Gabrielle Tarini

@gabbytarini on Twitter

Policy Analyst

Washington Office

Education

M.P.P. in international and global affairs, Harvard University; B.A. in international studies, Boston College

One Page Bio

Overview

Gabrielle Tarini is a policy analyst at the RAND Corporation. Her current research focuses on security cooperation and security sector reform; European security and the NATO alliance; and humanitarian and stabilization issues. She is a graduate of the Harvard Kennedy School of Government, where she received her Master’s in Public Policy. At the Kennedy School, she was a teaching assistant for a former Secretary of Defense, whom she helped to develop and manage a new graduate-level course on leadership in national security. Her graduate thesis, completed for a member of Congress, analyzed the causes and consequences of civilian harm in U.S. security assistance relationships and was awarded the "Best Analysis of an Emerging Crisis" by the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs. In 2018, she was a Harold W. Rosenthal Fellow in the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Policy. Previously, she was a research associate at the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies, where she conducted research on WMD nonproliferation. She received her BA in International Studies from Boston College.

Research Focus

Selected Publications

James Dobbins, Gabrielle Tarini, Ali Wyne, The Lost Generation in American Foreign Policy: How American Influence Has Declined, and What Can Be Done About It, RAND Corporation (PE-A232-1), 2020

J.D. Williams, Gene Germanovich, Stephen Webber, Gabrielle Tarini, Unlocking NATO's Amphibious Potential: Lessons from the Past, Insights for the Future, RAND Corporation (PE-A695-1), 2020

Honors & Awards

Harold Rosenthal Fellowship in International Relations, U.S. Department of Defense
Kenneth I. Juster Fellowship, Harvard Kennedy School
Best Analysis of an Emerging Crisis, Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs

Commentary

Trying to Forestall the Next Civilian Casualty Horror
After civilians are injured or killed, the U.S. Defense Department isn't doing enough to learn from its own failures. The Pentagon needs to devote resources and senior leader attention to an issue that has historically lacked both. Civilian protection should become the singular priority for a critical mass of people across the organization.
Feb 3, 2022 Foreign Policy
The Lost Generation in American Foreign Policy
Throughout the 55 years following World War II, successive U.S. administrations racked up major foreign policy successes at an average rate of about once a year. Since 2001, the pace of foreign policy achievement has fallen to once every four years. The result has been a lost generation in American foreign policy.
Sep 15, 2020 The Hill

Publications

Report
Understanding Civilian Harm in Raqqa and Its Implications for Future Conflicts
In this report, RAND researchers study the causes of civilian harm in the 2017 battle for Raqqa, Syria, and provide insights into how the U.S. Department of Defense can reduce civilian harm in future operations.
Mar 31, 2022
Multimedia
Press Briefing on U.S. Department of Defense Civilian Casualty Policies and Procedures
Researchers from the RAND Corporation brief the press on an independent RAND assessment of U.S. Department of Defense standards, processes, procedures, and policies relating to civilian casualties resulting from U.S. military operations.
Mar 8, 2022
Report
U.S. Department of Defense Civilian Casualty Policies and Procedures: An Independent Assessment
In this report, researchers from the RAND Corporation and CNA conduct an independent assessment of U.S. Department of Defense standards, processes, procedures, and policies relating to civilian casualties resulting from U.S. military operations.
Jan 27, 2022
Report
Competition and Governance in African Security Sectors: Integrating U.S. Strategic Objectives
This report examines U.S. institutional capacity-building programs for the security sectors of African partner governments and their potential role in strategic competition.
Jan 18, 2022
Research Brief
The Role of U.S. Airpower in Defeating ISIS
The United States used airpower in Syria and Iraq to halt ISIS's momentum and help defeat the organization, without committing a large number of ground forces.
Feb 12, 2021
Report
The Air War Against the Islamic State: The Role of Airpower in Operation Inherent Resolve
Airpower played a pivotal role in the U.S.-led fight against the Islamic State from 2014 to 2019 and contributed to the success of Operation Inherent Resolve, but airpower alone would not have been likely to defeat the militant organization.
Feb 5, 2021
Journal Article
Future Threats and Some Considerations for the Next U.S. National Defense Strategy
In this article, the authors offer a U.S. perspective on the evolution of threats from the recent past, and posit several considerations for the next National Defense Strategy.
Jan 26, 2021
Report
Unlocking NATO's Amphibious Potential: Lessons from the Past, Insights for the Future
Researchers analyze the past, present, and future employment of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization's amphibious forces, highlight ongoing initiatives, and identify several efforts that should be pursued to advance its amphibious capabilities.
Nov 9, 2020
Report
The Lost Generation in American Foreign Policy: How American Influence Has Declined, and What Can Be Done About It
The authors trace the decline of U.S. international influence over the past two decades, explore reasons for this decline, and suggest ways in which it might be reversed.
Sep 8, 2020