads on Argentine bonds, massive
withdrawals from the banks, and a further decline in consumer and
investor confidence. Government efforts to achieve a "zero deficit,"
to stabilize the banking system, and to restore economic growth
proved inadequate in the face of the mounting economic problems. The
peso's peg to the dollar was abandoned in January 2002, and the peso
was floated in February. The exchange rate plunged and real GDP fell
by 10.9% in 2002, but by mid-year the economy had stabilized, albeit
at a lower level. GDP expanded by about 9% per year from 2003 to
2005. Growth is being led by a revival in domestic demand, solid
exports, and favorable external conditions. The government boosted
spending ahead of the October 2005 midterm congressional elections,
but strong revenue performance allowed Argentina to maintain a
budget surplus. Inflation has been rising steadily and reached 12.3
percent in 2005.

Armenia
Under the old Soviet central planning system, Armenia had
developed a modern industrial sector, supplying machine tools,
textiles, and other manufactured goods to sister republics in
exchange for raw materials and energy. Since the implosion of the
USSR in December 1991, Armenia has switched to small-scale
agriculture away from the large agroindustrial complexes of the
Soviet era. The agricultural sector has long-term needs for more
investment and updated technology. The privatization of industry has
been at a slower pace, but has been given renewed emphasis by the
current administration. Armenia is a food importer, and its mineral
deposits (copper, gold, bauxite) are small. The ongoing conflict
with Azerbaijan over the ethnic Armenian-dominated region of
Nagorno-Karabakh and the breakup of the centrally directed economic
system of the former Soviet Union contributed to a severe economic
decline in the early 1990s. By 1994, however, the Armenian
Government had launched an ambitious IMF-sponsored economic
liberalization program that resulted in positive growth rates in
1995-2005. Armenia joined the WTO in January 2003. Armenia also has
managed to slash inflation, stabilize its currency, and privatize
most small- and medium-sized enterprises. Armenia's unemployment
rate, however, remains high, despite strong economic growth. The
chronic energy shortages Armenia suffered in the early and mid-1990s
have been offset by the energy supplied by one of its nuclear power
plants at Metsamor. Armenia is now a net energy exporter, although
it does not have sufficient generating capacity to replace Metsamor,
which is under international pressure to close. The electricity
distribution system was privatized in 2002. Armenia's severe trade
imbalance has been offset somewhat by international aid, remittances
from Armenians working abroad, and foreign direct investment.
Economic ties with Russia remain close, especially in the energy
sector. The government made some improvements in tax and customs
administration in 2005, but anti-corruption measures will be more
difficult to implement. Investment in the construction and
industrial sectors is expected to continue in 2006 and will help to
ensure annual average real GDP growth of about 13.9%.

Aruba
Tourism is the mainstay of the small, open Aruban economy,
with offshore banking and oil refining and storage also important.
The rapid growth of the tourism sector over the last decade has
resulted in a substantial expansion of other activities. Over 1.5
million tourists per year visit Aruba, with 75% of those from the
US. Construction continues to boom, with hotel capacity five times
the 1985 level. In addition, the reopening of the country's oil
refinery in 1993, a major source of employment and foreign exchange
earnings, has further spurred growth. Tourist arrivals have
rebounded strongly following a dip after the 11 September 2001
attacks. The island experiences only a brief low season, and hotel
occupancy in 2004 averaged 80%, compared to 68% throughout the rest
of the Caribbean. The newly re-elected government has made cutting
the budget and trade deficits a high priority.

Ashmore and Cartier Islands
no economic activity

Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean provides some of the world's most
heavily trafficked sea routes, between and within the Eastern and
Western Hemispheres. Other economic activity includes the
exploitation of natural resources, e.g., fishing, dredging of
aragonite sands (The Bahamas), and production of crude oil and
natural gas (Caribbean Sea, Gulf of Mexico, and North Sea).

Australia
Australia has an enviable Western-style capitalist economy
with a per capita GDP on par with the four dominant West European
economies. Rising output in the domestic economy, robust business
and consumer confidence, and rising exports of raw materials and
agricultural products are fueling the economy. Australia's emphasis
on reforms, low inflation, and growing ties with China are other key
factors behind the economy's strength. The impact of drought, weak
foreign demand, and strong import demand pushed the trade deficit up
from $8 billion in 2002, to $18 billion in 2003, $13 billion in
2004, and nearly $17 billion in 2005. Housing prices probably peaked
in 2005, diminishing the prospect that interest rates would be
raised to prevent a speculative bubble. Conservative fiscal policies
have kept Australia's budget in surplus from 2002 to 2005.

