The RAND Blog

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Is India the Weakest Link in the Quad?

India's sustained membership in the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue would fit with the goal of balancing against China to deter it from further militarizing the Indo-Pacific. But New Dehli may be getting cold feet.

Derek Grossman @DerekJGrossman

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Reshaping U.S. Military Forces: Getting the Process Right

War gaming and analysis show that American forces face serious operational challenges. What steps could be taken to ensure the United States can defeat aggression by its greatest adversaries?

David A. Ochmanek

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The U.S.-China Trade War: Different Messages

The trade war between the United States and China began with the notification of tariffs on $34 billion of traded goods on each side. Officials on both sides of the Pacific are using different messages to convey the dispute. What are the real impacts likely to be?

Rafiq Dossani

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To Produce Strategists, Focus on Staffing Senior Leaders

To reinvigorate graduate-level professional military education, the military could carve out a unique educational niche by focusing on intense, quality staff officer education that is more relevant to understanding the demands placed on top defense leaders.

Paula G. Thornhill

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Suggestions to Help EPA Successfully Implement Retrospective Reviews

The EPA's interest in including a systematic retrospective review element in new regulation has the potential to provide a transparent and well-structured method for assessing which decisions worked well and which didn't. If successful, it could serve as a role model for other regulatory agencies.

Benjamin M. Miller

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Small States Can Use Naval Mines and Unmanned Vehicles to Deter Maritime Aggression

Small coastal nations face potential threats from larger, more powerful adversaries. Their coastlines represent vulnerabilities that a foe may seek to exploit. But these nations can hinder and deter potential aggressors by using less expensive systems, such as naval mines and unmanned vehicles.

Scott Savitz

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A Look at NATO Funding

European defense spending has been rising since 2014. NATO's two percent of GDP target for defense spending is a goal, not a commitment, and indeed a goal to be reached by 2024, not a standard allies have already failed to meet.

James Dobbins @Jim_Dobbins

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Homeland Security Should Consider Filling Vacancies at the Top Before Tackling Department Reform

Vacancies in key management positions in the Department of Homeland Security will likely present a challenge to the implementation of Trump administration government reform and reorganization proposals. Naming permanent deputies could help the administration carry out its reform plans at DHS.

Ryan Consaul

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Cooperation in the Arctic Likely to Continue—For Now

Risks for serious tensions in the Arctic during the 2020s are likely to be overstated. Key players in the Arctic appear likely to continue working together to enhance the economic potential of the region and resolve conflicts before they emerge, as opportunities in the Arctic continue to grow.

Stephanie Pezard @StephaniePezard, Antonia Ward

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Truth Decay, America's Latest Pastime

Detailed data and complex analysis are the foundation of decisionmaking in baseball and many other professions and occupations. But facts are out of favor in current U.S. political and civil discourse, and the public policymaking that accompanies it.

Michael D. Rich @michaeldrich, Jennifer Kavanagh

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Russia's Wars and Trump

At the July 16 summit in Helsinki, President Trump might stress that the West will persist in imposing costs on Russia for current and any future malign interventions. At the same time, he could offer to work with Putin in the search for peace in Syria and Ukraine if Moscow were to decide to withdraw its forces.

Colin P. Clarke, William Courtney @courtneywmh

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Tax Funding of Health and Social Care Internationally: Does Hypothecation Help?

The case for raising much more money to pay for health care and social care in the United Kingdom over the next few years is strong. Earmarking taxes for public funding of health care or social care is worth consideration.

Jon Sussex

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Time to Make a Deal on Syria

U.S. leverage is much diminished by the Assad regime's recent gains but there are still opportunities for Washington and Russia to achieve a settlement that preserves some U.S. interests. These include maintaining the gains made against the Islamic State and constraining Iranian influence in Syria.

Samuel Charap @scharap, Jeffrey Martini

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More Research Could Help Prevent Gun Violence in America

Both sides of the gun policy debate agree on what the objectives of any policy should be. But they disagree over which policies would best achieve those goals. Current evidence for or against most gun proposals is weak, contradictory, or nonexistent. Only research can show what does—and doesn't—work.

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Western Unity Is Best for Russian Summitry

In preparing for his summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin, President Donald Trump could benefit from a coordinated Western approach toward Moscow as a prelude. Absent this, his hand will be seriously weakened.

Denis Corboy, William Courtney @courtneywmh, et al.