Skip to page content

Articles and Commentary

commentary

Iran Claws Back Its Regional Influence
Last year, Iran faced protests at home as well as in Iraq and Lebanon, where thousands rallied against Tehran's regional hegemony. But with its recent machinations and the fallout over the killing of Soleimani, Iran has succeeded in changing the regional conversation.
Jan 17, 2020
commentary

Why Is China Pressing Indonesia Again Over Its Maritime Claims?
China sparked a major maritime confrontation with Indonesia near the South China Sea in December when dozens of Chinese fishing vessels, along with a coast guard escort, entered waters off the Natuna Islands. What drove Beijing to stake out its sovereignty claims against Indonesia at this particular time? And what can Indonesia and other regional neighbors expect of Chinese behavior going forward?
Jan 16, 2020
commentary

Mental Wellbeing in the Workplace
Much of the mental health support provided by employers focuses on individual staff members, but it is equally important to consider how an organization itself may need to change to effectively support employees. If an organization is serious about improving staff mental health, assessing the working culture honestly and implementing appropriate changes could be one necessary step.
Jan 13, 2020
commentary

China's Footprint in Europe
Tensions between Washington and Brussels may be helping China find a more receptive audience for its Belt and Road initiative. One of the central challenges for the United States and Europe will be to forge a more united approach to China's resurgence.
Jan 13, 2020
commentary

How the 'Ostrich Europe' Scenario Could Help Guide EU Education Policy
A future scenarios approach can help identify different ways in which the future may plausibly unfold. Seeing how policies implemented now play out in the different scenarios can show us what the possible implications of policy decisions could be. This in turn can contribute to evidence-based policy making.
Jan 13, 2020
essay

Fentanyl: The Most Dangerous Illegal Drug in America
America's fentanyl crisis is unlike previous drug epidemics and is likely to get worse. Deaths involving fentanyl and other synthetic opioids have surged from around 3,000 in 2013 to more than 30,000 in 2018. Solving the problem requires innovative approaches and unprecedented resources.
Jan 13, 2020
blog

Ink Tank: At RAND, Tattoos Sometimes Reflect the Research
Three RAND experts and one Pardee RAND student explain how their tattoos reflect their research on the problems Marines face, end-of-life care, migration-related issues, and the changing needs of the labor force.
Jan 10, 2020
commentary

How Will Iran Respond to Soleimani's Killing—and Where Will the Escalation End?
Iranian Maj. Gen. Qasem Soleimani's death will reverberate in the Middle East region for a long time. The United States must know its end game and be able to respond to this changing landscape of its own making, without stumbling into another full-fledged conflict that the Trump administration itself, Congress, and the American people have said they do not want.
Jan 7, 2020
essay

Education and Employment Should Be One System, Not Two
Too many American workers aren't getting the education and training they need to compete in the 21st century. We need to revamp the entire system of educating and employing people. And that system needs to ensure equitable access to opportunities and lifelong learning.
Jan 7, 2020
commentary

Baghdad Siege Wasn't Benghazi, and Never Will Be
Given the heightened tension between the United States and Iran and the ongoing instability in Iraq, the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad may very well be attacked again. If such an attack were to be successful, it would be more akin to the fall of the U.S. Embassy in Saigon than the U.S. mission in Benghazi.
Jan 6, 2020
commentary

Iraq's Vote to Expel U.S. Troops Is Iran's True Victory
If American soldiers are ejected from Iraq, the consequences may be far-reaching and damaging to U.S. strategic interests. What options remain to reset the relationship between Washington and Baghdad?
Jan 6, 2020
commentary

All-Out U.S.-Iran War Is Unlikely. But Low-Level War Expected to Continue
Iranian retaliation for Soleimani's killing and counter-retaliation by the United States seem likely. But Tehran and Washington have good reasons to inflict limited pain without engaging in a full-scale war.
Jan 6, 2020
commentary

Can Iraq Evict U.S. Forces?
The Iraqi parliament voted to expel U.S. troops from Iraq. This vote was nonbinding, and the Iraqi caretaker government cannot pass laws, but it does indicate that a majority in parliament wants U.S. forces to leave.
Jan 6, 2020
commentary

What Chess Can Teach Us About the Future of AI and War
Will artificial intelligence (AI) change warfare? It's hard to say. AI itself is not new, but AI as a critical factor in competitions is relatively novel and, as a result, there's not much data to draw from. Perhaps the most interesting examples are in the world of chess.
Jan 3, 2020
commentary

North Korea: Selling Political Deception
Why did Kim Jong-un substitute releasing the North Korean Workers' Party Plenary report instead of his traditional New Year's address? As with many things in North Korea, we do not know, forcing us to speculate.
Jan 3, 2020

Page 122 of 784

…

122

…

Quoted

While the Kursk offensive is a first step, Ukraine will need to offer more if it wants to maintain the momentum that it now enjoys. Perhaps most importantly, it needs to find a new strategic storyline. Ukrainian leaders need to convince both their constituencies at home and backers abroad that they have a plan to win the war.

Raphael S. Cohen

Director, Strategy and Doctrine Program, RAND Project AIR FORCE, and Director of the Pardee RAND Graduate School National Security Program
Source: Foreign Policy
As someone who studies race and inequality, I really want answers and solutions for people who have been essentially deprived of the full rights of American citizenship. That's really what drives my work at RAND.

Jessica Welburn Paige

Behavioral/Social Scientist
Source: RAND Review