Austria
Austria, with its well-developed market economy and high
standard of living, is closely tied to other EU economies,
especially Germany's. The Austrian economy also benefits greatly
from strong commercial relations, especially in the banking and
insurance sectors, with central, eastern, and southeastern Europe.
The economy features a large service sector, a sound industrial
sector, and a small, but highly developed agricultural sector.
Membership in the EU has drawn an influx of foreign investors
attracted by Austria's access to the single European market and
proximity to the new EU economies. The current government has
successfully pursued a comprehensive economic reform program, aimed
at streamlining government, creating a more competitive business
environment, further strengthening Austria's attractiveness as an
investment location, pursuing a balanced budget, and implementing
effective pension reforms. Weak domestic consumption and slow growth
in Europe have held the economy to growth rates of 0.4% in 2002,
1.4% in 2003, 2.4% in 2004, and 1.8% in 2005. To meet increased
competition from both EU and Central European countries,
particularly the new EU members, Austria will need to continue
restructuring, emphasizing knowledge-based sectors of the economy,
and encouraging greater labor flexibility and greater labor
participation by its aging population.

Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan's number one export is oil. Azerbaijan's oil
production declined through 1997, but has registered an increase
every year since. Negotiation of production-sharing arrangements
(PSAs) with foreign firms, which have thus far committed $60 billion
to long-term oilfield development, should generate the funds needed
to spur future industrial development. Oil production under the
first of these PSAs, with the Azerbaijan International Operating
Company, began in November 1997. A consortium of Western oil
companies is scheduled to begin pumping 1 million barrels a day from
a large offshore field in early 2006, through a $4 billion pipeline
it built from Baku to Turkey's Mediterranean port of Ceyhan.
Economists estimate that by 2010 revenues from this project will
double the country's current GDP. Azerbaijan shares all the
formidable problems of the former Soviet republics in making the
transition from a command to a market economy, but its considerable
energy resources brighten its long-term prospects. Baku has only
recently begun making progress on economic reform, and old economic
ties and structures are slowly being replaced. Several other
obstacles impede Azerbaijan's economic progress: the need for
stepped up foreign investment in the non-energy sector, the
continuing conflict with Armenia over the Nagorno-Karabakh region,
and the pervasive corruption. Trade with Russia and the other former
Soviet republics is declining in importance while trade is building
with Turkey and the nations of Europe. Long-term prospects will
depend on world oil prices, the location of new pipelines in the
region, and Azerbaijan's ability to manage its oil wealth.

Bahamas, The
The Bahamas is a stable, developing nation with an
economy heavily dependent on tourism and offshore banking. Tourism
together with tourism-driven construction and manufacturing accounts
for approximately 60% of GDP and directly or indirectly employs half
of the archipelago's labor force. Steady growth in tourism receipts
and a boom in construction of new hotels, resorts, and residences
had led to solid GDP growth in recent years, but the slowdown in the
US economy and the attacks of 11 September 2001 held back growth in
these sectors in 2001-03. The current government has presided over a
period of economic recovery and an upturn in large-scale private
sector investments in tourism. Financial services constitute the
second-most important sector of the Bahamian economy, accounting for
about 15% of GDP. However, since December 2000, when the government
enacted new regulations on the financial sector, many international
businesses have left The Bahamas. Manufacturing and agriculture
together contribute approximately a tenth of GDP and show little
growth, despite government incentives aimed at those sectors.
Overall growth prospects in the short run rest heavily on the
fortunes of the tourism sector, which depends on growth in the US,
the source of more than 80% of the visitors.

Bahrain
Petroleum production and refining account for about 60% of
Bahrain's export receipts, 60% of government revenues, and 30% of
GDP. With its highly developed communication and transport
facilities, Bahrain is home to numerous multinational firms with
business in the Gulf. A large share of exports consists of petroleum
products made from refining imported crude. Construction proceeds on
several major industrial projects. Unemployment, especially among
the young, and the depletion of oil and underground water resources
are major long-term economic problems. In 2005 Bahrain and the US
ratified a Free Trade Agreement (FTA), the first FTA between the US
and a Gulf state.

Baker Island
no economic activity

Bangladesh
Despite sustained domestic and international efforts to
improve economic and demographic prospects, Bangladesh remains a
poor, overpopulated, and inefficiently-governed nation. Although
half of GDP is generated through the service sector, nearly
two-thirds of Bangladeshis are employed in the agriculture sector,
with rice as the single-most-important product. Major impediments to
growth include frequent cyclones and floods, inefficient state-owned
enterprises, inadequate port facilities, a rapidly growing labor
force that cannot be absorbed by agriculture, delays in exploiting
energy resources (natural gas), insufficient power supplies, and
slow implementation of economic reforms. Reform is stalled in many
instances by political infighting and corruption at all levels of
government. Progress also has been blocked by opposition from the
bureaucracy, public sector unions, and other vested interest groups.
The BNP government, led by Prime Minister Khaleda ZIA, has the
parliamentary strength to push through needed reforms, but the
party's political will to do so has been lacking in key areas. One
encouraging note: growth has been a steady 5% for the past several
years.

