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Peacekeeping and Stability Operations
commentary
Moving Beyond Mosul
Linda Robinson @RobinsonL100, Shelly Culbertson @SC_Culbertson
Jul 18, 2017
U.S. News & World Report
The Islamic State group has been defeated in Mosul. But this military routing isn't enough to ensure lasting stability, either in Mosul or in Iraq more broadly. What comes next will require careful planning, diplomacy, implementation, and coordination.
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Refugees
commentary
How Innovation Can Assist the Refugee 'Pathway'
Jennie Corbett, Corinna Frey, Sonja Marjanovic @SonjaCambs
Jun 27, 2017
The RAND Blog
New ways to collaborate and coordinate humanitarian actions are needed so that refugees, host communities, and other stakeholders are empowered to create and spread innovative solutions. These efforts should consider the entire refugee pathway, not only emergency and arrival assistance.
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Workforce Management
commentary
Professional Expectations, Families and Brexit Shape Future for UK International Researchers
Susan Guthrie, Catherine A. Lichten
May 5, 2017
Times Higher Education
Mobility has become an even higher priority for researchers since the results of the UK’s EU referendum, Brexit. To continue to attract and keep top talent, the UK needs to understand how and why researchers move between countries.
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Migrants
essay
Migrant Crisis in the Mediterranean: What You Need to Know
May 2, 2017
The countries bordering the Mediterranean Sea are facing unprecedented stress. A former lieutenant with the Italian Navy is now a RAND researcher, working to help others appreciate the scope of the crisis.
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Domestic Terrorism
commentary
Why a Travel Restriction Won't Stop Terrorism at Home
Brian Michael Jenkins @BrianMJenkins
Feb 10, 2017
The Hill
It's not unreasonable to seek a review of immigration, and refugee-vetting procedures make sense. But America's jihadist terrorists are not imported from abroad. They are mostly homegrown.
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Iraq
commentary
Stabilizing Mosul After the Battle Against ISIS
Shelly Culbertson @SC_Culbertson, Linda Robinson @RobinsonL100
Feb 9, 2017
Newsweek
U.S.-backed Iraqi forces have retaken the east bank of Mosul and are planning to take the west soon. The military operations that oust ISIS are crucial to the city's liberation but failing to get the civilian response right risks a widening civil war.
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Disadvantaged Students
commentary
Why Being a Migrant Is Not the Biggest Barrier to Education in Europe
Barbara Janta, Emma Harte
Oct 31, 2016
New Europe
Migrant students tend to have lower performance and are more likely to leave school early. But factors other than migrant status, such as language barriers, can explain these differences.
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Immigration and Emigration
commentary
Why Re-Establishing Border Controls in Europe Could Come at a High Cost
Marco Hafner @econ_hafner, Jirka Taylor
Oct 13, 2016
E!Sharp
Reversing the Schengen agreement would come at a high economic cost, while undoing many of the positive social and political developments of the past decade.
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United States
essay
Election 2016: The International Issues
Oct 7, 2016
America's next president will face challenges that test the fundamentals of world order. RAND experts have outlined key decisions, the dangers involved, and the least-bad options that now often pass for good ones.
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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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North Atlantic Treaty Organization
commentary
Obama Must Take a Strong Lead at the NATO Summit
Christopher S. Chivvis @CChivvis
Jul 8, 2016
Newsweek
To overcome differences within NATO and move forward in these troubled times, Obama should go beyond his usual low-key approach, while still working closely with allied leaders.
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STEM Education
commentary
Integrating STEM Learning in Early Childhood Education
Rafiq Dossani
Jun 19, 2016
U.S. News & World Report
Young children can understand concepts in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), and early development of STEM skills seems to support learning later in life. But an effective teaching system is needed before STEM learning can be fully integrated into early childhood education.
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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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Immigration and Emigration
commentary
Understanding and Addressing the Unaccompanied Minor Immigration Issue
Ernesto F. L. Amaral, Daniel M. Gerstein @Daniel_Gerstein
Apr 22, 2016
The Hill
The number of unaccompanied child immigrants apprehended at the U.S. southwest border is on the rise again, the majority of them coming not from Mexico, but from Central America. Research could provide valuable information to policymakers as they try to find ways to help young immigrants.
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Refugees
commentary
Solutions for Educating Young Syrian Refugees
Shelly Culbertson @SC_Culbertson
Apr 21, 2016
Georgetown Journal of International Affairs
Approximately 1.5 million Syrian refugees are school-age children. They face a slew of struggles, not the least of which is the lack of education that they need to move forward in life. What can be done to improve the access to and quality of refugee education?
