The RAND Blog

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Gaming Policy in Cyberspace

Hacked devices and intellectual property theft are a rich hunting ground for policy development. The challenge posed by Internet-connect devices is only getting worse as the number of online devices continues to grow.

Michelle Price, Igor Mikolic-Torreira

q&a

The Post–Arab Spring Experience: Q&A with Shelly Culbertson

It's too early to say whether the Arab Spring will turn out to be a success or not. The Arab Spring was about people deciding what they did not want and rising up against it, but they hadn't worked out what they did want. Many of them still have hope.

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Trump's New Afghanistan Strategy: Governing from the Center?

The president has embraced a national security establishment strategy for Afghanistan with a veneer that does not alter its essence. The result is likely to disappoint some of his supporters and to be criticized by his opponents, but it will also secure a measure of bipartisan support.

James Dobbins @Jim_Dobbins

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How We Can Keep Iran from Becoming the Next North Korea

The United States brokered an agreement to constrain North Korea's nuclear program 25 years ago, but hard-liners abandoned it with vague intentions of coercing the North into something better. They never did, and now a runaway North Korean program poses real danger. This offers a powerful reason to preserve the Iran nuclear deal.

Michael J. Mazarr @MMazarr

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Understanding North Korea

How should the United States respond to North Korea's provocative behavior? Even the best military options could be cataclysmically bad, but there are nonmilitary options to convince Kim Jong Un that the costs of his provocations outweigh any benefits.

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When the Car Is a Terror Weapon, Can We Prepare for Attacks?

Soft targets are notoriously difficult to protect from terrorism. Terrorists' latest shift to using vehicles to conduct attacks only compounds the problem.

Colin P. Clarke

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The Islamic State May Be Failing, but Its Strategic Communications Legacy Is Here to Stay

The Islamic State's caliphate is collapsing but its legacy will live on virtually because of its information operations. The scale of the menace presented by the group today pales in comparison to other global challenges, yet it manages to dominate and terrorize the public mind.

Colin P. Clarke, Charlie Winter

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What Emerging Research Says About the Promise of Personalized Learning

Personalized learning could lead to improved student outcomes. But those implementing this approach should temper their expectations for how big these benefits will be—and be patient while the benefits emerge. It's also important to consider the challenges of implementation.

John F. Pane @JohnFPane

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Another Casualty of Climate Change: Peace

The connection between human conflict and climate change is no mere coincidence. Drought, temperature and tensions rise in tandem, with the implicit threat of violent conflict not far behind.

Gulrez Shah Azhar

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Why the IPS Success Story Needs to Be Unpicked

The Individual Placement and Support model, which helps people with severe mental illness gain employment, has been a major statistical success. Why does it work and how it might be applied to other vulnerable populations?

Joanna Hofman @JoannaBHofman

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Assad's Attacks Should Not Be Repeated, Forgotten, or Excused

Despite signing the Chemical Weapons Convention treaty in October 2013, Assad has continued chemical attacks on the Syrian opposition. To counter Assad and others who might turn to the use of chemical weapons, the U.S. could collaborate with other major powers to bolster the international ban on them.

Ted Clark

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Dealing with Global Hot Spots in Times of Domestic Upheaval

The United States faces growing dangers of war in three parts of the globe: North Korea, Syria, and the South China Sea. How will it manage any—let alone all—of them, especially with political turmoil at the highest levels at home?

David C. Gompert

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Privatizing the Military Unlikely to Be a Viable Solution in Afghanistan

Operational contractors are now an entrenched part of the Department of Defense’s total force and are here to stay. But replacing U.S. military personnel with contractors is not likely to be a militarily effective solution for the Afghanistan problem.

Molly Dunigan

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The North Korea Standoff: Have We Been Here Before?

How the United States responded to China's nuclear weapons program last century can provide lessons for today's debate about North Korea. For instance, the conclusion that the only option is deterrence is still sound.

James A. Thomson @thomson0145

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How Did North Korea Get Its Nuclear Capabilities So Far So Fast?

The recent North Korean missile tests and other provocations have sent shock waves through the global national security community and heightened tensions throughout the region. How has North Korea increased its missile capabilities so dramatically in such a short period of time?

Daniel M. Gerstein @Daniel_Gerstein