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The Evidence on Kids and COVID-19, China's Use of Big Data, Telemedicine: RAND Weekly Recap

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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Addressing Lebanon's Ailments, Acute and Chronic

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.

Krishna B. Kumar @kbkumar_, Louay Constant

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The Arab Spring in the Upside-Down

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.

Jordan R. Reimer

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Jobs Can Improve the Lives of Syrian Refugees and Their Host Communities—and Support Stability in the Middle East

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.

Shelly Culbertson @SC_Culbertson, Krishna B. Kumar @kbkumar_

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As Refugees, Syrian Women Find Liberation in Working

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.

Louay Constant, Shanthi Nataraj, et al.

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Syrian Skills: A Missed Opportunity

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.

Shanthi Nataraj, Louay Constant

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Helping Lebanon Succeed Is More Than About Countering Iran

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.

Dalia Dassa Kaye

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Tackling Gender-Based Violence Among Syrian Refugees in Lebanon

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.

Mahlet Atakilt Woldetsadik

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Saudi Arabia and Iran May Be Headed Toward War

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.

Alireza Nader

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A Glass Half Empty? Taking Stock of Hezbollah's Losses in Syria

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.

Colin P. Clarke

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Hezbollah Is Winning the War in Syria

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.

Colin P. Clarke, Chad C. Serena

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The Precarious State of Syrian Refugee Women, Children in Lebanon

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.

Mahlet Atakilt Woldetsadik

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Why Syria's War May Be About to Get Even Worse

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.

Colin P. Clarke, Chad C. Serena

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A Different Kind of Refugee Crisis

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.

Shelly Culbertson @SC_Culbertson

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Battered by War, Syrian Refugee Kids Need to Be Taught

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.

Shelly Culbertson @SC_Culbertson, Louay Constant