The RAND Blog

March 2010

Health Legislation

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Early Diagnoses of the New Law
Can the health care system handle the demands of 30 million-plus new customers?, asks Elizabeth McGlynn.
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Mar 30, 2010
NYTimes.com
Elizabeth A. McGlynn
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The Upside of Snowmageddon
The city's lame response shows, yet again, why we need more cooperation among local governments.
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Mar 28, 2010
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Susan M. Sohler Everingham, Stuart S. Olmsted, et al.
Health Care Reform

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Scorecard for New Health Reform Legislation
How close do you think that the health care reform plan would come, in reality, to achieving each goal? On a scale of 1 to 10, 10 is extremely close, and 1 is not at all close.
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Mar 26, 2010
National Journal
Elizabeth A. McGlynn
Transportation Security

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What We Can Learn from the Christmas Day Bombing Attempt
President Obama's nominee to lead the Transportation Security Administration said he would like U.S. airport screening to more closely resemble Israel's. Perhaps attention is turning to what really matters about the attempted bombing of Northwest Flight 253: what it can teach us about aviation security, write
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Mar 26, 2010
The Washington Post
Brian Michael Jenkins @BrianMJenkins, Bruce Butterworth, et al.
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Health Care: Myths, Realities
To clear up some of the confusion about the newly approved health care legislation, Elizabeth McGlynn debunks some common misconceptions about the bill.
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Mar 23, 2010
The San Diego Union-Tribune online
Elizabeth A. McGlynn
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Below the Radar
The string of recent arrests involving American citizens in terror plots against the U.S. have highlighted what appears to be a trend in transnational Islamist terrorism: growing domestic radicalization, writes Peter Chalk.
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Mar 18, 2010
NYTimes.com
Peter Chalk
Military Doctrine

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Dueling Doctrines: Mullen vs. Powell? Or Mullen & Powell vs. Rumsfeld?
Reflecting changes in the American approach to counterinsurgency, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Mullen recently enunciated a new and apparently more restrained doctrine for the use of armed force. But is this really a repudiation of the so-called Powell Doctrine, asks James Dobbins.
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Mar 17, 2010
Proceedings, a magazine of the U.S. Naval Institute
James Dobbins @Jim_Dobbins
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The Cost Of Reuniting Korea
Prospects for reuniting South and North Korea may be better than at any time since the demise in 1994 of North Korea's "Great Leader," Kim Il Sung. Several indicators suggest a possible move in this direction, writes Charles Wolf Jr.
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Mar 15, 2010
Forbes.com
Charles Wolf, Jr.
Terrorism Threat Assessment

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Jihad Jane and the Risk of Domestic Terrorism
The revelation of the arrest in October of Colleen Renee LaRose, who had adopted the pathetically predictable nom de guerre Jihad Jane, once again focuses national attention on homegrown terrorism. But while worrisome, this threat needs to be kept in perspective, writes Brian Michael Jenkins.
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Mar 12, 2010
AOL News
Brian Michael Jenkins @BrianMJenkins
Terrorism Threat Assessment

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How Can We Keep Los Angeles Secure?
High-ranking officials in Washington tell Americans that the threat from terrorists—principally self-radicalized homegrown terrorists—is high. Do terrorists pose a threat to Los Angeles? asks Brian Michael Jenkins.
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Mar 5, 2010
LAmag.com
Brian Michael Jenkins @BrianMJenkins
Crime

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Do Higher Crime Rates Cause a Decrease in Religiosity?
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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Mar 1, 2010
ScienceandReligionToday.com
Paul Heaton