The RAND Blog

Middle East
commentary
In the Middle East, Russia and China Expand Their Influence
Ali Wyne, Colin P. Clarke
Sep 18, 2020
Lawfare
While the United States is concerned primarily about a resurgent China's inroads in the Middle East, it is also nervous about the gambits of a revanchist Russia. As the United States decides when and how to contest China and Russia—in and beyond the Middle East—it will have to resist alarmism as vigorously as complacency.
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Homeless Populations
commentary
Access to Mobile Technology Could Help to Alleviate LA's Homelessness Crisis
Sarah B. Hunter, Rajeev Ramchand, Benjamin Henwood
Sep 16, 2020
The RAND Blog
The vast majority of people experiencing homelessness have cell phones, which often serve as their lifelines. Providing technological supports, such as Wi-Fi access and opportunities to charge devices, could result in better access to social services and, ultimately, better quality of life and outcomes.
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Posttraumatic Stress Disorder
commentary
PTSD and Substance Use Disorders Are a Vicious Cycle for Veterans
Michael Richardson, Roger Brooks, Eric R. Pedersen @ericrpedersen, Terri Tanielian @TerriTanielian
Sep 15, 2020
Military.com
It is not uncommon to see a co-occurrence of PTSD and heavy use of substances, which can rise to the level of a substance use disorder. It may be necessary to challenge how the needs of veterans are addressed to remove barriers to care that make treating these co-occurring disorders simultaneously so difficult.
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International Diplomacy
commentary
The Lost Generation in American Foreign Policy
James Dobbins @Jim_Dobbins, Gabrielle Tarini @gabbytarini
Sep 15, 2020
The Hill
Throughout the 55 years following World War II, successive U.S. administrations racked up major foreign policy successes at an average rate of about once a year. Since 2001, the pace of foreign policy achievement has fallen to once every four years. The result has been a lost generation in American foreign policy.
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Afghanistan
commentary
The Islamic State in Afghanistan Is Down, but Not Out
Abdul Sayed, Colin P. Clarke
Sep 14, 2020
Newsweek
The Afghan Taliban is on the verge of entering into a power-sharing agreement with the Afghan government in a peace deal facilitated by the United States. Washington seems to be holding out hope that the deal will stabilize the country. But the Islamic State Khorasan Province remains a concern. The Islamic State in Afghanistan may be down, but it's not out.
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Security Cooperation
commentary
America's Indo-Pacific Vision Is Becoming a Reality—Because of China
Derek Grossman @DerekJGrossman
Sep 14, 2020
Nikkei Asian Review
The Trump administration's Indo-Pacific strategy has received a significant boost in recent months toward achieving its goal of keeping the region “free and open” from Chinese coercion. Ironically, China itself has been doing the boosting.
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Counterterrorism
commentary
Are Counter Violent Extremism Interventions Effective?
Todd C. Helmus @Helmus, Elizabeth Bodine-Baron @bodinebaron
Sep 11, 2020
The RAND Blog
Government efforts to counter the propaganda and radicalization that lead to violent extremism are becoming more common around the world, but there's little research on whether such programs work. It is critical to conduct more research to tease out which programs are most effective.
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Japan
commentary
What Abe Leaves Behind
Jeffrey W. Hornung
Sep 11, 2020
Defense One
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's unexpected resignation leaves several of his policy priorities unfinished, including revising Japan's constitution and finalizing a peace treaty with Russia. But the security issues facing Japan and the region remain unchanged, and Abe's successor may be forced to confront several of them on his very first day.
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Al Qaida
commentary
Is Ayman al-Zawahiri Really the Future of Al-Qaida?
Colin P. Clarke, Asfandyar Mir
Sep 11, 2020
Foreign Policy
Nineteen years after 9/11, al Qaida chief Ayman al-Zawahiri has yet to achieve the household notoriety evoked by his immediate predecessor, Osama bin Laden. But even though Zawahiri has conjured less of a personality cult, al Qaida's current leader is just as dangerous to the United States as its old one.
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Al Qaida
commentary
Is al Qaida Still a Threat?
Asfandyar Mir, Colin P. Clarke
Sep 9, 2020
Foreign Affairs
Nineteen years after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, does al Qaida still pose a significant threat to U.S. national security? Among researchers, military and intelligence officials, and policymakers who study the group, there is little consensus. An accurate assessment of al Qaida's organizational health must take into account the group's recent and dramatic resurrection.
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Workers' Compensation
commentary
Can Workers' Compensation Help Businesses Reopen More Safely?
Michael Dworsky, Bethany Saunders-Medina
Sep 9, 2020
The RAND Blog
Workers' compensation typically does not cover common infectious diseases like COVID-19. But in the fight against the pandemic, state policymakers might take a fresh look at aspects of labor and business regulation that usually fade into the background and ask if modest changes hold any potential to reduce disease transmission.
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Japan
commentary
Abe's Resignation Could Leave Japan Less Secure—and Destabilize Its U.S. Alliance
Zack Cooper, Jeffrey W. Hornung
Sep 8, 2020
Los Angeles Times
Under Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's leadership, Japan tightened its alliance with the United States and took on a more proactive role in the Indo-Pacific region and around the world. His resignation, announced last month for health reasons, could very well leave Japan less secure and the U.S.-Japan alliance unstable.
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Security Cooperation
commentary
America Is Betting Big on the Second Island Chain
Derek Grossman @DerekJGrossman
Sep 8, 2020
The Diplomat
The United States has deep and abiding interests in the Second Island Chain. But China's growing influence in the region could complicate U.S. plans. Washington will almost certainly seek to strengthen security cooperation with Pacific Island states in the Second Island Chain and bolster defensive positions on U.S. territories in the region.
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Educational Facilities
commentary
Schools Need to Be Planning for the Next 9 Months, Not the Next 9 Weeks
Shelly Culbertson @SC_Culbertson, Shanthi Nataraj @ShanthiNataraj, Jenna W. Kramer @j_w_kramer
Sep 8, 2020
The Hill
Schools cannot simply wait out this pandemic, nor will short-term planning and ad-hoc infrastructure get them successfully through this academic year. If schools are to minimize educational losses, large-scale investments should be made now.
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Military Strategy
q&a
The Future of Warfare: Q&A with Raphael Cohen
Sep 8, 2020
What will the next decade of warfare look like? Raphael Cohen led a project to answer that question for the U.S. Air Force. The team considered not just technological or force changes, but also how global politics, economics, and the environment will shift and evolve between now and 2030.
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Employment and Unemployment
commentary
For Leisure and Hospitality, Weak Recovery Still Looks Like Recession
Kathryn A. Edwards @keds_economist
Sep 4, 2020
The RAND Blog
By most measures, the workers hardest hit by pandemic shutdowns were those in the leisure and hospitality sector, which includes arts, entertainment, recreation, accommodation, and food services. These jobs, which are still affected by government social distancing regulations, are not all likely to come back before the pandemic truly ends.
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265