Barbados
Historically, the Barbadian economy had been dependent on
sugarcane cultivation and related activities, but production in
recent years has diversified into light industry and tourism.
Offshore finance and information services are important foreign
exchange earners. The government continues its efforts to reduce
unemployment, to encourage direct foreign investment, and to
privatize remaining state-owned enterprises. The economy contracted
in 2002-03 mainly due to a decline in tourism. Growth was positive
in 2005, as economic conditions in the US and Europe moderately
improved.

Bassas da India
no economic activity

Belarus
Belarus's economy in 2005 posted 8% growth. The government
has succeeded in lowering inflation over the past several years.
Trade with Russia - by far its largest single trade partner -
decreased in 2005, largely as a result of a change in the way the
Value Added Tax (VAT) on trade was collected. Trade with European
countries increased. Belarus has seen little structural reform since
1995, when President LUKASHENKO launched the country on the path of
"market socialism." In keeping with this policy, LUKASHENKO
reimposed administrative controls over prices and currency exchange
rates and expanded the state's right to intervene in the management
of private enterprises. During 2005, the government re-nationalized
a number of private companies. In addition, businesses have been
subject to pressure by central and local governments, e.g.,
arbitrary changes in regulations, numerous rigorous inspections,
retroactive application of new business regulations, and arrests of
"disruptive" businessmen and factory owners. A wide range of
redistributive policies has helped those at the bottom of the
ladder; the Gini coefficient is among the lowest in the world.
Because of these restrictive economic policies, Belarus has had
trouble attracting foreign investment, which remains low. Growth has
been strong in recent years, despite the roadblocks in a tough,
centrally directed economy with a high, but decreasing, rate of
inflation. Belarus continues to receive heavily discounted oil and
natural gas from Russia. Much of Belarus' growth can be attributed
to the re-export of Russian oil at market prices.

Belgium
This modern, private-enterprise economy has capitalized on
its central geographic location, highly developed transport network,
and diversified industrial and commercial base. Industry is
concentrated mainly in the populous Flemish area in the north. With
few natural resources, Belgium must import substantial quantities of
raw materials and export a large volume of manufactures, making its
economy unusually dependent on the state of world markets. Roughly
three-quarters of its trade is with other EU countries. Public debt
is nearly 100% of GDP. On the positive side, the government has
succeeded in balancing its budget, and income distribution is
relatively equal. Belgium began circulating the euro currency in
January 2002. Economic growth in 2001-03 dropped sharply because of
the global economic slowdown, with moderate recovery in 2004-05.

Belize
In this small, essentially private-enterprise economy the
tourism industry is the number one foreign exchange earner followed
by marine products, citrus, cane sugar, bananas, and garments. The
government's expansionary monetary and fiscal policies, initiated in
September 1998, led to sturdy GDP growth averaging nearly 5% in
1999-2005. Major concerns continue to be the sizable trade deficit
and foreign debt. A key short-term objective remains the reduction
of poverty with the help of international donors.

Benin
The economy of Benin remains underdeveloped and dependent on
subsistence agriculture, cotton production, and regional trade.
Growth in real output has averaged around 5% in the past six years,
but rapid population growth has offset much of this increase.
Inflation has subsided over the past several years. In order to
raise growth still further, Benin plans to attract more foreign
investment, place more emphasis on tourism, facilitate the
development of new food processing systems and agricultural
products, and encourage new information and communication
technology. Many of these proposals are included in Benin's
application to receive Millennium Challenge Account funding - for
which it was a finalist in 2004-05. The 2001 privatization policy
continues in telecommunications, water, electricity, and agriculture
in spite of government reluctance. The Paris Club and bilateral
creditors have eased the external debt situation, with Benin
benefiting from a G8 debt reduction announced in July 2005, while
pressing for more rapid structural reforms. Benin continues to be
hurt by Nigerian trade protection that bans imports of a growing
list of products from Benin and elsewhere, which has resulted in
increased smuggling and criminality in the border region.

Bermuda
Bermuda enjoys the highest per capita income in the world,
more than 50% higher than that of the US. Its economy is primarily
based on providing financial services for international business and
luxury facilities for tourists. A number of reinsurance companies
relocated to the island following 11 September 2001 and again after
Hurricane Katrina, contributing to the expansion of an already
robust international business sector. Bermuda's tourism industry -
which derives over 80% of its visitors from the US - continues to
struggle but remains the island's number two industry. Most capital
equipment and food must be imported. Bermuda's industrial sector is
small, although construction continues to be important; the average
cost of a house in June 2003 had risen to $976,000. Agriculture is
limited with only 20% of the land being arable.