The RAND Blog

United States
commentary
Time to Return to the Basics of Statecraft
James Dobbins @Jim_Dobbins
Sep 4, 2019
The Wall Street Journal
After two decades of setbacks abroad, it's time to ask whether the decline in American influence is irreversible. Ultimately, neither China nor Russia is responsible for these difficulties. Washington's failures have been self-inflicted, the result of flawed policy rather than any decisive shift in the global balance of power.
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International Economic Relations
commentary
Maintaining the U.S. Edge in the Freely Associated States
Derek Grossman @DerekJGrossman, Michael S. Chase
Sep 3, 2019
East Asia Forum
In the geo-strategically vital region of the Freely Associated States (FAS), China is increasingly competing with the United States for influence. The United States and its allies and partners will need to engage not only with economic aid, but also with other issues including health, economic development, natural disasters, climate change and illegal fishing to sustain a strong partnership with the FAS.
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Counterterrorism
commentary
Counterproductive Counterinsurgency: Is Mozambique Creating the Next Boko Haram?
Hilary Matfess, Alexander H. Noyes @alexhnoyes
Sep 3, 2019
Lawfare
Despite recent claims of ties to the Islamic State, the threat in Mozambique from the Islamist insurgent group al-Sunnah wa Jamaah appears to be domestic, with scarce evidence of direct ties to international extremist groups. But if the Mozambique government continues to respond in a heavy-handed manner, the threat is likely to grow, with potentially devastating effects for the country and region.
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commentary
Tackle Fentanyl like a Poisoning Outbreak, Not a Drug Epidemic
Bryce Pardo @brycepardo, Jonathan P. Caulkins, Beau Kilmer @BeauKilmer
Sep 3, 2019
Los Angeles Times
America's fentanyl problem is far deadlier than past crises with other illegal drugs. New ideas, be they public policies, technologies or law enforcement strategies, are desperately needed. Continuing to treat fentanyl just like previous drug epidemics will likely be insufficient and may condemn thousands more to early deaths.
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Opioids
blog
Synthetic Opioids, Mass Shootings, Prison Education: RAND Weekly Recap
Aug 30, 2019
This weekly recap looks at fentanyl and other synthetic opioids, how to address mass shootings, higher education in prison, and more.
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Autonomous Vehicles
commentary
Bargain-Hunting Robocars Could Spell the End for Downtown Parking—Cities Need to Plan Ahead Now
Corey Harper, Constantine Samaras
Aug 29, 2019
The Conversation
Imagine a scene from the near-future: You get dropped off downtown by a driverless car. You slam the door and head into your office or appointment. But then where does the autonomous vehicle go? It's a question that cities would be wise to consider now. Self-driving cars may be on the roads within the next decade or two.
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Environmental Science and Technology
essay
How Citizen Scientists Are Protecting Their Communities
Aug 29, 2019
After Superstorm Sandy, residents of Brooklyn's Sunset Park neighborhood cleaned up debris, pumped out basements, and teamed up with researchers to find out what was in the floodwater. They established safety protocols to help local businesses prevent their chemicals from escaping and wrote a guide to help other communities.
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China
commentary
The Contours of China's Evolving Counterterrorism Strategy
Colin P. Clarke @ColinPClarke
Aug 27, 2019
Slate
In discussing terrorism, China often uses language that seems lifted directly out of U.S.-style war on terror rhetoric. But no one should be fooled. Beijing's sole strategy for counterterrorism is widespread surveillance and repression, completely out of proportion to the level of threat it faces. It is using the threat of terrorism to mute international criticism of these practices and to export them abroad.
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Crime and Violence Prevention
commentary
No Need to Wait for Congress to Address Mass Shootings
John S. Hollywood, Jordan R. Reimer
Aug 23, 2019
The Hill
After three mass shootings in the span of a week left 53 wounded and 34 dead, pressure is mounting on Congress to respond with legislation to restrict access to guns and ammunition. But there is no need to wait for new laws. There are steps that can be taken immediately that evidence suggests could help prevent attacks or reduce the death toll from them.
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Students
blog
Drug Spending, Back to School, Korean Unification: RAND Weekly Recap
Aug 23, 2019
This weekly recap looks at illegal drug spending, the problem of waking up early for school, possible paths toward Korean unification, and more.
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Intelligence Analysis
q&a
Intel, Ethics, and Emerging Tech: Q&A with Cortney Weinbaum
Aug 23, 2019
Cortney Weinbaum studies topics related to intelligence and cyber policy as a senior management scientist at RAND. In this interview, she discusses challenges facing the intelligence community, the risks of using AI as a solution, and ethics in scientific research.
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Trade Barriers
commentary
Trump's Tariffs Against China Aren't Working. And There's No Quick Resolution in Sight
Charles P. Ries @charles_ries
Aug 20, 2019
Los Angeles Times
Washington's go-it-alone approach to its trade disputes with China is imposing a high and growing cost on the U.S. economy. It could even threaten global prosperity. What's more, there's no quick resolution in sight.
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Wargaming
essay
A Wargame at RAND Puts Teen Girls in Command
Aug 20, 2019
RAND analysts developed and hosted a wargame to help young women learn firsthand about national security. It's a lesson in strategy, in the hard realities behind news headlines, but also in agility and resilience. In that, it's not so far removed from the daily life of a teenage girl.
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Law of the Sea
commentary
Why Vanguard Bank and Why Now? Explaining Chinese Behavior in the South China Sea
Derek Grossman @DerekJGrossman
Aug 19, 2019
Maritime Issues
What can Vietnam do now to make Chinese assertiveness against it less likely going forward? Although deepening the U.S.-Vietnam defense partnership in the short-term may be contributing to trouble with China, closer cooperation in the long-run could serve to deter China. Enhancing cooperation with Vietnam's other defense partners—namely Australia, Japan, and India—could help to deter Beijing as well.
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Iran
commentary
Syria Changed the Iranian Way of War
Ariane M. Tabatabai @ArianeTabatabai
Aug 16, 2019
Foreign Affairs
To get a sense of the playbook that Tehran might consult in any future conflict with the United States, Washington should pay close attention to what the Iranians have learned in Syria.
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273

