Commentary and Articles

commentary

All Is Not Well on Russian Front Lines
For now, despite the Kremlin's dysfunctional decisions, Russia's defensive positions in Ukraine are still secure. But for how long? The cumulative pressure of bad choices is mounting and the problems endemic to Russia's campaign in Ukraine are likely to worsen.
Jul 19, 2023
commentary

Early Years Education Reform: Could Life Chances for Children in England Be Significantly Improved?
To ensure equal access to high-quality early years provision in England, it is crucial to learn from successful systems worldwide and implement key recommendations. Prioritizing highly qualified staff, maintaining appropriate staff-to-child ratios, and removing barriers for disadvantaged families are essential steps toward achieving this goal.
Jul 18, 2023
commentary

How Do We Make Early Warning and Early Action for Food Security More Effective?
Although food security early warning early action (FS-EWEA) has a track record of reducing food insecurity, it is designed for rural settings, and effective action remains elusive. Extending FS-EWEA to the millions living in fragile urban contexts requires answering four critical questions.
Jul 17, 2023
commentary

In National Security, Autistic Employees Are in the Closet. Here's Why
Archaic U.S. military and federal policies, combined with decades-old understandings about autism spectrum disorder, create an environment where people hide their autism and other cognitive diagnoses. Our national security challenges are too difficult and too important to leave to the portion of the population who use their brains in only “typical” ways.
Jul 17, 2023
commentary

Making Military Aid Work
Security cooperation and military aid efforts can fail, but they can also exceed expectations and provide strategic benefits. Ukraine appears to be one such success. For a relatively modest investment between 2014 and 2021, the United States has reaped a substantial gain in terms of Ukraine's military capacity and efficacy.
Jul 17, 2023
commentary

The Promise—and Pitfalls—of Researching Extremism Online
How big of a problem is extremism in the United States and around the world? Is it getting worse? Are social media platforms responsible, or did the internet simply reveal existing trends? We have few answers because this research is easy to do poorly and hard to do well.
Jul 17, 2023
commentary

When Mass Shooters Are Seeking Fame
What motivates mass shooters? And what might break the cycle of violence? Developing an effective policy response first requires better understanding of the factors that drive would-be attackers to kill.
Jul 13, 2023
commentary

Should Ukraine Negotiate with Russia?
The fundamental drivers of the continuing hostilities in Ukraine could produce a years-long conflict that causes immense human suffering, economic hardship, and international instability. The United States and its allies should begin to try to steer the conflict toward an endgame.
Jul 13, 2023
commentary

The War in Ukraine—Whose Quagmire?
Ukraine faces new perils. Not because of anything happening on the battlefield, but because Western impatience could force Ukraine into the spot it least wants to be in: at the negotiating table with Russia. Or, worse, not at the table where its future may be decided.
Jul 11, 2023
commentary

Tackling the Existential Threats from Artificial Intelligence
Addressing potential risks posed by artificial intelligence (AI) could begin with simple steps like finding appropriate risk-management approaches, conducting research to determine how AI can better meet designers' intent, and devising responses to issues related to racism, sexism, and other biases within AI systems.
Jul 11, 2023
commentary

NATO's Vilnius Summit Holds the Key for Ukraine's Reconstruction
Repelling Russia's invasion will be top of mind at the NATO summit in Vilnius. But longer-term security decisions may be even more important to Ukraine's future, after the fighting stops.
Jul 11, 2023
commentary

The Problem of Surge Capacity
The vulnerability of supply chains to routine disruptions has been widely discussed and documented, but meeting such challenges can be even more difficult during unexpected surges in demand caused by wars, public health crises, or other emergencies. The creation of option contracts that would kick in during surges is one promising solution.
Jul 10, 2023
commentary

Russia's War in Ukraine Could Reshape the Global Arms Market in Favor of China
The war in Ukraine is straining Russia's defense production, which is having downstream effects on Moscow's ability to export arms. China has the opportunity, the incentive, and the capacity to gain from Russia's losses. As Russia relinquishes more of its share of the global arms market, there is not much standing in the way of China's success.
Jul 10, 2023
commentary

Is the Warning Clock on Our National Defense Running Out?
The United States has never invoked a ten-year rule regarding preparations for long-term military competition with China, as Great Britain did after World War I. But there have been times when the United States has behaved as if such a rule were in place.
Jul 10, 2023
commentary

India Is Becoming a Power in Southeast Asia
The moment has been long in coming, but India is turning into a strategic actor in Southeast Asia. Even though the United States and its Asian treaty allies are not involved, India's moves raise the tantalizing possibility that it will increasingly complement the U.S. Indo-Pacific strategy to counter China in the coming years.
Jul 10, 2023

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Quoted

The [Israel-Hamas] war has exacerbated a divide in American politics. Historically, Israel enjoyed wide bipartisan support. That's no longer the case with more progressives and younger voters questioning this core tenet of U.S. foreign policy. The Gaza war has certainly exacerbated this shift and it's going to continue to influence the politics of American support for years to come

Raphael S. Cohen

Director, Strategy and Doctrine Program, RAND Project AIR FORCE, and Director of the Pardee RAND Graduate School National Security Program

Source: rand.org

While there have sometimes been intense policy debates, American support for Israel was historically bipartisan. Judging by the reaction to the Gaza war at many of the leading college campuses—the crucible of future leaders—Western attitudes will only further harden against Israel. Israel has an American problem that it will struggle to effectively address.

Brian Michael Jenkins

Senior Adviser to the RAND President

Source: rand.org

Preparing the Workforce for AI: Insights for Civilian and Military Leaders

China's Use of Generative AI and Social Bots

A Year After the October 7 Start of the Israel-Hamas Conflict: Q&A with RAND Experts

October 7th and the Limits of Diplomacy

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

All Is Not Well on Russian Front Lines

Early Years Education Reform: Could Life Chances for Children in England Be Significantly Improved?

How Do We Make Early Warning and Early Action for Food Security More Effective?

In National Security, Autistic Employees Are in the Closet. Here's Why

Making Military Aid Work

The Promise—and Pitfalls—of Researching Extremism Online

When Mass Shooters Are Seeking Fame

Should Ukraine Negotiate with Russia?

The War in Ukraine—Whose Quagmire?

Tackling the Existential Threats from Artificial Intelligence

NATO's Vilnius Summit Holds the Key for Ukraine's Reconstruction

The Problem of Surge Capacity

Russia's War in Ukraine Could Reshape the Global Arms Market in Favor of China

Is the Warning Clock on Our National Defense Running Out?

India Is Becoming a Power in Southeast Asia

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