Security Cooperation

Taiwan
commentary
Ambiguity Has Its Uses
Michael J. Mazarr @MMazarr
Sep 24, 2020
Foreign Affairs
As China's thirst to resolve the Taiwan issue intensifies, the United States' halfhearted commitment to the island will become increasingly perilous: too weak to deter Chinese aggression but strong enough to drag the United States into a war. No U.S. approach to Taiwan will offer a perfect guarantee of peace. But the United States has many options short of the provocative, costly, and diplomatically risky step of an unconditional security pledge.
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Middle East
commentary
In the Middle East, Russia and China Expand Their Influence
Ali Wyne, Colin P. Clarke
Sep 18, 2020
Lawfare
While the United States is concerned primarily about a resurgent China's inroads in the Middle East, it is also nervous about the gambits of a revanchist Russia. As the United States decides when and how to contest China and Russia—in and beyond the Middle East—it will have to resist alarmism as vigorously as complacency.
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Wildfires
blog
Wildfires, America's Wealth Gap, Screening for COVID-19 at Work: RAND Weekly Recap
Sep 18, 2020
This weekly recap focuses on the growing risk of wildfires, how Americans' incomes have grown (or not), workplace screenings for COVID-19 symptoms, and more.
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Security Cooperation
commentary
America's Indo-Pacific Vision Is Becoming a Reality—Because of China
Derek Grossman @DerekJGrossman
Sep 14, 2020
Nikkei Asian Review
The Trump administration's Indo-Pacific strategy has received a significant boost in recent months toward achieving its goal of keeping the region “free and open” from Chinese coercion. Ironically, China itself has been doing the boosting.
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Japan
commentary
Abe's Resignation Could Leave Japan Less Secure—and Destabilize Its U.S. Alliance
Zack Cooper, Jeffrey W. Hornung
Sep 8, 2020
Los Angeles Times
Under Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's leadership, Japan tightened its alliance with the United States and took on a more proactive role in the Indo-Pacific region and around the world. His resignation, announced last month for health reasons, could very well leave Japan less secure and the U.S.-Japan alliance unstable.
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Security Cooperation
commentary
America Is Betting Big on the Second Island Chain
Derek Grossman @DerekJGrossman
Sep 8, 2020
The Diplomat
The United States has deep and abiding interests in the Second Island Chain. But China's growing influence in the region could complicate U.S. plans. Washington will almost certainly seek to strengthen security cooperation with Pacific Island states in the Second Island Chain and bolster defensive positions on U.S. territories in the region.
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Lebanon
commentary
Addressing Lebanon's Ailments, Acute and Chronic
Krishna B. Kumar @kbkumar_, Louay Constant @LouayConstant
Sep 1, 2020
RealClearWorld
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.
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Taiwan
commentary
Secretary Azar's Taiwan Visit Should Be Celebrated—for the Right Reasons
Derek Grossman @DerekJGrossman
Aug 21, 2020
South China Morning Post
HHS Secretary Alex Azar's August 9th visit to Taiwan should be celebrated by Taipei and Washington as it presents the latest evidence that bilateral relations are significantly strengthening. But Taiwan should view the United States' moves to bolster bilateral ties with some measure of trepidation. U.S. objectives with Taiwan over the past few years remain unclear.
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Wargaming
commentary
Why Militaries Should Play Games with Each Other
Jonathan Cham @JonathanKCham, Deon Canyon
Aug 14, 2020
Honolulu Civil Beat
With rising rates of COVID-19 and vulnerable populations at risk, Hawaii's people are understandably nervous about the upcoming Rim of the Pacific exercise scheduled for August. But COVID-19 cannot be a blanket check on international engagement by the U.S. military. With the effects of COVID-19 expected to last for decades, the forward thinking found in games may be exactly what is needed.
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International Diplomacy
commentary
What to Watch to Understand the Sino-Iranian Relationship
Colin P. Clarke, Mollie Saltskog
Aug 13, 2020
Lawfare
Beijing and Tehran are in the process of finalizing an ambitious partnership covering a range of security and economic issues. The United States should not overreact to shifting geopolitical dynamics in the Middle East, and should instead keep an eye out to assess the evolution of the relationship and take stock of what is delivered instead of what is merely promised.
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Japan
commentary
Missing in Japan's Deterrence Debate
Jeffrey W. Hornung
Aug 13, 2020
Nikkei Asian Review
Following its decision to cancel the Aegis Ashore ballistic missile defense system, Japan is currently debating future deterrence capabilities. The debate over how Japan can defend itself is an important one, offering a major opportunity to shape the country's future defense posture.
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Vietnam
commentary
What Does Vietnam Think About America's Indo-Pacific Strategy?
Derek Grossman @DerekJGrossman
Aug 5, 2020
The Diplomat
The South China Sea is where the rubber meets the road for U.S.-Vietnam security ties, and in this regard, Hanoi has gone as far as it is comfortable. Washington should expect Vietnam to continue seeking balance between China, which has economic and military superiority over it, and the United States, which can help offset Chinese power.
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Nuclear Deterrence
commentary
Negotiating with Great Powers on Nuclear Arms
Frank G. Klotz, John Lauder, William Courtney @courtneywmh
Aug 3, 2020
RealClearDefense
New START, the U.S.-Russia arms control treaty, expires in February 2021. Washington insists that any follow-on accord must include China. But overcoming Beijing's reticence to engage in nuclear talks will likely take deft diplomacy, time, and patience.
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Security Cooperation
commentary
Can America Weaken the Russia-Iran Axis?
Colin P. Clarke, William Courtney @courtneywmh
Jul 31, 2020
Newsweek
America's slow-motion retreat in Syria could embolden Iran and Russia and perhaps lead them to underestimate U.S. resolve to protect its interests in the Middle East. Clearer U.S. priorities and more deliberate engagement could reduce risk and help avoid miscalculation.
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Security Cooperation
commentary
The Quad Is Poised to Become Openly Anti-China Soon
Derek Grossman @DerekJGrossman
Jul 28, 2020
The Wire
What has been striking about the Quad thus far is that it has resisted openly identifying China as the primary target it seeks to rein in. If the Quad is to be sustained, then it will likely have to come to grips with a forward-leaning approach to opposing Chinese activities.
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Counterterrorism
commentary
Can Sudan Escape Its History as a Transit Hub for Violent Extremist Organizations?
Peter Chalk, Daveed Gartenstein-Ross, Colin P. Clarke
Jul 24, 2020
Foreign Policy Research Institute
Sudan continues to confront major challenges that could derail its path back to the mainstream of international politics. Sudan must show that it is no longer a haven for terrorist and violent extremist groups and that it is committed to ensuring that this remains true.
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Page 1 of 30