Hedgemony: A Game of Strategic Choices

COVID-19 Was Spreading Globally Before It Was Declared a Pandemic

In the Middle East, Russia and China Expand Their Influence

Wildfires, America's Wealth Gap, Screening for COVID-19 at Work: RAND Weekly Recap

U.S. Secretary of Defense Mark Esper Visits RAND

The Policy Currents Podcast

Measuring Wellbeing to Help Communities Thrive

Managing Escalation in Crisis and War

Planning for the Rising Costs of Dementia

Assessing and Articulating the Wider Benefits of Research

The RAND Blog

In the Middle East, Russia and China Expand Their Influence

Access to Mobile Technology Could Help to Alleviate LA's Homelessness Crisis

PTSD and Substance Use Disorders Are a Vicious Cycle for Veterans

The Lost Generation in American Foreign Policy

The Islamic State in Afghanistan Is Down, but Not Out

America's Indo-Pacific Vision Is Becoming a Reality—Because of China

Are Counter Violent Extremism Interventions Effective?

What Abe Leaves Behind

Is Ayman al-Zawahiri Really the Future of Al-Qaida?

Is al Qaida Still a Threat?

Can Workers' Compensation Help Businesses Reopen More Safely?

Abe's Resignation Could Leave Japan Less Secure—and Destabilize Its U.S. Alliance

America Is Betting Big on the Second Island Chain

Schools Need to Be Planning for the Next 9 Months, Not the Next 9 Weeks

The Future of Warfare: Q&A with Raphael Cohen

For Leisure and Hospitality, Weak Recovery Still Looks Like Recession

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