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Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)
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The Evidence on Kids and COVID-19, China's Use of Big Data, Telemedicine: RAND Weekly Recap
Sep 4, 2020
This weekly recap focuses on what we know (and what we don't) about kids and COVID-19, how China is using big data, the future of telemedicine, and more.
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Lebanon
commentary
Addressing Lebanon's Ailments, Acute and Chronic
Krishna B. Kumar @kbkumar_, Louay Constant @LouayConstant
Sep 1, 2020
RealClearWorld
The recent explosion in Beirut has again led to calls for political and economic reforms in Lebanon. The country has an economy in crisis, corruption, few job opportunities, and an influx of 1.5 million Syrian refugees. Sustained global investment is needed if Lebanon is to recover over the long run.
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commentary
The Arab Spring in the Upside-Down
Jordan R. Reimer @Jordan_R_Reimer
Nov 21, 2019
The World Post
Where the original Arab Spring protests removed authoritarian leaders, the current demonstrators in Iraq and Lebanon are trying to topple popularly elected governments. This could have dramatic implications for the future of representative democracy in the Middle East.
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Refugees
commentary
Jobs Can Improve the Lives of Syrian Refugees and Their Host Communities—and Support Stability in the Middle East
Shelly Culbertson @SC_Culbertson, Krishna B. Kumar @kbkumar_
Mar 11, 2019
Foreign Policy
Host governments, international development agencies, and donor countries like the United States could take several steps to improve Syrian refugee employment. This would increase self-reliance among Syrian refugees and ease pressures on host communities.
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Refugees
commentary
As Refugees, Syrian Women Find Liberation in Working
Louay Constant @LouayConstant, Shanthi Nataraj, Fadia Afashe
Feb 19, 2019
United Press International
Syrian refugee women in Turkey, Lebanon, and Jordan want opportunities to work. But there are multiple barriers and challenges that limit them. Improving the chances of safe and dignified work opportunities for Syrian women in these countries could yield broad positive social benefits for both the refugee and host communities.
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Refugees
commentary
Syrian Skills: A Missed Opportunity
Shanthi Nataraj, Louay Constant @LouayConstant
Feb 14, 2019
RealClearWorld
Syrian refugees in Turkey, Jordan, and Lebanon are finding ways to get by. But many refugees are not able to fully use their skills, and that is a lost opportunity both for the Syrians and the host countries.
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Lebanon
commentary
Helping Lebanon Succeed Is More Than About Countering Iran
Dalia Dassa Kaye
Jan 16, 2019
The National Interest
As tensions increase on the Israeli-Lebanese border the possibility is growing that a confrontation with Iran may move from Syria to Lebanon. For the United States, turning its back on this small but strategically critical country and conflating U.S. interests in Lebanon solely with countering Iran could be short-sighted, and a missed opportunity at a time when the region has few.
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Domestic Violence
commentary
Tackling Gender-Based Violence Among Syrian Refugees in Lebanon
Mahlet Atakilt Woldetsadik
Mar 22, 2018
The RAND Blog
Increased poverty and major shifts in traditional gender roles for Syrian refugees have worsened interpersonal tensions, increased the risk of domestic violence, and caused challenges for aid workers.
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Saudi Arabia
commentary
Saudi Arabia and Iran May Be Headed Toward War
Alireza Nader
Nov 13, 2017
Atlantic Council
America should encourage Tehran and Riyadh to settle their differences, not facilitate aggressive Saudi action. Otherwise, the region will be plunged into an even bigger crisis—without an end in sight.
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Warfare and Military Operations
commentary
A Glass Half Empty? Taking Stock of Hezbollah's Losses in Syria
Colin P. Clarke
Oct 17, 2017
The Jerusalem Post
Hezbollah has gained valuable combat experience in Syria, but the cost of that experience may not outweigh the losses in troops, the damage to its image and the need to cede some of its autonomy to Iran and the Assad regime. The longer the war drags on, the more apparent these losses will become.
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Security Cooperation
commentary
Hezbollah Is Winning the War in Syria
Colin P. Clarke, Chad C. Serena
Jan 30, 2017
The National Interest
Most parties have been on the losing side of the war in Syria. Meanwhile, Lebanese terrorist militia Hezbollah has cemented its status as a regional power player. The group has gained fighting experience and benefited from a growing alliance with the Assad regime, Iran, and Russia.
