Commentary and Articles

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BRIC-à-Brac
The leaders of the BRIC countries—Brazil, Russia, India, and China—hold their first stand-alone summit in Yekaterinburg, Russia, on Tuesday, June 16. The timing of the BRIC summit, just a few weeks before U.S. President Barack Obama's arrival in Moscow and the G-8 meeting in L'Aquila, Italy, is hardly accidental, writes Andrew S. Weiss.
Jun 15, 2009
commentary

Lebanon Vote Tilts to the West
The result of Sunday's parliamentary elections in Lebanon is a boon for the United States, but it also presents a challenge. The U.S. would be well-advised to play for the long term in Lebanon with a pragmatic policy that deals with the reality of Hezbollah's political power while continuing to strengthen moderate forces and national institutions, write Aram Nerguizian and Ghassan Schbley.
Jun 10, 2009
commentary

Living with the Outcome: Elections in Lebanon
Lebanon is scheduled to hold elections Sunday [June 7], and the pro-Western political alliance favored by the United States may lose. If it does, the Obama Administration should not consider the result a triumph for Hezbollah, but a challenge, write Aram Nerguizian and Ghassan Schbley.
Jun 5, 2009
commentary

No Surprise in Failure to Deter N. Korea
North Korea's latest misbehavior highlights an uncomfortable truth: the failure of the United States and the international community to deter North Korean actions. In this case, it is pretty easy to see why North Korea has not been deterred, writes Bruce Bennett.
Jun 2, 2009
commentary

Rethink Washington's 'War of Ideas'
The term
Jun 2, 2009
commentary

A Better Bargain for Aid to Pakistan
All told, since 2001, the United States has spent about $12 billion to help Pakistan. Yet last month, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton declared Pakistan a
May 30, 2009
commentary

Public Libraries Are Needed Now More Than Ever
What Pittsburgh attraction provides $3 of economic output for every public dollar invested? The Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh. If you find this factoid unlikely, it is because the research that discovered it received an astounding lack of attention, write Susan Everingham and Sally Sleeper.
May 29, 2009
commentary

The Cracks in Data Privacy
For almost 15 years, Europe has led the world in protecting personal data. At the EU level, it has done this through the data-protection directive adopted in 1995. But surveys such as one carried out by Eurobarometer last year illustrate that Europeans now feel insufficiently protected, write Lorenzo Valeri and Neil Robinson.
May 19, 2009
commentary

Countering the Military's Latest Fad: Counterinsurgency
When Defense Secretary Gates announced that he was dismissing Gen. McKiernan as the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan and replacing him with Lt. Gen. McChrystal, he signaled his support for an intellectual movement that in a few short years has come to dominate military thinking in Washington, writes Celeste Ward.
May 17, 2009
commentary

Assessing Mexico's Narco-Violence
Drug-related violence in Mexico has more than doubled over the past 18 months, with a sharp increase in crimes that can only be understood as atrocities. The executions, assassinations, and decapitations may all seem wanton and senseless. But this violence actually has a purpose, write Benjamin Bahney and Agnes Gereben Schaefer.
May 14, 2009
commentary

Pakistan, Taliban and Global Security – Part II
For every good reason, the Obama Administration is devoting enormous thought to Pakistan. In my judgment, the evolving situation in Pakistan is potentially the most dangerous international situation since the 1962 Cuban missile crisis, writes Robert Blackwill.
May 12, 2009
commentary

The Future of US-India Relations
The combination of our largely overlapping vital national interests and shared democratic values should produce a bright future for strategic collaboration between New Delhi and Washington in future decades. But in the immediate period before us, our bilateral ties are likely to be more problematical than we have seen in recent years. I want to stress that there is nothing inevitable about this, says Robert D. Blackwill.
May 6, 2009
commentary

Opposing View: Keep Arms Off Ships
Does the provision of private security contractors provide a viable solution to the growing problem of piracy off the Horn of Africa? Quite apart from the high cost — a robust security operation can run as much as $21,000 a day — employing security contractors poses problems on several fronts, writes Peter Chalk.
May 4, 2009
commentary

Swine Flu: A Real Security Threat
In the rush of constant news updates on swine flu, we must recognize that controlling the spread of this disease is not simply a health concern but also one of national security. And in today's globalized world, the spread of swine flu has become not just a U.S. national security threat but every country's national security threat, writes Melinda Moore.
Apr 30, 2009
commentary

Limiting Treatment to Those Who Need It
The United States will produce more than $14 trillion worth of goods and services this year—truly an astonishing amount. But equally astonishing is that one out of every six of these dollars will go to health care. This is the source of much hand-wringing by policy makers. They worry that we cannot afford to spend so much, and that our national output will suffer as a result. They have it backwards.
Apr 29, 2009

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Quoted

While it may not be obvious to patients, AI is already integrated into daily health care systems, from predicting which patients are likely to develop infections to forecasting missed appointments. Other uses are not fully developed: while ChatGPT has demonstrated success on a number of medical board exams, hospitals are not outsourcing actual medical care to computers yet.

Shira H. Fischer

Physician Policy Researcher

Source: rand.org

One of the best ways for the United States to deter China and maintain its military edge is to bolster regional alliances and partnerships to promote military relationships with countries in the region, enhance ally and partner defenses, and increase the likelihood of U.S. military access to partner countries in the event of conflict.

Kristen Gunness

Senior Policy Researcher

Source: rand.org

U.S. Military Basing and Access in the Indo-Pacific

Is the Market for AI Foundation Models a Natural Monopoly?

Russia Is Riding an Anti-Colonial Wave Across Africa

Is AI Threatening Health Care Jobs? Or Just Changing Them?

Climate Change and Critical Infrastructure: Assessing the Risks and Identifying Mitigation Strategies

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

BRIC-à-Brac

Lebanon Vote Tilts to the West

Living with the Outcome: Elections in Lebanon

No Surprise in Failure to Deter N. Korea

Rethink Washington's 'War of Ideas'

A Better Bargain for Aid to Pakistan

Public Libraries Are Needed Now More Than Ever

The Cracks in Data Privacy

Countering the Military's Latest Fad: Counterinsurgency

Assessing Mexico's Narco-Violence

Pakistan, Taliban and Global Security – Part II

The Future of US-India Relations

Opposing View: Keep Arms Off Ships

Swine Flu: A Real Security Threat

Limiting Treatment to Those Who Need It

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