North Atlantic Treaty Organization

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Finnish and Swedish NATO Membership: Toward a Larger, Stronger, Smarter Alliance

Finland and Sweden are poised to become full NATO members in the near future. The Nordic pair's entry into NATO means that alliance leaders and planners confront new challenges, and just as many opportunities.

Gene Germanovich @geneDC

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A New Era? NATO's Prioritisation of Human Security in an Insecure World

Human security and NATO's role and responsibility to protect civilians during conflict saw new prioritization in the alliance's 2022 Strategic Concept. While much progress has been made, more could be done to ensure the alliance can deliver on these commitments.

Kaleigh Heard, Kristin Thue

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Talking to Russia, Racial Bias, Mine-Hunting Dolphins: RAND Weekly Recap

This weekly recap focuses on preventing escalation of the war in Ukraine, how racial bias compounds over time, why the Navy should stick with its mine-hunting dolphins, and more.

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Rethinking the EU's Role in European Collective Defence

Russia's invasion of Ukraine is forcing European nations to quickly re-evaluate how best to maintain their collective security. This makes the concept of European strategic autonomy—the EU's increased ability to operate independently and with partners of choice on defence and security matters—more relevant than ever.

Lucia Retter, Stephanie Pezard @StephaniePezard

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The Value of Institutional Capacity Building Through Professional Military Education

Security cooperation rarely makes headlines. But it enhances the security of the United States and its allies and partners in an effective and cost-effective way, and may deserve more attention and support.

Susan M. Sohler Everingham, Alan G. Stolberg

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Responding to Russian Cyberattacks, Rebuilding Ukraine, Climate Change: RAND Weekly Recap

This weekly recap focuses on how the U.S. could respond to Russian cyberattacks, what it will take to rebuild Ukraine after the war, why U.S. employers still have the power over workers, and more.

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Book Review: 'Escalation and Deescalation of Crises, Armed Conflicts, and Wars'

The evolving crisis in Ukraine has generated much discussion about whether Moscow would escalate the conflict, whether in frustration at the slow progress of its military operations, or in response to actions of other states, even possibly resorting to nuclear weapons. But what do Russian sources suggest about escalation?

Clint Reach

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The Ukraine War's Three Clocks

As the war in Ukraine creeps into its second month, perhaps the most common question is: How will it end? Ultimately, the answer comes down to three internal clocks—Ukraine's, which is counting down in years, Russia's, in months, and the United States and NATO's, which is stalled at the moment but could restart quite quickly.

Raphael S. Cohen

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The Will to Fight in the Age of Social Media

Social media messaging has played a decisive role in strengthening Ukraine's will to fight—arguably the single most important factor in war—against Russia.

William Marcellino, Michael J. McNerney

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Duty Bound to Disaster: Beware the Imperative in Foreign Policymaking

Appeals for bolder action in Ukraine will understandably only grow more intense as the appalling humanitarian toll mounts. But imperative-driven action almost always leads countries astray—and in the days and weeks ahead, it will be critical for the United States to stay alert for its symptoms.

Michael J. Mazarr @MMazarr

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After Russia's Ukraine Invasion, Seven Assumptions the U.S. and NATO Allies Should Drop

Given the realizations wrought by the recent invasion of Ukraine, the United States and its NATO allies might reconsider several assumptions and arguments that have limited conventional military deterrence in Europe. Making sure we are ready to defend and thus deter a larger war that must never be fought is critically important.

Michael Johnson

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Putin's State of Mind, the Digital Skills Gap, International Women's Day: RAND Weekly Recap

This weekly recap focuses on deterring Russian President Vladimir Putin, understanding America’s gun policy debate, improving teacher diversity, and more.

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Complex—but Promising—Prospects as Finland and Sweden Mull NATO Membership

After decades of military neutrality between NATO and Russia, recent events saw a potential sea-change in how Finland and Sweden consider their role with the NATO alliance. NATO leadership could start planning now so that if Sweden and Finland make the jump to joining the alliance, they can be welcomed in quickly.

Gene Germanovich @geneDC

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Ensuring Russia's War with Ukraine Doesn't Morph into Direct Conflict with NATO

Russia has launched an unprecedented act of aggression against Ukraine. The United States and its allies must respond forcefully. But as they do, they should take into account the possibility of triggering a spiral of escalation that could lead to the only outcome worse than the invasion of Ukraine itself: a hot war between Russia and NATO.

Samuel Charap @scharap

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U.S. Military May Need to Invest More in Arctic Capabilities

Operating in the Arctic is inherently expensive. Despite this, it could be critical that the United States make the necessary investments to ensure a robust ability to operate in the Arctic to withstand Russian challenges there.

Abbie Tingstad, Scott Savitz