2011

Peacekeeping and Stability Operations

commentary
Security from the Bottom Up
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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Oct 7, 2011
TIME
Seth G. Jones
Health Legislation

commentary
Next Big Obstacle for Obama's Affordable Care Act? It's Not Just the Supreme Court
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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Oct 3, 2011
Christian Science Monitor
Laurie T. Martin, Ruth M. Parker
Highway Transportation

commentary
A System Under Strain
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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Sep 30, 2011
Innovation America, Aug/Sept 2011
Johanna Zmud
Al Qaida

commentary
Awlaki's Death Hits al-Qaeda's Social Media Strategy
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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Sep 30, 2011
BBC
Seth G. Jones
Afghanistan

commentary
Don't Overestimate Afghanistan Pessimism
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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Sep 29, 2011
Reuters blog, The Great Debate
James Dobbins @Jim_Dobbins
Teacher Incentives

commentary
The Debate over Teacher Merit Pay: A Freakonomics Quorum
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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Sep 20, 2011
Freakonomics
Julie A. Marsh
Counterterrorism

commentary
Is It Time to Withdraw from Afghanistan?
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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Sep 19, 2011
The New York Times Upfront
Seth G. Jones
Counterterrorism

commentary
The Transatlantic Impact of 9/11
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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Sep 13, 2011
RAND.org and GlobalSecurity.org
Lindsay Clutterbuck
Transportation Security

commentary
The Unmentionable Costs of Airline Security
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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Sep 13, 2011
Bloomberg Government
K. Jack Riley
Iran

commentary
Iran's Growing State of Civil Disobedience
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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Sep 8, 2011
PBS FRONTLINE
Alireza Nader
Counterterrorism

commentary
Five Myths about 9/11
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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Sep 2, 2011
The Washington Post
Brian Michael Jenkins @BrianMJenkins
Transportation Security

commentary
Is it Time to Consider a New Approach to Airline Security?
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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Sep 1, 2011
The Ripon Forum
Brian Michael Jenkins @BrianMJenkins
Modeling and Simulation

commentary
All Models Fail in Certain Situations
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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Aug 31, 2011
Financial Times
Krishna B. Kumar @kbkumar_
Emergency Preparedness

commentary
Quake a Disaster 'Drill' D.C. Flunked
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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Aug 29, 2011
CNN
Lynn E. Davis, Arthur L. Kellermann
Racial Equity

commentary
Dropping Out, Imprisoned or Killed: Disparities in Outcomes Faced by Young African American Men
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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Aug 26, 2011
Tavis Smiley on PBS
Lois M. Davis @LoisMDavis