The RAND Blog

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More Engagement in West Africa Could Blunt Looming Crisis

There is a very real possibility that the security crisis afflicting Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger will spread to the countries of the West African coastal region. Early action including security-sector support could be the key to staving off worst-case scenarios.

Michael Shurkin

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National Security Commission on Artificial Intelligence Requests New Ideas; RAND Responds

The National Security Commission on Artificial Intelligence put out an open call for submissions about emerging technology's role in the global order. RAND researchers stepped up to the challenge and submitted a wide range of ideas.

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How to Train Your AI Soldier Robots (and the Humans Who Command Them)

While AI-enabled robots will have human-like characteristics, they will likely develop distinct personalities of their own. The military will need an extensive training program to inform new doctrines and concepts to manage this powerful, but unprecedented, capability.

Thomas Hamilton

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Power and Legitimacy Go Hand in Hand

The United States has a truly distinct approach to power which has made all the difference in the post-war world. We abandon it at our peril.

Michael J. Mazarr @MMazarr

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New START, Trump's Middle East Peace Plan, New Tobacco Products: RAND Weekly Recap

This weekly recap focuses on why the United States should extend the New START agreement, Trump's Middle East peace plan, new tobacco products, and more.

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Infectious Diseases, Zimbabwe, Students with Disabilities: RAND Weekly Recap

This weekly recap focuses on the U.S. response to infectious diseases, Zimbabwe after Mugabe, the support for students with disabilities, and more.

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Where Does China's 'One Country, Two Systems' Stand in 2020?

Hong Kong and Macau live under “one country, two systems,” and China aspires to include Taiwan in the future as well. But President Tsai Ing-wen's landslide re-election in Taiwan on January 11 resoundingly demonstrates that the arrangement is dead on arrival there.

Derek Grossman @DerekJGrossman

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Jumpstarting Arms Control Talks with Russia: A Low-Risk Gambit

In 2019, Russia proposed a moratorium on missile deployments in Europe. If the United States does not accept, it could increase the threat to NATO allies and provide Moscow with more bargaining chips in future arms negotiations.

Luke Griffith

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Peace with the Region Is Not a Peace Plan

Acceptance of Israel from the broader Arab world will not resolve the dilemma of how the Israelis and the Palestinians can agree to live on the same land together. A viable plan for the future, one that is about real peace and not a one-sided political gambit, must recognize these realities.

Dalia Dassa Kaye

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Stabilizing the Nuclear Cold War

Russia and the United States are still locked in a nuclear cold war. Thousands of nuclear weapons are deployed, some on high alert. Although the United States prudently withdrew from several past arms control treaties with Russia, it could be in America's interest to extend New START.

William Courtney @courtneywmh, Bruce McClintock @BHMcClintock

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Green Infrastructure in Los Angeles: An Olympian Feat

Los Angeles has an opportunity to reinvent itself by harnessing the collective spirit of Olympics development, climate activism, and Measure W funding. No single project can address all LA's environmental needs, but many diverse projects could provide an opportunity for synergies and to create a new “city feel,” the way palm trees, traffic, and movie-touting billboards do now.

Noah Johnson, Karishma V. Patel, et al.

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Little Has Changed in Post-Mugabe Zimbabwe

After decades in power, President Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe was toppled via a military coup in November 2017. His successor Emmerson Mnangagwa promised a break from Mugabe's authoritarian rule and economic mismanagement. After two years in power, to what extent has Mnangagwa delivered on his promises? In short, it's bleak.

Alexander Noyes

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Civic Engagement and Health, the State of the Union, Better Sleep: RAND Weekly Recap

This weekly recap focuses on the link between civic engagement and health, policy insights from the State of the Union address, what couples can do to improve their sleep, and more.

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Our Actions Determine What We Read and See Online. Algorithms Are Only a Part of That Process

As social media has increasingly become the main outlet for people to acquire news and opinion, there are concerns about the effect of algorithm-driven services on the spread of misleading information. But the issue doesn't merely lie with how social platforms use algorithms to deliver content.

Tor Richardson-Golinski, Amelia Harshfield, et al.

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How to Actually Recruit Talent for the AI Challenge

In the global race to dominate AI technologies, talent is everything. The Pentagon should consider redesigning its personnel policies to accommodate a much greater degree of speed and permeability in its cyber and AI workforce, regardless of what pay and benefits it offers.

James Ryseff