Real-Time Crime Centers Help Reduce Crime

Russian Strategy in the Middle East Is Limited

Hong Kong, Reducing Crime, Medical Marijuana: RAND Weekly Recap

With Chaos in the Streets of Iran, Here’s How the United States Could Help the Iranian People

Raising the Bar: Louisiana's Strategies for Improving Student Outcomes

The Policy Currents Podcast

Helping Children Cope with Trauma: A School-Based Intervention

Planning for the Rising Costs of Dementia

Addressing the Invisible Wounds of War

Helping Coastal Communities Plan for Climate Change

The RAND Blog

Time to Return to the Basics of Statecraft

Maintaining the U.S. Edge in the Freely Associated States

Counterproductive Counterinsurgency: Is Mozambique Creating the Next Boko Haram?

Tackle Fentanyl like a Poisoning Outbreak, Not a Drug Epidemic

Synthetic Opioids, Mass Shootings, Prison Education: RAND Weekly Recap

Bargain-Hunting Robocars Could Spell the End for Downtown Parking—Cities Need to Plan Ahead Now

How Citizen Scientists Are Protecting Their Communities

The Contours of China's Evolving Counterterrorism Strategy

No Need to Wait for Congress to Address Mass Shootings

Drug Spending, Back to School, Korean Unification: RAND Weekly Recap

Intel, Ethics, and Emerging Tech: Q&A with Cortney Weinbaum

Trump's Tariffs Against China Aren't Working. And There's No Quick Resolution in Sight

A Wargame at RAND Puts Teen Girls in Command

Why Vanguard Bank and Why Now? Explaining Chinese Behavior in the South China Sea

Syria Changed the Iranian Way of War

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