2011

Peacekeeping and Stability Operations
commentary
Security from the Bottom Up
Seth G. Jones
Oct 7, 2011
TIME
If the Afghan government is to have a chance of defeating the Taliban, its national-security forces must successfully leverage the country's many competing factions, village by village, writes Seth G. Jones.
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Health Legislation
commentary
Next Big Obstacle for Obama's Affordable Care Act? It's Not Just the Supreme Court
Laurie T. Martin, Ruth M. Parker
Oct 3, 2011
Christian Science Monitor
The success of the Affordable Care Act to enroll those newly eligible in an appropriate insurance plan depends on clear communication to individuals who have limited health literacy, write Laurie T. Martin and Ruth M. Parker.
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Highway Transportation
commentary
A System Under Strain
Johanna Zmud
Sep 30, 2011
Innovation America, Aug/Sept 2011
Our transportation future will be multi-layered and complex—bounded by transportation infrastructure that is under-funded on the one hand and ever-expanding congestion and capacity constraints on the other, writes Johanna Zmud.
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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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Afghanistan
commentary
Don't Overestimate Afghanistan Pessimism
James Dobbins @Jim_Dobbins
Sep 29, 2011
Reuters blog, The Great Debate
Multiple polls commissioned by independent news and other organizations consistently reveal an Afghan population that sees improvement in its well-being, has a favorable view of its government and is optimistic about its future, writes James Dobbins.
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Teacher Incentives
commentary
The Debate over Teacher Merit Pay: A Freakonomics Quorum
Julie A. Marsh
Sep 20, 2011
Freakonomics
Motivation alone does not improve schools. Even if incentives inspire staff to improve practices or work together, educators may not have the capacity or resources to bring about improvement, writes Julie Marsh.
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Counterterrorism
commentary
Is It Time to Withdraw from Afghanistan?
Seth G. Jones
Sep 19, 2011
The New York Times Upfront
Without the support of U.S. troops, the Afghan government would likely collapse to Taliban forces, backed by neighboring Pakistan, writes Seth G. Jones.
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Transportation Security
commentary
The Unmentionable Costs of Airline Security
K. Jack Riley @K_Jack_Riley
Sep 13, 2011
Bloomberg Government
For most of the past decade, the U.S. has pursued policies with very little regard to the costs they impose on travelers or the net reduction in risk that they generate, writes K. Jack Riley.
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Counterterrorism
commentary
The Transatlantic Impact of 9/11
Lindsay Clutterbuck
Sep 13, 2011
RAND.org and GlobalSecurity.org
By June 2002 the EU and its 15 member states had passed into law its first Framework Decision on Combating Terrorism. It set out legally binding actions to facilitate and harmonize counterterrorism efforts across the EU, writes Lindsay Clutterbuck.
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Iran
commentary
Iran's Growing State of Civil Disobedience
Alireza Nader
Sep 8, 2011
PBS FRONTLINE
A typical Iranian has many reasons to disobey the government, whether he or she is young, an ethnic minority, a poor teacher or laborer, or a struggling student, writes Alireza Nader.
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Counterterrorism
commentary
Five Myths about 9/11
Brian Michael Jenkins @BrianMJenkins
Sep 2, 2011
The Washington Post
Fear has made al-Qaeda the world's top terrorist nuclear power, yet it possesses not a single nuke. This is a lesson in how terrorism works, writes Brian Michael Jenkins.
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Transportation Security
commentary
Is it Time to Consider a New Approach to Airline Security?
Brian Michael Jenkins @BrianMJenkins
Sep 1, 2011
The Ripon Forum
It may be possible that the development and deployment of improved security technologies and reconfigurations of security checkpoints will keep security one step ahead of terrorist adversaries, but it also may be an appropriate time to explore fundamentally new approaches, writes Brian Michael Jenkins.
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Modeling and Simulation
commentary
All Models Fail in Certain Situations
Krishna B. Kumar @kbkumar_
Aug 31, 2011
Financial Times
Perhaps fiscal and monetary policies have not been effective in the U.S. because the underlying problems may be structural. A key problem facing the technology-laden globalized U.S. economy is the gap between skills that employers demand and the unemployed have.
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Emergency Preparedness
commentary
Quake a Disaster 'Drill' D.C. Flunked
Lynn E. Davis, Arthur L. Kellermann
Aug 29, 2011
CNN
Fortunately for the nation's capitol, Hurricane Irene and the East Coast earthquake proved to be relatively minor events, as far as disasters go. But before everyone breathes a sigh of relief, it would be wise to reflect on how people responded to what were essentially dress rehearsals for much bigger events, write Lynn E. Davis and Arthur L. Kellermann.
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Racial Equity
commentary
Dropping Out, Imprisoned or Killed: Disparities in Outcomes Faced by Young African American Men
Lois M. Davis @LoisMDavis
Aug 26, 2011
Tavis Smiley on PBS
Boys and men of color—in particular, young African American men—are particularly vulnerable to racial and ethnic disparities. That such disparities exist should surprise no one. Nor should the fact that such disparities diminish the life chances of those affected, writes Lois M. Davis.
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