The RAND Blog

November 2008

Pakistan

commentary
Terrorists Have to Be Lucky Once; Targets, Every Time
The 9/11 tragedy was a catalyst that accelerated the pace of the changes in the UK security model that were already occurring due to the waning threat of terrorism from the IRA and the growing threat from those who espoused an ideology of violent jihadism. The changes took place in three main areas, writes Lindsay Clutterbuck.
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Nov 30, 2008
Lindsay Clutterbuck
Africa

commentary
Piracy Needs Regional Answer
The international community is at something of a loss as to how to respond to the increasingly audacious nature of piracy off the Horn of Africa.... What's needed is a less dramatic and more nuanced approach, one with a greater focus on the land-based violence in Somalia, home of the pirates, writes Peter Chalk.
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Nov 25, 2008
Peter Chalk
Threat Assessment

commentary
Obama's First International Crisis
When Sen. Joe Biden observed during the presidential campaign that a new President Barack Obama
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Nov 16, 2008
Brian Michael Jenkins @BrianMJenkins
Afghanistan

commentary
Talk to the Taliban? Not Now
As new U.S. Central Command chief Gen. David Petraeus got a firsthand look at the worsening security situation in Afghanistan last week, he heard from some U.S., British and Afghan officials that the best way forward is to engage in peace talks with the Taliban. Such talks have already even tentatively begun. This is a bad idea.
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Nov 11, 2008
Cheryl Benard
Iraq

commentary
Know Your Enemy: From Iraq to Afghanistan
More U.S. service members have been killed or injured over the last two months in Afghanistan than in Iraq. And most experts agree that an Al Qaeda-orchestrated attack on the U.S. homeland would likely be plotted from their sanctuary in these border areas.... Which is why, in our conflict against these terrorist and insurgent movements, we should step back and consider what we have learned from our recent successes in Iraq.
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Nov 9, 2008
Benjamin Bahney, Renny McPherson
commentary
Getting the Count Right
As the votes are finally counted, enormous questions remain about the reliability of voting machines.... Come Wednesday morning it may be nearly impossible to tell the difference between legitimate votes and those created or lost by the machines, writes Ian P. Cook
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Nov 4, 2008
Ian P. Cook