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The RAND Blog

Crime and Violence Prevention
commentary
No Need to Wait for Congress to Address Mass Shootings
John S. Hollywood, Jordan 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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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
Given the goals the United States has articulated publicly, it is difficult to see an early resolution to the U.S.-China trade disputes. In any case, comprehensive trade barriers against China may be as much the goal as the lever. U.S. measures may also have been always more political than economic in motivation.
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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 for young women to 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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Japan
commentary
Japan's Hormuz Dilemma
Jeffrey W. Hornung
Aug 16, 2019
The Hill
Japan is a staunch U.S. ally in the Indo-Pacific. But any decision to support a coalition against Iran in the Middle East is likely to put Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in a tough position.
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Sleep
commentary
I'm a Sleep Specialist. Here's How I Prepare My Two Teenagers for the First Day of School
Wendy M. Troxel @wendytroxel
Aug 15, 2019
Thrive Global
Sleep deprivation has measurable negative effects on teens' behavior and health. Early school start times make it difficult for teens to get sufficient sleep. A RAND sleep expert shares how she helps her teens transition from summer back to waking up early for school.
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India
commentary
India and Kashmir, Now One
Rafiq Dossani
Aug 13, 2019
United Press International
In a legally risky move that's already having consequences on the ground, the Modi government scrapped the part of the Indian constitution that gave Jammu and Kashmir special autonomous status. How consequential is this? And how should the international community react?
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Counterinsurgency
commentary
Making Headway Against the Sinai Insurgency
David E. Thaler, Yousuf Abdelfatah
Aug 12, 2019
Small Wars Journal
Since 2013 Egypt has been engaged in the Sinai peninsula against a deadly ISIS-affiliated insurgency. To make headway against militant groups on the peninsula, the Egyptian government could focus on providing services to its citizens there and repairing its relationship with them.
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North Korea
commentary
Searching for Signs of Doi Moi in North Korea
Derek Grossman @DerekJGrossman, Christian Curriden, Dung Huynh
Aug 12, 2019
38 North
President Trump's second summit with Kim Jong Un prompted voluminous commentary about whether Pyongyang might adopt the “Vietnam model” of economic reform and opening up, known as doi moi. Some version of doi moi is not impossible in North Korea, but it will likely be more difficult than it was in Vietnam and made all the more so by Kim's reluctance to risk losing absolute control.
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Taiwan
commentary
Making Sense of U.S. Arms Sales to Taiwan
Scott W. Harold @ScottWHarold
Aug 9, 2019
Institut Montaigne
Why does the U.S. sell arms to Taiwan? And what is the impact on the cross-Strait military balance? Taiwan's arms purchase reflects a continuing concern over Beijing's military intentions; a balancing of operational and political considerations; a commitment by the United States to ensure that Taiwan can defend itself; and an American refusal to “stand down” in the face of China's aggressive behavior and coercion of Indo-Pacific democracies.
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Iran
commentary
Iran's Cooperation with the Taliban Could Affect Talks on U.S. Withdrawal from Afghanistan
Ariane M. Tabatabai @ArianeTabatabai
Aug 9, 2019
The Washington Post Monkey Cage Blog
Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif has acknowledged that his country has some level of cooperation with the Taliban. How did Iran's relationship with the Taliban come about? And how might it affect the future of U.S.-Taliban talks?
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International Diplomacy
commentary
Reagan's Cold War Lessons for Handling Russia
William Courtney @courtneywmh
Aug 9, 2019
RealClearWorld
Rising public protests in Russia may be putting the Kremlin on the defensive at home. But Moscow is playing offense abroad, challenging the West more than at any time since Ronald Reagan's presidency. Reagan's strategy to counter the Kremlin back then offers insights that could help guide U.S. policy today.
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India
commentary
Kashmir's Democracy—and the World's
Jonah Blank
Aug 8, 2019
The Atlantic
Prime Minister Narendra Modi just changed the status of the restive Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir. This may be the most important event in an enormously volatile part of the world since the end of the last century, with repercussions that will extend far beyond Kashmir itself.
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Military Facilities
commentary
The Ramifications of China's Reported Naval Base in Cambodia
Timothy R. Heath
Aug 7, 2019
World Politics Review
China and Cambodia have reportedly signed a secret agreement allowing the Chinese navy to use a military facility near Ream, along Cambodia's southern coast, though both countries deny the reports. The installation of a Chinese military facility in Cambodia, if realized, would further complicate an already sensitive and tense situation in the region.
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