International Affairs

RAND's international affairs research comprises a range of cross-cutting issues, including global economies and trade, space and maritime security, diplomacy, global health and education, nation building, and regional security and stability. RAND also analyzes the policies and effectiveness of international organizations such as the UN, NATO, European Union, and ASEAN.

Research conducted by: International Programs; RAND National Security Research Division; RAND Arroyo Center; RAND Project AIR FORCE; RAND Health; RAND Labor and Population; RAND Child Policy; RAND Europe; RAND-Qatar Policy Institute; Center for Asia Pacific Policy; Center for Middle East Public Policy; Center for Russia and Eurasia; Center for Global Risk and Security

Featured at RAND

How Does the Conflict in Afghanistan Compare to Counterinsurgencies of the Past 30 Years?

An analysis of 30 insurgencies worldwide between 1978 and 2008 determined what factors were ultimately correlated with success or defeat. Comparing Afghanistan in early 2011 against this scorecard results in an uncertain outcome for the conflict there, but the findings may help provide additional guidance as operations continue.

Journal Articles (150)

Global Dimensions of Public Health Preparedness and Implications for US Action — Jun 1, 2012

This study suggests four timely US actions to address today's competing realities of globalization and economic austerity: raise awareness among clinicians and local health departments; capture and share exemplary disaster management practices across countries; ensure that US global health investments are effective, efficient, and sustainable; and think globally while acting locally to enhance US health security.

Strategic Value of African Tribal Art: Auction Sales Trends as Cultural Intelligence — Apr 1, 2012

This paper explores the potential of the art market for open-source intelligence assessments of cultural security.

An Analysis of Whether Higher Health Care Spending in the United States Versus Europe Is 'Worth It' in the Case of Cancer — Apr 1, 2012

The higher-cost US system of cancer care delivery may be worth it, although further research is required to determine what specific tools or treatments are driving improved cancer survival in the United States.

Are There Differences in the Medicare Experiences of Beneficiaries in Puerto Rico Compared with Those in the U.S. Mainland? — Mar 1, 2012

The authors compare the experiences of elderly Medicare beneficiaries in Puerto Rico with their English-preferring and Spanish-preferring Medicare counterparts in the U.S. mainland.

Electronic Medical Records and Same Day Patient Tracing Improves Clinic Efficiency and Adherence to Appointments in a Community Based HIV/AIDS Care Program, in Uganda — Feb 1, 2012

Patients who miss clinic appointments make unscheduled visits which compromise the ability to plan for and deliver quality care.

Healthy Firms: Constraints to Growth Among Private Health Sector Facilities in Ghana and Kenya — Feb 1, 2012

Health outcomes in developing countries continue to lag the developed world, and many countries are not on target to meet the Millennium Development Goals.

Incompatible Partners: The Role of Identity and Self-Image in the Sino-U.S. Relationship — Jan 1, 2012

Many scholars and pundits have concluded that the noticeable downturn in U.S.-China relations in 2010 was merely an intermittent low in the broader "high-low" dynamic that characterizes the relationship. This article argues that recent tensions can also be understood as part of larger, macro-level suspicions stemming from the disparate identities that pervade bilateral relations.

Security of Cultural Property: U.S. Engagement and Potential for Improvement — Jan 1, 2012

This paper assesses the role of historic sites and antiquities in foreign engagement. Over the past century, U.S. foreign policy has had successes and shortcomings in leveraging protection of cultural patrimony to strategic advantage.

Coexistence of Obesity and Anemia in Children Between 2 and 18 Years of Age in Mexico — Nov 1, 2011

This article carries out a secondary data analysis to determine the frequency of anemia in different categories of body mass index (BMI) and the frequency in which obesity and anemia co-occurred in children between 2 and 18 years of age.

Trends in Late-Life Disability in Taiwan, 1989-2007: The Roles of Education, Environment, and Technology — Nov 1, 2011

This study assessing trends in late-life disability in the emerging economy of Taiwan showed that limitations in seeing, hearing, and instrumental activities of daily living declined.

The Positive Mental Health Instrument: Development and Validation of a Culturally Relevant Scale in a Multi-Ethnic Asian Population — Oct 1, 2011

The objective of this study was to develop a self-administered measure that covers all key and culturally appropriate domains of mental health, which can be applied to compare levels of mental health across different age, gender and ethnic groups. We present the item reduction and validation of the Positive Mental Health (PMH) instrument in a community-based adult sample in Singapore.

What Are You Prepared to Do? NATO and the Strategic Mismatch Between Ends, Ways, and Means in Afghanistan — and in the Future — May 1, 2011

This article examines ISAF (International Security Assistance Force) operations in Afghanistan as a way to get at the strategic disconnects in ends, ways, and means that the author believes are endemic to large-scale protracted stability and COIN (counterinsurgency) operations against adversaries who do not pose palpable existential threats to the members of an alliance.

Internationally Comparable Health Indices — May 1, 2011

This project addressed the lack of comparable health measures and indices across nations by developing a cross-national model for measuring health status. In applying the measures to several nations, the study found significant variability in genuine health that correlates most closely with national income.

Where Do Poor Women in Developing Countries Give Birth? A Multi-Country Analysis of Demographic and Health Survey Data — Feb 1, 2011

Since most poor women deliver at home in developing countries, efforts to reduce maternal deaths should prioritize community-based interventions aimed at making home births safer.

Art Sales as Cultural Intelligence: Analysis of the Auction Market for African Tribal Art — Jan 1, 2011

This paper examines auction sales of African tribal art for the continent as a whole and by individual nations of origin.

Collecting Cultural Intelligence: The Tactical Value of Cultural Property — Jan 1, 2011

This paper defines a framework for the collection of cultural intelligence as a fundamental asset in countering threats to cultural security.

Evidentiary Validation of FM 3-24: Counterinsurgency Worldwide, 1978-2008 — Jan 1, 2011

Discusses the demonstrated efficacy of the COIN principles embodied in FM 3-24, historical evicence and data collected from 30 case studies for recent resolved insurgencies. The vast majority of governments and COIN forces that adhered to multiple tenets of the field manual prevailed over the insurgencies they opposed.

Air Power — Aug 4, 2010

Surveys the subject of air power as an area of research in international security studies and provides a bibliography of significant works and useful online resources.

My RAND ?

Saved Items

Recommended