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Migrants
commentary
Matching and Migration: Lessons from a Resettlement Programme in Indonesia
Alexander D. Rothenberg, Samuel Bazzi, Arya Gaduh, Maisy Wong
Apr 5, 2016
International Growth Centre Blog
With careful planning, resettlement remains a feasible and politically attractive option for coping with environmentally-induced migration in many settings. The lessons from Indonesia's Transmigration program can help inform ongoing resettlement planning.
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Social Services and Welfare
commentary
After Decades of Conflict, Learning to Reap the Benefits of Taxes in Northern Uganda
Mahlet Atakilt Woldetsadik
Mar 17, 2016
The RAND Blog
A women's community organization is trying to get Ugandans to pay taxes while teaching them how to get the local government to spend tax money on improving public services. The post-conflict regions of northern Uganda need more health care, legal services, psychological support, and counseling.
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Databases and Data Collection, Analysis, and Processing
commentary
Tracking Refugees with Biometrics: More Questions Than Answers
Sarah Soliman @BiometricsNerd
Mar 9, 2016
War on the Rocks
Using biometrics in refugee crises is compelling because it gives individuals who have nothing proof of identity even without a government-issued credential like an ID card or passport. But who has rights to the U.N. biometrics database and what is its future?
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Labor Markets
commentary
Are EU Migrants Over-Qualified for the Jobs They Do?
Barbara Janta, Joanna Hofman @JoannaBHofman
Feb 24, 2016
EurActiv
Debates on EU mobility are focused on what EU migrants take away from their host countries, and the costs they may bring taxpayers. What may be ignored is the contribution migrants bring to local labor markets and how this can grow if they have jobs that make the most of their skills.
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Migrants
commentary
Why Now Is the Time for a Unified Response to Europe's Migrant Crisis
Giacomo Persi Paoli @GPersiPaoli
Feb 17, 2016
E!Sharp
Some EU member states are re-instating temporary internal border controls in an attempt to control the flow of migrants. If the EU is to develop a coordinated plan to successfully manage the crisis, it needs to achieve a more balanced redistribution of migrants and establish more efficient processing of asylum applications.
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United Kingdom
commentary
Why Access to In-Work Benefits Is a Hard Nut to Crack in the UK's EU Negotiations
Barbara Janta, Emma Harte
Jan 25, 2016
E!Sharp
Likely opposition from EU member states and a lack of evidence over EU migrants coming to the UK to access benefits could put Prime Minister Cameron in a difficult negotiating position in seeking to change the rules on welfare benefits.
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Refugees
commentary
Battered by War, Syrian Refugee Kids Need to Be Taught
Shelly Culbertson @SC_Culbertson, Louay Constant
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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United States
blog
State of the Union 2016: Insights on Obama's Last Address
Jan 13, 2016
RAND research, analysis, and expertise provide context for many of the issues discussed in President Barack Obama's final State of the Union address, including the threat of ISIS, global climate change, and bringing peace to Syria.
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Refugees
commentary
To Undermine ISIS, We Should Welcome Syrian Refugees
Kim Cragin, Ben Connable
Dec 3, 2015
Newsweek
Demonstrating American goodwill to Syrian refugees is the best way to help defeat ISIS and rehabilitate America's image in the chaotic Middle East.
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Refugees
commentary
France Is Right to Stay the Course
Stephanie Pezard @StephaniePezard
Nov 25, 2015
U.S. News & World Report
President Hollande announced that 30,000 Syrian refugees would be welcomed in France, honoring the commitment France made to its European partners before the Paris attacks. Altering its policy would only give the terrorists what they want.
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France
commentary
Insights on the Paris Terror Attacks from RAND Experts
Nov 17, 2015
RAND experts weigh in on what the wave of coordinated terror attacks across Paris means for France, the U.S.-led coalition against ISIS, the global refugee crisis, and more.
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Syria
commentary
Five Options for the U.S. in Syria
Brian Michael Jenkins @BrianMJenkins
Oct 21, 2015
The Hill
How should the United States respond to Russia's intervention in Syria's civil war? Here are five options intended to encourage rational thinking based upon realistic presumptions, not media or campaign-driven hype.
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Refugees
commentary
Will Today's Refugees Become the 'New Palestinians'?
Brian Michael Jenkins @BrianMJenkins
Oct 9, 2015
The Hill
The conflicts in Syria and Iraq have generated the greatest volume of refugees since World War II. If the international community is to avoid seeing the emergence of a population of new Palestinians lasting decades into the future, it will have to craft a more coherent approach.
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The Islamic State (Terrorist Organization)
commentary
Any Review of Syria and Iraq Strategy Needs Realistic Reappraisal
Brian Michael Jenkins @BrianMJenkins
Sep 28, 2015
The Hill
Since the American-led coalition bombing campaign began a year ago, ISIS has suffered some military setbacks and lost territory, but it also has been able to capture several more key cities in Iraq and Syria, and, despite the bombing, continues to attract a large number of foreign fighters.
