Religion

Community Organizations
commentary
The Important Role of Faith-Based Organizations in the Context of COVID-19
Kathryn Pitkin Derose, Michael Mata
Apr 16, 2020
The Health Care Blog
Maintaining social and spiritual connections in the midst of COVID-19 are not the only challenges facing communities of faith. Congregations play critical roles in providing social services within communities. How can their services, such as food assistance, be delivered safely?
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Counterterrorism
commentary
Counterproductive Counterinsurgency: Is Mozambique Creating the Next Boko Haram?
Hilary Matfess, Alexander H. Noyes @alexhnoyes
Sep 3, 2019
Lawfare
Despite recent claims of ties to the Islamic State, the threat in Mozambique from the Islamist insurgent group al-Sunnah wa Jamaah appears to be domestic, with scarce evidence of direct ties to international extremist groups. But if the Mozambique government continues to respond in a heavy-handed manner, the threat is likely to grow, with potentially devastating effects for the country and region.
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Border and Port Security
blog
Border Wall, Student Suspension, Syria: RAND Weekly Recap
Jan 11, 2019
This weekly recap focuses on what a border wall can accomplish, reducing student suspensions, confusion over the U.S. withdrawal from Syria, and more.
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Community-Based Health Care
essay
Faith-Based Organizations Promote Well-Being in Underserved Communities
Jan 4, 2019
Kathryn Derose, a senior policy researcher at RAND and an Episcopal deacon, works with Latino and African-American churches to address health issues in their communities. Her research has shown the power of the pulpit to fight health disparities, counter stigma, and encourage healthy living.
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India
commentary
Politics in India—Not Business as Usual
Rafiq Dossani
Jun 19, 2018
Foreign Policy Concepts
India's ruling party, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), has suffered recent, self-inflicted electoral setbacks. But it is still the best-organized and richest political party in the country. Can opposing alliances defeat the BJP?
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Taiwan
commentary
Taiwan Should Not Worry About the Vatican
Derek Grossman @DerekJGrossman
Oct 5, 2016
PacNet, CSIS
Concerns are growing in Taipei over whether the Holy See intends to switch its diplomatic recognition from Taiwan to China. Beijing could be entertaining Vatican requests not out of genuine interest in reestablishing relations, but to put Taiwan on edge.
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Counterterrorism
blog
Orlando Nightclub Shooting: RAND Experts React
Jun 15, 2016
RAND experts provide perspective on the deadliest mass shooting in U.S. history, what it likely means within the context of the campaign against ISIS, and more.
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Terrorist Organizations
commentary
How to Defeat a New Boko Haram in Mali
Michael Shurkin @MichaelShurkin
Sep 8, 2015
Newsweek
While there is a need for stepped up military and police efforts against the self-proclaimed Macina Liberation Front, Mali's policymakers and their international partners need to focus on countering revivalist Islam, ideally by promoting Mali's other Islamic traditions, while finding ways to calm the inter-communal competition.
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Veterans Health Care
commentary
Faith-Based Organizations as Force Multipliers
Laura Werber
Jun 2, 2015
Faith-based organizations are an important community-based resource for veterans who are adjusting to civilian life. What current and potential roles can they play in reintegration?
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Terrorism Threat Assessment
commentary
The Allure of ISIS for Young Recruits
Brian Michael Jenkins @BrianMJenkins
Mar 20, 2015
The Hill
Poverty and oppression may explain why people in some countries embrace violent extremism, but it does not account for the flow of Western volunteers or the dreamy allure of fighting for a faraway cause. Biographies of those who have reached out to participate in jihad suggest a variety of motives, including alienation, personal crises, dissatisfaction with empty spiritual lives, and adolescent rebellion.
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Counterterrorism
commentary
Tackling Radicalization Before It Begins
Kim Cragin
Feb 23, 2015
U.S. News & World Report
Why not turn the question of violent extremism inside out and develop programs that reinforce non-radicalization? That is, rather than eliminating drivers, focus instead on strengthening the factors that inhibit violent extremism.
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France
commentary
Vive France's Defense of Its Jewish Citizens
Michael Shurkin @MichaelShurkin
Feb 13, 2015
U.S. News & World Report
France is not the problem when it comes to defending Jewish lives and Jewish rights. With a few exceptions, the French state and nation have been stalwart on these issues, if only because the French government has understood that those who strike at Jews usually are striking at values dear to France.
