Andrew Radin

Andrew Radin
Political Scientist
Washington Office

Education

Ph.D. in political science, Massachusetts Institute of Technology; BA in political science and mathematics, University of Chicago

Overview

Andrew Radin is a political scientist at the RAND Corporation.  His research interests include European security, NATO, and Russia’s foreign and security policy; state building and security sector reform; and peace operations. He is the author of Institution Building in Weak States: The Primacy of Local Politics, published by Georgetown University Press, which considers case studies from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Iraq, Timor Leste, and Ukraine. In addition to his publications from RAND, his work has appeared in Security Studies, the Journal of Conflict Resolution, Washington Quarterly, and War on the Rocks, among other venues.

From December 2018 to December 2020, he was detailed from RAND to serve as a Country Director for Afghanistan in the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Policy. He was a postdoctoral fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School and the University of Southern California. He received a Ph.D. in political science from MIT and a B.A. in political science and mathematics from the University of Chicago. He previously taught as an adjunct professor at Georgetown University.

Commentary

  • Military Force Deployment

    Why the United States Still Needs Ground Forces in Europe

    The bulked-up U.S. presence in Europe will remain necessary for at least three to five years, for at least three reasons: to preserve Ukraine's sovereignty, to sustain U.S. commitments to NATO, and to encourage the development of partner nation capabilities that will eventually enable greater burden-sharing among allies.

    Jul 24, 2023

    Defense One

  • Ukraine

    One Year After Russia's Invasion of Ukraine: Experts React

    We asked nearly 30 RAND experts to highlight takeaways from the first year of Russia's all-out war—and share what they're watching as the conflict in Ukraine grinds on. Here's what they said.

    Feb 20, 2023

  • Security Cooperation

    How Should the U.S. Military Share Secrets?

    For security cooperation to work, allies may need access to details of U.S. military plans and activities. But does the need for a clearly defined U.S. advantage prevent sharing information that may be broadly in the U.S. interest? Who should evaluate this advantage, and at what level?

    Oct 31, 2022

    Lawfare

  • Information Operations

    Keeping Russians Informed About Ukraine Could Help End This War

    Russia has taken increasingly aggressive actions to restrict access of information about the war in Ukraine. Ensuring that the Russian people know the truth about what their government is doing in Ukraine could bring this war to an end soon rather than later.

    Mar 14, 2022

    United Press International

  • Refugees

    Afghan Refugees Are Being Recruited to Join an Iranian Paramilitary

    As Western policymakers consider how to deal with Afghan evacuees, including former members of the Afghan security forces, they might consider how to prevent adversaries such as Iran from recruiting Afghan refugees for dangerous and destabilizing operations. Greater attention to these risks may become increasingly important as refugee flows from Afghanistan continue.

    Nov 23, 2021

    The Hill

  • Security Cooperation

    Reconsidering U.S. Decisionmaking Within NATO After the Fall of Kabul

    With NATO, the United States often tries to have it all: U.S. leadership of the alliance and increased allied burden-sharing. But the recent experience in Afghanistan shows how the form U.S. leadership takes can frustrate allies. Prioritizing allied preferences would help to preserve alliance unity and maybe even strengthen burden-sharing.

    Oct 25, 2021

    War on the Rocks

  • Afghanistan

    Collapse in Afghanistan: Early Insights from RAND Researchers

    The sudden end to America's longest war came as the Taliban rolled into Kabul and the government collapsed. RAND researchers share their thoughts on how to help displaced Afghans, whether the country could again become a safe haven for terrorists, and the geopolitical implications of the collapse.

    Aug 17, 2021

  • Russia

    Russia's Soft Strategy to Hostile Measures in Europe

    They've been called political warfare, measures short of war, gray zone warfare, and a host of other terms. Russia has used a wide range of hostile measures to expand its influence and undermine governments across the European continent. These tactics should be appreciated for what they are: part of a larger, coherent Russian effort, but ultimately not an insurmountable one.

    Feb 26, 2019

    War on the Rocks

  • Security Cooperation

    How NATO Could Accidentally Trigger a War with Russia

    An increased NATO presence in the Baltics could lead Russia to feel a motivation for an invasion. U.S. and NATO deployments in the region should avoid this risk by taking seriously Russian beliefs about NATO capabilities in planning future deployments, and by pursuing transparency and negotiation in future deployments in the Baltic region.

    Nov 13, 2017

    The National Interest

  • Russia

    Russia in Action, Short of War

    The West needs to work more quickly and coordinate better to offset Russia's capabilities, aggressiveness, and success. Responding to Russia's hostile influence involves predicting Russia's targets, identifying the tools it's likely to use, and playing the long game rather than focusing on near-term events.

    May 9, 2017

    U.S. News & World Report

  • Ukraine

    What Ukraine Urgently Needs to Defend Itself

    Many think that the United States should do more to help Ukraine defend itself. Analysis points to the potential of U.S. support for fundamental reform of Ukraine's security sector.

    Oct 16, 2016

    Newsweek

Publications