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Refugees
commentary
The Precarious State of Syrian Refugee Women, Children in Lebanon
Mahlet Atakilt Woldetsadik
Sep 13, 2016
The RAND Blog
The gendered impact of political conflict on women and children has been well documented in other conflicts. But much less is known about the effect of the Syrian civil war on displaced women and children.
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Terrorist Organizations
commentary
Why Syria's War May Be About to Get Even Worse
Colin P. Clarke, Chad C. Serena
Aug 25, 2016
Reuters
Whether or not Jabhat Fateh al-Sham's new name means a genuine break from its parent organization al Qaeda, the mere rebranding could prolong Syria's civil war. The worst-case scenario is that the group could embed itself within the rebel opposition in Syria the way Hezbollah did in Lebanon.
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Refugees
commentary
A Different Kind of Refugee Crisis
Shelly Culbertson @SC_Culbertson
May 16, 2016
U.S. News & World Report
In Jordan and Lebanon, middle-income countries with robust public sectors where a significant Syrian population may be present for years to come, solutions should be more about supporting the expansion of existing national public services, rather than creating new, internationally run parallel services.
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Refugees
commentary
Battered by War, Syrian Refugee Kids Need to Be Taught
Shelly Culbertson @SC_Culbertson, Louay Constant @LouayConstant
Jan 15, 2016
Newsweek
More than 700,000 Syrian refugee children are not receiving formal education. Host countries are struggling to create enough spaces to accommodate them in schools, and there are no formal programs to teach children who have missed years of instruction.
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Refugees
commentary
Syrian Refugees: A Blessing in Disguise?
Dalia Dassa Kaye
Feb 2, 2015
The National Interest
To avoid further resentment and restrictions on Syrians desperate to escape their war-torn country, as well as the instability such attitudes generate, the international community must work with host governments to increase and highlight the benefits refugee populations can bring to neighboring states.
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Refugees
commentary
Syria's Simmering Crisis
Shelly Culbertson @SC_Culbertson
Jan 21, 2015
CNN
At least half of Syrian refugee children aren't in school. Those who are face risks to the quality of education they receive, a risk they share with host-country children. But by making long-term investments, the international community can help ensure education isn't another casualty of the war.
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Developing Countries
commentary
The Health Needs of Syrian Women in and Around the Za'atari Refugee Camp
Mahlet Atakilt Woldetsadik
Oct 13, 2014
The RAND Blog
The Syrian conflict, now in its fourth year, has been the main contributor to the largest refugee crisis since the 1994 Rwandan genocide—and the problem can be expected to get worse as the fighting continues.
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Peacekeeping and Stability Operations
commentary
To Fight ISIS, Make Peace with Syria's Assad
William Young
Aug 14, 2014
USA Today
To disrupt al-Baghdadi's advance, the United States and its allies should start by addressing the source of the problem -- the conflict in Syria. They can begin by negotiating a truce with President Bashar Assad to stop the fighting in Syria.
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Terrorist Organizations
blog
Al Qaeda, Hezbollah on the Verge of Sectarian War in Lebanon
Aug 30, 2013
Tensions between rival militant groups al Qaeda and Hezbollah have reached a fever pitch following bombings at two mosques in Lebanon, making a bloody sectarian conflict an increasingly real possibility.
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Terrorist Organizations
commentary
Leave Hezbollah Alone!
Julie E. Taylor
Jul 24, 2013
Foreign Policy
If Hezbollah's participation in the Syrian civil war begins to clearly tip the balance in favor of the Assad regime, the U.S. could face pressure to adjust its position and support efforts to minimize Hezbollah's position in Lebanon.
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Security Cooperation
commentary
Lebanon Vote Tilts to the West
Aram Nerguizian, Ghassan Schbley
Jun 10, 2009
The Washington Times
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.
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Lebanon
commentary
Living with the Outcome: Elections in Lebanon
Aram Nerguizian, Ghassan Schbley
Jun 5, 2009
GlobalSecurity.org
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.
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International Diplomacy
commentary
A Chance in Lebanon; No Place for Tyrants
Theodore W. Karasik, Ghassan Schbley
Jun 6, 2008
International Herald Tribune
Hezbollah's recent flexing of its muscles in Lebanon may well lead to an unintended effect: the long-overdue disarming of the militant group, write Theodore W. Karasik and Ghassan Schbley.
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commentary
Lebanon's Sectarian Aftershocks
Frederic Wehrey, Dalia Dassa Kaye
Aug 8, 2006
United Press International
Published commentary by RAND staff: Lebanon's Sectarian Aftershocks, in United Press International.
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