2013

commentary

Could Terrorists Pull Off a Mumbai-Style Attack in the U.S.?

There is, at present, no known terrorist group in the United States that has the organization and human resources to assemble an operation of the complexity and scale of the Mumbai attack, writes Brian Michael Jenkins.

Brian Michael Jenkins @BrianMJenkins

q&a

Gulf War Illness: Still Looking for Answers

Bernard Rostker and Ross Anthony, RAND senior economists with expertise on Gulf War Illness (GWI), discuss a study by scientists at Georgetown University Medical Center that suggests the symptoms of GWI are biological in nature, and a GWI study RAND conducted more than a decade ago.

commentary

Wellness Now, Value Later

Wellness programs do in fact reduce health risks, like smoking and obesity, write Soeren Mattke and Kristin Van Busum. But resulting cost savings could not be detected, especially when compared to the costs of the programs.

Soeren Mattke, Kristin R. Van Busum

commentary

The Egyptian Military's Playbook

The Egyptian military, still bruised from its last stint in power, is likely to proceed with caution this time around. If it does intervene, it will likely seek some acquiescence from the Islamists and will want to quickly form an inclusive caretaker government.

Jeffrey Martini

commentary

A Frontier on Low Boil

Dozens of people were killed in a series of bomb blasts across Pakistan Sunday, just a week after 10 foreign mountain climbers and their Pakistani guide were shot and killed in Northern Pakistan. The attacks again demonstrated the Pakistan government's inability to prevent terrorist violence in certain areas.

Jonah Blank

announcement

Paddock Named Fellow of the American Statistical Association

The American Statistical Association named Susan Paddock as a 2013 ASA Fellow. She was honored for excellence in statistical applications to public policy research, for integrating innovative statistical methodology with substantive problems of national healthcare policy, and for noteworthy service to the profession.

commentary

Erdogan's Next Steps

Safeguarding Turkey's interests — and Erdogan's own political agenda — depends on Erdogan's willingness to adopt a more even-handed approach to his domestic opponents, writes F. Stephen Larrabee.

F. Stephen Larrabee

commentary

Egypt's Self-Fulfilling Prophesy

Rebel, or Tamarud, is a petition drive aimed at ousting President Morsi by collecting more signatures calling for his resignation than the number of votes he received in the 2012 elections. On June 30, the organizers will take to the streets in a rally that is likely to touch off clashes with security forces and Morsi's supporters.

Jeffrey Martini

commentary

The Middle East's Science Revolution?

Even as conflict rages, a wave of research and innovation in Arabian Gulf countries is bringing with it significant investment in science and research infrastructure — and even U.S.-style universities, writes Shelly Culbertson.

Shelly Culbertson @SC_Culbertson

commentary

To Help Africa, Do Business There

Competition from American industry would help drive Chinese firms to be more socially responsible and generate greater benefits for African communities, write Larry Hanauer and Lyle Morris.

Larry Hanauer, Lyle J. Morris

commentary

Metrics Mess Calls for an Umpire, Not a Purge

Bibliometricians, who have so far paid little attention to how their creations behave when released into the wild, should be monitoring how metrics are being applied and devising guidelines for best practice, writes Gemma Derrick.

Gemma Derrick

commentary

Before Piling on New Sanctions, Give Rouhani a Chance

The imposition of sanction after sanction without a clear diplomatic approach may convince Iran's leadership that the United States seeks regime implosion and overthrow rather than a solution to the nuclear crisis, write Alireza Nader and Colin H. Kahl.

Colin H. Kahl, Alireza Nader

blog

AcademyHealth Presents Ateev Mehrotra with Alice S. Hersh New Investigator Award

RAND congratulates physician researcher Ateev Mehrotra on receiving AcademyHealth's 2013 Alice S. Hersh New Investigator Award. The award recognizes early-career health services researchers who “show exceptional promise for future contributions.”

commentary

Book Review: 'Return of a King: The Battle for Afghanistan, 1839–42' by William Dalrymple

While Dalrymple's account of the British retreat is masterful, his effort to generate lessons for today is at times simplistic, writes Seth Jones. Massive social and political changes in Afghanistan make it thorny to pull many lessons from the first Anglo-Afghan war.

Seth G. Jones

blog

RAND Experts on Obama's Climate Speech

Tweets from RAND researchers during President Obama's climate speech on June 25, 2013.