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The Islamic State (Terrorist Organization)
q&a
Experts React to ISIS's Gruesome Execution of Jordanian Pilot
Feb 4, 2015
The RAND Blog
A grisly video released yesterday by ISIS appears to show Jordanian pilot Muath al-Kasaesbeh burned alive in a cage. Why the shift away from beheadings? What does the execution mean for Jordan? What implications will it have for ISIS?
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Terrorism
q&a
Terror in Paris, Answers from RAND Experts
Jan 7, 2015
The attack that claimed the lives of 12 people in the offices of a Paris-based satirical magazine sent waves of terror and disbelief across France today. RAND experts discuss what the terrorists stand to gain from the attack, what it could mean for Muslims around the world, and more.
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Global Security
commentary
The Tortured Roots of Sectarian Violence
Rick Brennan, Jr. @rickbrennanjr
Dec 12, 2014
The Mark News
The recent increase of sectarian terrorism is best understood as a product of the ancient Sunni-Shiite divide, the growth of modern-day extremist groups, the Iranian-Saudi rivalry, and the growing phenomenon of fractured states.
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India
commentary
A Milder Modi?
Jonah Blank
May 19, 2014
Foreign Affairs
Narendra Modi, India's most polarizing political figure in a generation, will become prime minister with a virtually unchecked mandate.
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Israel
commentary
The Foreign Policy Essay: Evangelicals, Israel, and U.S. Foreign Policy
Paul D. Miller
Mar 19, 2014
Lawfare
The religiously grounded pro-Israel viewpoint distorts American policy towards Israel with an unhelpful inflexibility and exaggerates the political importance of the country (indeed, the whole region) to the United States, says Paul Miller.
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Egypt
commentary
What's Next for the Muslim Brotherhood?
Brian Michael Jenkins @BrianMJenkins
Aug 26, 2013
U.S. News & World Report
Some believe the Muslim Brotherhood should stay in the political game, adopting the role of loyal opposition. The Brotherhood would remain a minority party, but it could continue to hold offices, provide social assistance that the government does not, and demonstrate its continuing strength at the polls.
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International Diplomacy
commentary
Obama's Burmese Gamble
Jonah Blank
Jul 11, 2013
Project Syndicate
A year ago, the United States and Myanmar (Burma) did not even have ambassadors in each other's capitals. In May, President Thein Sein became the first leader from Myanmar to visit the White House in nearly a half-century. Has Obama's administration been too quick to embrace what was one of the world's most repressive regimes?
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Workplace Injury Prevention
commentary
What Bangladesh — and US Retailers — Must Do to Prevent Man-Made Tragedies
Jonah Blank
May 17, 2013
Christian Science Monitor
Perhaps most tragic of all are the disasters that are wholly preventable: the deaths, maimings, and crushed livelihoods that result from human callousness or indifference, writes Jonah Blank.
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Religious Fundamentalism
commentary
Searching for Clues on the Brothers Tsarnaev
Olga Oliker
May 6, 2013
Chicago Tribune
One doesn't need a clear link to a global terror group to carry out an attack; one needs only the resources, the means and an Internet connection. But the global nature of these communities and their online links also create openings police can exploit.
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Religion and Civil Society
commentary
Can Catholic Colleges Block Free Condom Distribution?
Chloe E. Bird @ChloeBirdPhD
Apr 23, 2013
Ms. Magazine
If this issue were to be decided on the basis of public health benefits, the outcome would be clear: Condoms indisputably prevent both unintended pregnancies and the spread of sexually transmitted infections, writes Chloe Bird.
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Democracy
blog
New RAND Study Examines Voting Patterns in Post-Mubarak Egypt
Mar 22, 2013
While much has been written on the electoral strength of Islamists in Egypt, most of the analysis has been done at the national level, ignoring regional divides within the country. A new report identifies the areas where Islamist parties run strongest, and the areas where non-Islamists are most competitive.
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Global Security
commentary
Is Asia's Forgotten Revolt About to Explode?
Jonah Blank
Feb 25, 2013
CNN
This is why teachers are so often the targets of attack. In the rebels' view, schools aren’t neutral places for children to receive an education. They are seen as government-run indoctrination centers, propagating an exclusionary history and an alien language, writes Jonah Blank.
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Security Cooperation
commentary
The Winners and Losers from the Syria Conflict
William Young
Jan 31, 2013
CNN
Although outside efforts to arm the rebels would help level the playing field in Syria, such a strategy would not ensure victory, and the weapons could fall into the hands of extremists for use against Israel, Jordan and other neighboring countries, writes William Young.