…

Quoted

The United States should find ways to deter Chinese aggression that don't involve making an unambiguous and costly military commitment to Taiwan. Short of such a guarantee, Washington can still make much more explicit that invading Taiwan will entail economic, political, and military consequences for China.

Michael J. Mazarr

Senior Political Scientist

Source: Foreign Affairs

The failure of the jihadists can be judged a victory—albeit a costly one—over an organized effort to instigate violence in the United States. The country, however, has not exhausted its inventory of disaffected young men (and women) who may, in the future, embrace jihadism or other extremist ideologies on offer to convey their discontent.

Brian Michael Jenkins

Senior Adviser to the RAND President

Source: The Hill

The Digital Divide and COVID-19

The Role of Allies and Partners in U.S. Military Strategy and Operations

When It Comes to U.S. Health Systems—Diversity Matters

Taiwan’s KMT May Have a Serious '1992 Consensus' Problem

Reducing the Transmission of COVID-19 in Schools

The Policy Currents Podcast

Measuring Wellbeing to Help Communities Thrive

Managing Escalation in Crisis and War

Planning for the Rising Costs of Dementia

Assessing and Articulating the Wider Benefits of Research

Security Cooperation

Ambiguity Has Its Uses

In the Middle East, Russia and China Expand Their Influence

Wildfires, America's Wealth Gap, Screening for COVID-19 at Work: RAND Weekly Recap

America's Indo-Pacific Vision Is Becoming a Reality—Because of China

Abe's Resignation Could Leave Japan Less Secure—and Destabilize Its U.S. Alliance

America Is Betting Big on the Second Island Chain

Addressing Lebanon's Ailments, Acute and Chronic

Secretary Azar's Taiwan Visit Should Be Celebrated—for the Right Reasons

Why Militaries Should Play Games with Each Other

What to Watch to Understand the Sino-Iranian Relationship

Missing in Japan's Deterrence Debate

What Does Vietnam Think About America's Indo-Pacific Strategy?

Negotiating with Great Powers on Nuclear Arms

Can America Weaken the Russia-Iran Axis?

The Quad Is Poised to Become Openly Anti-China Soon

Can Sudan Escape Its History as a Transit Hub for Violent Extremist Organizations?

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