The Munich Olympics. The Lockerbie bombing. Oklahoma City. 9/11. London, Madrid, Mumbai. Terrorism is by no means a localized or recent phenomenon. Similarly, efforts to both catalog and counter terrorism, both at home and around the world, have been a key focus of RAND research since the early 1970s.
With over 36,000 incidents of terrorism coded and detailed, the quality and completeness of the RDWTI is unparalleled, as it is built from the research of RAND staff with regional expertise, relevant language skills, and in-country field work experience.
Report
Because terrorism is not confined to national boundaries, it puts pressure on the U.S. both at home and abroad, forcing intelligence and law enforcement—the CIA and the FBI—to work together in new ways. This requires new means of sharing not just information but also analysis across the federal system.
Commentary
The term "Global War on Terror" is now out of favor in the government lexicon, and new drug czar Gil Kerlikowske wants to end the use of the phrase "War on Drugs." It's not that opposing terrorism or drugs is no longer important, or that operations will be substantially changed. But how we talk about things matters, writes Christopher Paul.
Report
This brochure describes ''Policy Analysis Techniques for Homeland Security Professionals'', a five-day course hosted by RAND to be held in Arlington, VA on November 16-20, 2009.
Report
An approach for assessing novel or emerging threats and prioritizing which merit specific security attention and which can be addressed as part of existing security efforts.
Commentary
For India, the development of a conducive environment on its western flank for groups like Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Muhammad has already resulted in sophisticated terrorist attacks on Indian soil. While there is good reason for India and its neighbors to be concerned, there is considerable misunderstanding of the threat, writes Seth Jones.
Research Brief
This research highlight summarizes the findings of RAND's initial evaluation of the Cities Readiness Initiative and the program's impact on communities' readiness to conduct mass dispensing of medications and other medical supplies.
News Release
A federal program designed to help metropolitan public health agencies prepare to deliver essential medicines to the public after a large-scale bioterror attack or natural disease outbreak has succeeded in improving the level of readiness.
Commentary
The Obama administration's decision to withdraw the bulk of United Sates troops from Iraq over the next 19 months has sparked fears that Iraq will once again plunge into the wide-scale and debilitating violence that it endured from 2004 to 2007. Those fears are, for the most part, overblown, writes Lowell Schwartz.
Report
Does the United States need a dedicated domestic counterterrorism intelligence agency? This book examines such an agency's creation, possible capability, and approaches for assessing its effectiveness and acceptability to the public.
News Release
The Mumbai terrorist attacks in India suggest the possibility of an escalating terrorist campaign in South Asia and the rise of a strategic terrorist culture.
Report
Analyzes the November 2008 terrorist attack in Mumbai, India, and derives lessons learned from the attack and from the Indian response.
Journal Article
Describes results of a survey that investigates whether groups traditionally most vulnerable to disasters would be more likely than others to perceive population-level risk as high, worry more about terrorism, and avoid activities because of terrorism concerns.
Journal Article
Discusses the possibilities and options for America if neighboring country Mexico should become a failed state.
Journal Article
This article seeks to demonstrate that evolutionary theory provides intriguing insights into two phenomena that observers find difficult to understand: political violence and female political violence.
Journal Article
The authors examine the threat of subversion after the end of the Cold War.
Report
Places the spread of militant Islamism and the development of radical Islamist networks in East Africa in the broader context of the social, economic, and political factors that have shaped the region's security environment.
Journal Article
Presents a broad overview of the U.S. public health response system, recent efforts to improve preparedness, challenges faced, and options for moving forward.
Commentary
The recent terrorist attacks in Mumbai, India, are part of a disturbing trend across the Muslim world of groups that target civilians in the name of Islam. Less visible to Western eyes, but potentially just as significant, is a growing backlash among Muslims who condemn such attacks as unethical, writes Seth Jones.
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