Commentary and Articles

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Book Review: 'The Woman Who Smashed Codes' by Jason Fagone
'The Woman Who Smashed Codes' by Jason Fagone is the story of Elizebeth Friedman, the mother of modern cryptoanalysis and cryptography. She broke coded messages of organized crime, broke the Nazi Enigma cryptography machine, and deciphered, mapped, and monitored Nazi activities in South America, though it is her husband William who often gets credit.
Feb 19, 2019
commentary

The Little-Known Security Gaps in China's Belt and Road Initiative
China's Belt and Road Initiative focuses on developing infrastructure to connect Beijing to key hubs of economic activity throughout the world. But the more interests one has abroad, the more one has to protect.
Feb 18, 2019
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The U.S. Withdrawal from Syria Is an Opportunity for China
The U.S. withdrawal from Syria could allow Beijing to further assert its role as a key international partner in Syria and, by extension, further its interests in the Middle East. The extent of Sino-Syrian cooperation remains ambiguous but it has reportedly deepened, with China supplying intelligence personnel, strategic advisors, and special forces.
Feb 15, 2019
commentary

A New Framework for Evaluating Counter Violent Extremism Projects
Gathering evidence in the area of counter violent extremism (CVE) is vital, given the increasing role for CVE interventions in the political and security environment. Evaluations of these interventions can play a role in growing this knowledge, by helping the CVE field itself to develop.
Feb 15, 2019
commentary

Russia Chooses Paupers as Partners, with Questionable Benefit
By leveraging the efficiencies of globalization and cultivating ties with prosperous partners, Russia could increase its economic potential and improve living standards for its people. And by engaging more positively with the world, it could gain influence in the forums that matter, such as the G20 and multilateral institutions.
Feb 14, 2019
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Syrian Skills: A Missed Opportunity
Syrian refugees in Turkey, Jordan, and Lebanon are finding ways to get by. But many refugees are not able to fully use their skills, and that is a lost opportunity both for the Syrians and the host countries.
Feb 14, 2019
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Terrorists on the Border and Government Secrecy
Detailed information on how many would-be terrorists may have sought to cross the southern border is being withheld on the grounds that it is sensitive. The refusal of officials to offer a fuller explanation of the numbers illustrates how the continued expansion of secrecy in government is damaging the ability of the public to assess the risk and evaluate the response.
Feb 13, 2019
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The Warsaw Summit Is No Madrid
The peace process begun in Madrid nearly 30 years ago showed promise, but ultimately stalled, and will need rethinking to adapt to today's Middle East. The world could use a worthy successor. The Warsaw summit probably isn't it.
Feb 13, 2019
commentary

The Need to Think More Clearly About 'Great-Power Competition'
Today's world order is increasingly defined by competition between the United States and a host of major powers, especially China and Russia. Who is America's principal competitor and over what is it competing? What is America’s ultimate objective? And how will it prepare its economy and its society for infinite competition of an indefinite nature?
Feb 11, 2019
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What the Shutdown Revealed About the Fragility of American Life
The government shutdown highlighted the lack of resilience many suffer from when they encounter unexpected economic events. The median American family has been losing ground for decades. Policy responses to address this situation will be complex and difficult, but are much needed.
Feb 11, 2019
commentary

Hezbollah Is in Venezuela to Stay
Whatever the benefits of replacing the current Venezuelan regime with Washington's preferred alternative, Juan Guaidó, there's reason to doubt that it would change the country's problematic relationship with Hezbollah. Hezbollah is well-entrenched in Venezuela, where it has established a vast infrastructure for its criminal activities.
Feb 11, 2019
commentary

The Wall Is Not the Only Answer
The president and Congress have just days to negotiate an agreement over border security, or the government may shut down once again. Until a bipartisan effort is made to reform U.S. immigration laws, policy options to address the incentives that cause people to risk their lives to come to the border to claim asylum will continue to be limited.
Feb 8, 2019
commentary

The Islamic Republic's Foreign Policy at Forty
Forty years have passed since the Islamic Revolution. While Iran hasn't departed from its revolutionary roots, its foreign policy today is largely shaped by threat perceptions and interests, not ideology.
Feb 8, 2019
commentary

How Horizon Scanning Can Give the Military a Technological Edge
Horizon scanning could promote innovative practices and innovation uptake, through the adoption of new ideas, equipment, and methods, with benefits that could positively affect the UK economy as a whole. But a wider mechanism for processing and assessing the selected developments would be needed.
Feb 8, 2019
commentary

How the U.S. Is Thinking About the Quad
The United States has been consistent in discussing the security objectives it seeks to promote through the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue. But U.S. interactions with other Quad partners have likely convinced Washington to repackage public presentation of the dialogue proceedings and manage its expectations of what the Quad can realistically achieve.
Feb 7, 2019

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Quoted

Mandatory evacuation orders are issued when disasters have potentially life-threatening impacts. Disaster after disaster, orders resulted in evacuations that have saved untold lives. Milton is rapidly intensifying and expected to be one of the largest hurricanes on record when it hits the United States. Staying in place could have severe, life-threatening consequences.

Aaron Clark-Ginsberg

Behavioral/Social Scientist

Source: rand.org

The mechanisms behind the apparent adverse effects of climate change on human health are not entirely understood. However, the need for pre-planning for these events to prevent poor health outcomes is clear. Especially among the most vulnerable populations, it is critical to develop and implement mitigating strategies.

Mahshid Abir

Senior Physician Policy Researcher, Professor of Policy Analysis, Pardee RAND Graduate School

Source: rand.org

How to Support Victims of Elder Mistreatment

Climate Change Affects Health and Will Increase Drug Demand

Iran's Terrible, Horrible, Very Bad Year

A Russia–North Korea Alliance in the Works? Don't Be So Sure

The Math Equity Equation

The Policy Currents Podcast

Getting to Know Military Caregivers and Their Needs

Managing Escalation in Crisis and War

Assessing and Articulating the Wider Benefits of Research

Improving Access to Early Childhood Education

Commentary and Articles

Book Review: 'The Woman Who Smashed Codes' by Jason Fagone

The Little-Known Security Gaps in China's Belt and Road Initiative

The U.S. Withdrawal from Syria Is an Opportunity for China

A New Framework for Evaluating Counter Violent Extremism Projects

Russia Chooses Paupers as Partners, with Questionable Benefit

Syrian Skills: A Missed Opportunity

Terrorists on the Border and Government Secrecy

The Warsaw Summit Is No Madrid

The Need to Think More Clearly About 'Great-Power Competition'

What the Shutdown Revealed About the Fragility of American Life

Hezbollah Is in Venezuela to Stay

The Wall Is Not the Only Answer

The Islamic Republic's Foreign Policy at Forty

How Horizon Scanning Can Give the Military a Technological Edge

How the U.S. Is Thinking About the Quad

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