From: International Business News - Richard Vitas Palaikis II

If you are involved in the exportation of merchandise from the United States, then you will want to be more vigilant than ever as the export control reform initiative, which was announced by President Obama last August, begins to unfold in front of us.

Effective immediately OFAC has amended control regulations for Iran, Sudan and Cuba that authorizes the export of certain personal Internet based communications services such as instant messaging, chat and email, and social networking. The amendments also permit the export of related software to Iran and Sudan.

This relaxation of controls will make it easier for individuals in each of these countries to communicate with each other as well as the rest of the world. Whether or not the local authorities will allow expanded communications to go uncensored is another story.

Hal Jacobson

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In case any of us have forgotten US Customs and Border Patrol  (CBP) is beginning to implement the program.

Just the other day a first time importer called with some distressing news. Apparantly their incoming.......

The following blog was published by Stratfor and contains a summary of events - political and social - that will take place in 2010.  Each geographic region and some specific countries have been given individual predictions.

This article is extremely interesting and will make you think.  Please view the beginning paragraph below or click "Read More" for the entire article.

ANNUAL FORECAST 2010

The dominant theme of 2009 was the global recession. A series of financial developments in the United States damaged the U.S. banking system and spread from there to the rest of the global economy. Everyone -- whether purchasers of high-tech goods or sellers of raw commodities -- was deeply affected. As the year turns anew, that recession has ended. The recovery in place is unsteady, but appears to have put down sufficient roots to hold.

Two major evolutions will dominate 2010. The first is a continuation of a trend STRATFOR has been following for years: Russia's resurgence as a major power. In the 1990s the United States became very comfortable with the idea of Russian weakness, and in the 2000s the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq have utterly consumed U.S. military capacity. With the recent decision to send even more forces into Afghanistan, the U.S. preoccupation with the Islamic world will become all-consuming, allowing Russia to do as it pleases in its near abroad.

The U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) recently announced new regulations requireing all importers and carriers to electronically submit additional information to U.S. CBP on all cargo destined to the United States 24 hours prior to loading on board the vessel.  This blog outlines the 10 data elements for importers and a link to the Importer Security Filing Questionnaire.