Elina Treyger

Senior Political Scientist

Washington Office

Education

J.D. in law, Harvard University; Ph.D. in political science, Harvard University; B.A. in college scholar, Cornell University

One Page Bio

Overview

Elina Treyger is a senior political scientist at the RAND Corporation, and is also a lawyer. Her work at RAND spans topics in three areas of research: (1) homeland security (with a focus on migration, immigration enforcement, and dis- & misinformation); (2) national security and defense (with a focus on Russia and strategic competition short of conflict); and (3) justice policy (spanning topics in criminal and civil justice, technology and the law). Treyger’s research relies on quantitative and qualitative social science methods as well as legal and policy analysis. Previously, Treyger was an assistant professor of law at George Mason University’s Law School, an Academy Scholar at the Harvard Academy for International and Area Studies, and a law clerk for the then-Chief Judge Danny Boggs on the Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit. Treyger received a J.D. from Harvard Law School and a Ph.D. in political science from Harvard University.

Research Focus

Languages

Russian

Commentary

Russia

Alexei Navalny Has Become a Profile in Courage. This Puts the Kremlin in a Quandary
Prolonging Alexei Navalny's imprisonment, attempting to murder him—or actually succeeding—would only galvanize his supporters. And releasing him could be viewed as a victory for the opposition, making the Kremlin look weak.
Feb 2, 2021
Los Angeles Times

Publications

Report
Assessing and Suing an Algorithm: Perceptions of Algorithmic Decisionmaking
As use of artificial intelligence algorithms in decisionmaking spreads, public perceptions will have many implications — including for jury judgments and support for regulation. This report describes a survey experiment that explored such perceptions.
Oct 12, 2023
Report
Great-Power Competition and Conflict in Africa
This report explores the potential for competition and conflict among the United States, China, and Russia in Africa; where and why competition might turn into conflict; what form that conflict might take; and the implications for the United States.
Jul 13, 2023
Report
Great-Power Competition and Conflict in Latin America
This report explores the potential for competition and conflict among the United States, China, and Russia in Latin America; where competition might turn into conflict; what form that conflict might take; and the implications for the United States.
Jun 20, 2023
Report
Great-Power Competition and Conflict in the Middle East
This report explores the potential for competition among the United States, China, and Russia in the Middle East; where and why competition might turn into conflict; what form that conflict might take; and the implications for the United States.
Jun 1, 2023
Report
Great-Power Competition and Conflict in the 21st Century Outside the Indo-Pacific and Europe
This report explores where the United States, China, and Russia may be competing for influence in secondary theaters; where and why competition might turn to conflict; what form that conflict might take; and implications for the United States.
Apr 25, 2023
Research Brief
Little in Common: Prospects for U.S.-China and U.S.-Russia Security Cooperation
This brief presents the overarching findings of a study that explored the extent to which the United States might still be able to cooperate with China and Russia, even in this era of strategic competition.
Feb 20, 2023
Report
Assessing the Prospects for Great Power Cooperation in Europe and the Middle East
This report, part of a four-part series, describes the potential for U.S. cooperation with China or Russia in Europe and the Middle East across seven issue areas.
Feb 20, 2023
Report
Vanishing Trade Space: Assessing the Prospects for Great Power Cooperation in an Era of Competition — A Project Overview
To what extent can the United States still cooperate with China and Russia even in this era of strategic competition? This report, the first of a four-part series, presents the overarching findings of a study that explored this question.
Feb 20, 2023
Report
Finding a Broadly Practical Approach for Regulating the Use of Facial Recognition by Law Enforcement
This report examines current and near-future uses of facial recognition by law enforcement and identifies the various concerns and related policy domains that could be used to guide public policy.
Feb 15, 2023
Report
Russian Disinformation Efforts on Social Media
Although portrayals of Russia's disinformation machine as organized and well-resourced are exaggerated, social media disinformation can cause serious harm to U.S. interests. This report provides recommendations to better counter this threat.
Jun 7, 2022
Report
Stabilizing Great-Power Rivalries
Leveraging theory and historical cases, the authors identify the factors that keep great-power rivalries stable and those that lead to conflictual outcomes and use that framework to assess the current U.S.-Russia and U.S.-China competitions.
Nov 29, 2021
Report
Analysis of Russian Irregular Threats
The authors of this report describe strategic global trends related to Russian global influence and behavior and provide an overview and assessment of hostile activities that Russia has undertaken in the face of these trends.
Nov 8, 2021
Report
China-Russia Cooperation: Determining Factors, Future Trajectories, Implications for the United States
Since 2014, China and Russia have strengthened their relationship. In this report, the authors seek to understand the impact of the Chinese-Russian relationship on the United States and implications for future U.S. policy.
Oct 12, 2021
Report
Understanding and Defending Against Russia's Malign and Subversive Information Efforts in Europe
The authors describe apparent efforts by Russia and its agents to use information to shape Russia's operating environment, and they identify possible defensive approaches for United States European Command and its partners.
Aug 16, 2021
Report
Combating Foreign Disinformation on Social Media: Study Overview and Conclusions
Disinformation campaigns on social media pose a nuanced threat to the United States, but the response remains ad hoc and uncoordinated. This overview of a five-volume series presents ways to better prepare for this new age of information warfare.
Jul 19, 2021
Report
Modeling the Impact of Border-Enforcement Measures
This report offers insights into effects of surveillance technology on border outcomes. The underlying research demonstrated the promise and limits of quasi-experimental statistical methods for evaluating the impact of border-enforcement measures.
May 7, 2020
Report
Understanding Russia's Intervention in Syria
Russia's 2015 military intervention in Syria's civil war took many by surprise. The authors of this report assess where and under what conditions Moscow could intervene again by analyzing the factors that drive Russian decisionmaking on intervention.
Oct 31, 2019
Report
What Deters and Why: Exploring Requirements for Effective Deterrence of Interstate Aggression
Deterrence of territorial aggression is taking on renewed importance, yet discussion has lagged in military and strategy circles. The authors provide a fresh look, reviewing established concepts and evaluating the strength of deterrent relationships.
Nov 20, 2018
Report
Countering Russian Social Media Influence
The Russian government's campaigns of disinformation -- political, social, religious, or otherwise -- have found a comfortable home on social media. This report presents strategies to counter Russian social media influence.
Nov 1, 2018