Middle East

Low-Intensity Conflict
commentary
The Politics of Man-Hunting and the Illusion of Victory
Raphael S. Cohen
Jan 22, 2020
War on the Rocks
Captures and strikes are important accomplishments and the countless nameless professionals who carry them out deserve the credit for executing them. But leaders are charged with something larger and should be judged by a higher standard: namely, seeing beyond the illusion and producing actual strategic victories.
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Turkey
blog
U.S.-Turkish Relations, Airports, Opioids: RAND Weekly Recap
Jan 17, 2020
This weekly recap focuses on the future of the U.S.-Turkish partnership, helping America's commercial airports meet rising demand, the opioid crisis, and more.
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Iran
commentary
Iran Claws Back Its Regional Influence
Jordan R. Reimer
Jan 17, 2020
The World Post
Last year, Iran faced protests at home as well as in Iraq and Lebanon, where thousands rallied against Tehran's regional hegemony. But with its recent machinations and the fallout over the killing of Soleimani, Iran has succeeded in changing the regional conversation.
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Iran
blog
Iran, Mental Health and Jail, Russia: RAND Weekly Recap
Jan 10, 2020
This weekly recap focuses on Iran and Iraq following the death of Iranian General Qassem Soleimani, supporting those experiencing mental illness in jails, Russia's hostile measures, and more.
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Iran
commentary
How Will Iran Respond to Soleimani's Killing—and Where Will the Escalation End?
Elisa Catalano Ewers, Ariane M. Tabatabai @ArianeTabatabai
Jan 7, 2020
The Washington Post Monkey Cage Blog
Iranian Maj. Gen. Qasem Soleimani's death will reverberate in the Middle East region for a long time. The United States must know its end game and be able to respond to this changing landscape of its own making, without stumbling into another full-fledged conflict that the Trump administration itself, Congress, and the American people have said they do not want.
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Iraq
commentary
Baghdad Siege Wasn't Benghazi, and Never Will Be
Raphael S. Cohen
Jan 6, 2020
Fox News Channel
Given the heightened tension between the United States and Iran and the ongoing instability in Iraq, the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad may very well be attacked again. If such an attack were to be successful, it would be more akin to the fall of the U.S. Embassy in Saigon than the U.S. mission in Benghazi.
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Iraq
commentary
Iraq's Vote to Expel U.S. Troops Is Iran's True Victory
Ben Connable
Jan 6, 2020
Los Angeles Times
If American soldiers are ejected from Iraq, the consequences may be far-reaching and damaging to U.S. strategic interests. What options remain to reset the relationship between Washington and Baghdad?
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Iran
commentary
All-Out U.S.-Iran War Is Unlikely. But Low-Level War Expected to Continue
Brian Michael Jenkins @BrianMJenkins
Jan 6, 2020
Fox News Channel
Iranian retaliation for Soleimani's killing and counter-retaliation by the United States seem likely. But Tehran and Washington have good reasons to inflict limited pain without engaging in a full-scale war.
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Iraq
commentary
Can Iraq Evict U.S. Forces?
Stacie L. Pettyjohn @StaciePettyjohn
Jan 6, 2020
The Washington Post
The Iraqi parliament voted to expel U.S. troops from Iraq. This vote was nonbinding, and the Iraqi caretaker government cannot pass laws, but it does indicate that a majority in parliament wants U.S. forces to leave.
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Iran
blog
Iranian Commander Soleimani Killed: RAND Experts React
Jan 3, 2020
The White House has confirmed that a U.S. airstrike authorized by President Trump killed Iranian Major General Qassem Soleimani just outside the Baghdad airport in Iraq. We've rounded up how RAND researchers reacted to the news.
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International Diplomacy
blog
Most Popular RAND Blog Commentary of 2019
Dec 23, 2019
Terrorism. The humanitarian crisis at the border. How to engage friends and foes on the world stage. Here are the top 10 commentaries that readers engaged with most on The RAND Blog in 2019.
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International Diplomacy
commentary
Carter's Compromise: Cowardice or Calculation?
Alexandra Tejblum Evans
Dec 20, 2019
Texas National Security Review
Jørgen Jensehaugen's Arab-Israeli Diplomacy Under Carter is a valuable addition to the literature on American peacemaking efforts that deepens our understanding of the difficult choices future administrations will confront in their effort to defuse the Arab-Israeli conflict.
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Iraq
commentary
Iraq at the Crossroads
Linda Robinson
Dec 18, 2019
Fox News Channel
The protests gripping Iraq pose an extraordinary challenge to Baghdad's political leadership, which must move the country ahead or step aside. Unless it finds the will to compromise for the common good, the governing class could risk thrusting the country into civil war.
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Afghanistan
commentary
The Post's Afghanistan Series
James Dobbins @Jim_Dobbins
Dec 17, 2019
The Hill
The Washington Post series “The Afghanistan Papers” charges that “senior U.S. officials failed to tell the truth about the war in Afghanistan throughout the 18-year campaign.” As someone who was both an occasional participant in and frequent critic of the Bush and Obama administrations' Afghan policy deliberations, James Dobbins finds this charge considerably exaggerated.
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Libya
commentary
Can Anything Stop the Flow of Advanced Weapons into Libya?
Nathan Vest
Dec 13, 2019
Defense One
Weapons proliferation has been a security concern for Libya and its neighbors since the revolution of 2011. If foreign arms transfers into Libya aren't reduced, the country's security situation will continue to deteriorate, giving militant groups a chance to increase their lethality and further destabilize the region.
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Media Literacy
blog
How Americans Get the News, Iran, Caregiving: RAND Weekly Recap
Dec 13, 2019
This weekly recap focuses on how Americans consume the news, U.S.–Iranian relations, how federal disability payments help caregivers, and more.
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Systemic Risk in the Broad Economy

Turkey's Nationalist Course and How It Affects U.S.-Turkish Relations

The Politics of Man-Hunting and the Illusion of Victory

Artificial Intelligence and the Manufacturing of Reality

Built to Last: Planning and Funding Resilient Infrastructure

The Policy Currents Podcast

Helping Children Cope with Trauma: A School-Based Intervention

Planning for the Rising Costs of Dementia

Addressing the Invisible Wounds of War

Helping Coastal Communities Plan for Climate Change

Middle East

The Politics of Man-Hunting and the Illusion of Victory

U.S.-Turkish Relations, Airports, Opioids: RAND Weekly Recap

Iran Claws Back Its Regional Influence

Iran, Mental Health and Jail, Russia: RAND Weekly Recap

How Will Iran Respond to Soleimani's Killing—and Where Will the Escalation End?

Baghdad Siege Wasn't Benghazi, and Never Will Be

Iraq's Vote to Expel U.S. Troops Is Iran's True Victory

All-Out U.S.-Iran War Is Unlikely. But Low-Level War Expected to Continue

Can Iraq Evict U.S. Forces?

Iranian Commander Soleimani Killed: RAND Experts React

Most Popular RAND Blog Commentary of 2019

Carter's Compromise: Cowardice or Calculation?

Iraq at the Crossroads

The Post's Afghanistan Series

Can Anything Stop the Flow of Advanced Weapons into Libya?

How Americans Get the News, Iran, Caregiving: RAND Weekly Recap

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