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  1. RAND
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  3. >Blog posts from 2013
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The RAND Blog

2013

  • Indian Army BMP-2 IFV combat vehicle
    Military Budgets and Defense Spending

    commentary

    Modernisation and Austerity

    In a time of austerity, strategic planning is about prioritisation. How should India prioritise its future military modernisation to meet its envisioned security requirements? Each of the three services can claim urgent need.

    Read More »

    Sep 16, 2013

    The Indian Express

    Christopher Clary, Vipin Narang

  • Afghan men shout anti-U.S. slogans during a demonstration
    International Diplomacy

    commentary

    10 Reasons U.S. Influence Has Fallen in the Middle East

    By most assessments, U.S. influence in the Middle East has dramatically declined since the Arab uprisings began in January 2011. Critics have blamed this on inept diplomacy by the current administration, but this is only a partial explanation for America's loss of authority in the region.

    Read More »

    Sep 16, 2013

    Slate

    Brian Michael Jenkins @BrianMJenkins

  • Inmates in a classroom at the Orange County jail
    Recidivism

    commentary

    To Stop Prisons' Revolving Door

    If California wants to reduce its prison population, it needs to address recidivism, and the best way to do this is through education and job training. Cutting education and vocational training may seem like a tempting way to plug short-term budget gaps, but it actually ends up costing the system more over time.

    Read More »

    Sep 16, 2013

    Los Angeles Times

    Lois M. Davis @LoisMDavis

  • physicians with critical care patient
    Emergency Medical Services

    commentary

    What to Do About 'Futile' Critical Care

    There are times when no amount of care, however cutting-edge it is, will save a patient. In these instances, further critical care is said to be “futile.” This type of treatment is not uncommon in intensive care units, and that raises some uncomfortable questions.

    Read More »

    Sep 13, 2013

    The Health Care Blog

    Neil S. Wenger

  • U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry shakes hands with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov
    Russia

    blog

    Examining the Diplomatic Option in Syria

    The United States' options in Syria are all miserable, but the Russian proposal appears to be the least miserable of the lot, says Bruce Bennett.

    Read More »

    Sep 12, 2013

  • Italy's Prime Minister Enrico Letta, U.S. President Barack Obama, and Britain's Prime Minister David Cameron attend the working dinner after the session of the G20 Summit in Strelna near St. Petersburg, September 5, 2013
    Security Cooperation

    commentary

    A Not-So-Special Relationship?

    While the House of Commons vote against Britain's participation in a military strike against Syria was largely attributable to short-term miscalculations on Cameron's part, it also reflects important long-term trends that could complicate U.S.-British ties and weaken the traditionally strong bonds between the two countries.

    Read More »

    Sep 11, 2013

    U.S. News & World Report

    F. Stephen Larrabee

  • Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javed Zarif speaking at a news conference in Baghdad, September 8, 2013
    International Diplomacy

    commentary

    What to Do Now? Iran Torn on Syria

    Iran has a strategic interest in opposing chemical weapons due to its own horrific experience during the 1980–1988 war with Iraq. But it also has compelling reasons to continue supporting Damascus. The Syrian regime is Iran's closest ally in the Middle East and the geographic link to its Hezbollah partners in Lebanon.

    Read More »

    Sep 11, 2013

    The Iran Primer, USIP

    Alireza Nader

  • People walk through the 9-11 Empty Sky memorial across from New York's One World Trade Center at Liberty State Park in Jersey City, NJ
    Terrorism Threat Assessment

    blog

    What Has America—and Its Enemies—Learned Since 9/11?

    The attacks on September 11, 2001 provoked America's global campaign against terrorism and jump-started the nation's efforts to improve intelligence, airport security, and emergency preparedness. Meanwhile, al Qaeda, while weakened by the death of its leader in 2011, still generates fear. RAND experts continue to examine U.S. policy options, recommend strategy, and shed light on various aspects of the terrorism threat.

    Read More »

    Sep 11, 2013

  • Free Syrian Army fighters aim their weapons during clashes with forces loyal to Assad
    Chemical Weapons and Warfare

    commentary

    Punishing the Wicked in Syria

    The international community has once again defined a global standard of “the wicked” against whom sovereign states have a duty to fight, writes Paul D. Miller. Instead of pirates and cannibals, it is war criminals and genocidaires. This appears to be the implicit argument for military action against Syria.

    Read More »

    Sep 10, 2013

    RealClearDefense

    Paul D. Miller

  • Syrian-Americans rallying outside the U.S. Capitol in favor of proposed U.S. military action
    Military Strategy

    commentary

    Objectives in Syria? Look at U.S. Targets

    If you want to understand the Obama administration's objectives in Syria, don't just listen to what officials say — watch what they bomb, writes Seth G. Jones. There are at least four sets of potential political objectives. Each is linked to a different set of targets.

    Read More »

    Sep 10, 2013

    Politico

    Seth G. Jones

  • boys exiting a school bus
    School Services

    commentary

    America's Great Yellow School Buses

    One of the things taken for granted in the United States is the vast network of school buses—about 26 million children ride 480,000 buses every day. But in other parts of the world, getting millions of children to and from the right school, on time, safely, and for a reasonable cost is a significant challenge.

    Read More »

    Sep 9, 2013

    Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

    Shelly Culbertson @SC_Culbertson

  • USS Normandy (CG-60) conducts Tomahawk missile 500th operational test launch (OTL-495) July 20 off Southern Florida.
    International Diplomacy

    blog

    Five Views on U.S. Military Action in Syria

    RAND experts offer insights into the potential scope of U.S. action in Syria and the ramifications it could have on Iran, Israel, al Qaeda, and the Assad regime.

    Read More »

    Sep 9, 2013

  • Ousted Yugoslav President Milosevic (center) with Yugoslav Defence Minister Ojdanic (left) and Serbian Police Minister Stojiljkovic (right) June 14, 1999
    Military Strategy

    commentary

    Limited U.S. Military Strikes Do Not Unseat Dug-in Dictators

    Like the measured attacks that may soon strike Syrian targets, America's first military attacks on Serbia, Libya, Iraq, Sudan, and Afghanistan were not aimed at regime change. Their purpose was to retaliate for attacks or coerce changes in policy.

    Read More »

    Sep 9, 2013

    The RAND Blog and GlobalSecurity.org

    Brian Michael Jenkins @BrianMJenkins

  • California Air National guardsmen perform precision water bucket drops near Yosemite
    Wildfires

    commentary

    The Desirability of 'Free' C-27s for the U.S. Forest Service

    Although we believe that a scooper-centric firefighting aircraft portfolio for initial attack would still be preferred, Air Force-provided 1,850-gallon C-27Js could be a cost-effective component of the retardant-bearing portion of the Forest Service's airborne firefighting arsenal, write Edward G. Keating and Daniel M. Norton.

    Read More »

    Sep 6, 2013

    The RAND Blog

    Edward G. Keating, Daniel M. Norton

  • U.N. chemical weapons investigation team in Damascus
    Arms Proliferation and Control

    commentary

    US Should Keep Focus on Syria, Not Iran

    Those arguing for US-led airstrikes based on the premise of preventing a precedent with Iran would only make it easier for Iran and Syria to paint military action against the brutal Assad regime as an Israeli-inspired scheme rather than a regionally and internationally supported option, writes Dalia Dassa Kaye.

    Read More »

    Sep 6, 2013

    Al-Monitor

    Dalia Dassa Kaye

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