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Terrorism Threat Assessment
commentary
Generations of Terrorism
Brian Michael Jenkins @BrianMJenkins
Dec 13, 2012
The RAND Blog and GlobalSecurity.org
Whatever its eventual outcome, Syria's civil war has already produced thousands of experienced jihadists who will continue to threaten the region for years to come, writes Brian Michael Jenkins.
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Religion and Civil Society
commentary
Obama and Myanmar (Burma): Four Points About Conflict There
Jonah Blank
Nov 20, 2012
Christian Science Monitor
We can expect to see continued jockeying for scarce resources among vulnerable populations around the globe, attempts by majority communities to disenfranchise powerless minority groups, and episodes of extreme weather to blow away any notion that disasters—whether natural, man-made, or both—can't happen here, writes Jonah Blank.
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Al Qaida
commentary
Difficult Questions on Today's Terrorist Threat
Seth G. Jones
Oct 22, 2012
The RAND Blog
Much like the struggle against the Soviet Union and Communism during the Cold War, it appears increasingly likely that the struggle against radical Islamic groups will last several decades, writes Seth G. Jones.
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Political Reform Movements
commentary
Muslim Brotherhood Failing to Learn from Mistakes
Jeffrey Martini
Oct 18, 2012
The RAND Blog and GlobalSecurity.org
The Muslim Brotherhood is falling into the same trap of overreach exhibited by the Egyptian military when the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) held the reins of authority during the first 16 months of the transition, writes Jeffrey Martini.
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Religion and Civil Society
commentary
Headscarves on Egyptian Newscasts Are a Victory for Tolerance
Jeffrey Martini
Sep 6, 2012
Lifting the Egyptian ban on headscarves on TV newscasts can be seen as a positive development. It ends state discrimination against those who wish to show their faith outwardly.
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Political Reform Movements
commentary
How Does Arab Spring Compare to Third Wave Transitions?
Laurel E. Miller, Jeffrey Martini
Aug 17, 2012
Democracy Digest
The changes underway in the Arab world may lead to various possible destinations that differ both from their points of departure and from liberal democracy, write Laurel Miller and Jeffrey Martini.
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Religion and Civil Society
commentary
Victims of Terrorism-by-Mistaken-Identity
Jonah Blank
Aug 8, 2012
The RAND Blog and GlobalSecurity.org
Perpetrators of hate-crimes against Sikhs often think they're attacking Muslims. This may not make the slaughter any more or less heinous, but it's another example of hatred flowing from ignorance, writes Jonah Blank.
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Al Qaida
commentary
Awlaki's Death Hits al-Qaeda's Social Media Strategy
Seth G. Jones
Sep 30, 2011
BBC
Though Awlaki will be difficult to replace—since he effectively coupled both propaganda and operations—al-Qaeda will continue to plan attacks overseas against Western targets, writes Seth Jones.
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Crime
commentary
Do Higher Crime Rates Cause a Decrease in Religiosity?
Paul Heaton
Mar 1, 2010
ScienceandReligionToday.com
If we observe that high crime and low levels of religious belief or high levels of belief and low crime go hand in hand, how should we interpret that correlation? asks Paul Heaton.
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commentary
The Great Silencing: Intolerance and Censorship in the Arab World
Cynthia P. Schneider, Nadia Oweidat
Oct 13, 2009
CNN.com
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commentary
A War of Nerves in Turkey
F. Stephen Larrabee
May 12, 2007
Project Syndicate
A War of Nerves in Turkey in Project Syndicate (an association that distributes commentaries to 291 newspapers in 115 countries)
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commentary
Cartoons and Terror
Farhana Ali
Feb 22, 2006
United Press International
Published commentary by RAND staff: Cartoons and Terror, in United Press International.
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commentary
Unavoidable Clash of Islam and the West?
Steven Simon
Jan 23, 2005
Newsweek Polska
Published commentary by RAND staff.
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commentary
Social Studies: 21st Century Tribes
David Ronfeldt
Dec 12, 2004
Los Angeles Times
Published commentary by RAND staff.
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commentary
A Chance to Overcome Religious Divisions
Rollie Lal
May 27, 2004
The San Diego Union-Tribune
Published commentary by RAND staff.
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commentary
Religion Isn't Sole Motive of Terror
John V. Parachini
Sep 16, 2001
Los Angeles Times
Published commentary by RAND staff.
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