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Refugees
q&a
Syrian Refugees: All You Need to Know
Shelly Culbertson @SC_Culbertson
Sep 17, 2015
Newsweek
The world can only absorb so many millions of refugees. The civil war in Syria demands a political solution facilitated by international leadership that will bring stability and enable refugees to return to home.
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Refugees
commentary
Putting a Human Face on the Refugee Crisis
Obaid Younossi
Sep 15, 2015
Fox News Channel
By welcoming and accepting refugees, the West can send their oppressors a message about what it means to be a free democratic society.
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Immigrants and Emigrants
commentary
Should Undocumented Immigrant Youth Pay In-State Tuition to Attend College?
Robert Bozick
Jul 28, 2015
The RAND Blog
Undocumented children are entitled to free primary and secondary public education everywhere in the United States, regardless of their legal status. But when they finish high school, their options for college vary depending on the state in which they live.
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Refugees
commentary
Help Syria Avoid a 'Lost Generation'
Shelly Culbertson @SC_Culbertson, Tom Ling, Marie-Louise Henham, Jennie Corbett
Jul 17, 2015
U.S. News & World Report
Young Syrian refugees are brimming with potential, but lack the educational and livelihood pathways through which to channel their energy and aspirations. As the international community looks for ways to end the violence in the region, it must not overlook the plight or the potential of these children.
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Maternal Health
commentary
Family Planning Must Be Part of the Humanitarian Response in Africa's Conflict Zones
Mahlet Atakilt Woldetsadik
Jul 1, 2015
The RAND Blog
Worldwide, nearly 800 women die every day due to mostly preventable causes related to pregnancy and childbirth. More than half of these deaths occur in fragile states torn by armed conflict and generalized violence.
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Migrants
q&a
How to Solve the Mediterranean's Migrant Crisis
Giacomo Persi Paoli @GPersiPaoli
May 28, 2015
The RAND Blog
Destroying smugglers' vessels could contribute to reducing illegal migration and impact the business model that makes smuggling so profitable. But it won't stop smuggling altogether.
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Migrants
commentary
What Does It Take to Rescue Migrants at Sea?
Giacomo Persi Paoli @GPersiPaoli
Apr 23, 2015
The RAND Blog
European Union leaders gathered today for an emergency summit to discuss a concerted response to the humanitarian disaster unfolding in the Mediterranean Sea. As a former officer serving aboard an Italian Navy warship deployed in Operation Mare Nostrum in November 2013, Giacomo Persi Paoli is well aware of the challenges.
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Refugees
commentary
Syrian Refugees: A Blessing in Disguise?
Dalia Dassa Kaye @dassakaye
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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Immigrants and Emigrants
commentary
Prior Removal and Recidivism
Laura J. Hickman, Jennifer S. Wong, Marika Booth, Laura Patton
Dec 11, 2014
The RAND Blog
President Obama's executive action on immigration includes a new program that targets immigration enforcement at those arrested for more serious offenses and those deemed to be risks to national security. Research shows that unauthorized immigrants who have been previously deported are more likely to be rearrested after jail release, so local public safety interests and federal immigration enforcement priorities may well align around immigrants with a record of prior removal.
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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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United States
blog
A Summer Reading List for Congress
Jul 31, 2014
No matter how policymakers spend their break—meeting with home-state constituents, traveling abroad with congressional delegations, or spending time with family—this summer reading list contains policy ideas that can help them hit the ground running when they return.
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Immigrants and Emigrants
commentary
With Child Migrants Set to Become Students, Educators Must Prepare
Gabriella C. Gonzalez @GabCGonzalez, Robert Bozick
Jul 14, 2014
The RAND Blog
Between 70,000 and 90,000 unaccompanied children are expected to cross the U.S.-Mexico border by year's end. Lost in an intensifying debate over U.S. immigration policy is the possibility that this wave will spill from shelters to schools. To best respond to this reality, policymakers and educators should consider what research says about educating migrant children.
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Immigration Legislation
blog
Potential Path to Citizenship for Undocumented Immigrants Takes Shape
Jan 31, 2013
A group of U.S. Senators this week unveiled a proposal to reform the nation's immigration laws, outlining a path to citizenship for most of the nation's estimated 11 million undocumented immigrants and endorsing an increase of certain types of foreign-born workers.
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Middle East
commentary
Iraqi Refugee Challenge
Kristen Cordell
Jun 28, 2007
United Press International
Iraqi Refugee Challenge, in United Press International.
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