December 2013

Terrorist Bombings
commentary
Why Did Terrorists Attack Volgograd?
Brian Michael Jenkins @BrianMJenkins
Dec 31, 2013
U.S. News & World Report
The Volgograd attacks have brought renewed world attention to the unresolved conflict in the turbulent Caucasus. The bombings no doubt have rattled Russian nerves. While Umarov's reputation among extremists will rise, President Putin's reputation as defender of Russia is at stake.
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Affordable Care Act
blog
RAND Health Reform Opinion Study Update: Positive Opinion on the ACA Continues to Rise
Katherine Grace Carman @KGCarman
Dec 30, 2013
The latest data from the RAND Health Reform Opinion Study indicates that positive opinion of the ACA continues to increase. The overall favorable rating is now as high as it was in late September, prior to the opening of the health insurance exchanges.
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Wildfires
commentary
Investing in Firefighting
Edward G. Keating, Andrew R. Morral @AndrewMorral, Daniel M. Norton, Dulani Woods
Dec 30, 2013
The Orange County Register
While the U.S. Forest Service has not completely agreed with RAND's proposal to transition to a fleet dominated by water-dropping scooper aircraft for fighting fires, they have leased one CL-415 scooper aircraft. It might be more cost-effective for the USFS to simply purchase it outright.
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Obesity
commentary
Five Myths About Obesity
Deborah A. Cohen
Dec 27, 2013
The Washington Post
The obesity epidemic is among the most critical health issues facing the United States. Although it has generated a lot of attention and calls for solutions, it also has served up a super-sized portion of myths and misunderstandings.
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International Diplomacy
commentary
China, the United States, and Great Power Diplomacy
Paul D. Miller
Dec 27, 2013
Foreign Policy
The United States doesn't care about a few islands half a world away, but it should care about how China throws its weight around, how it relates to its neighbors, and what it thinks it can get away with.
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Iran
commentary
A 'Nixon to China' Moment with Iran?
Richard H. Solomon
Dec 24, 2013
U.S. News & World Report
The current negotiations with Iran designed to eliminate its nuclear weapons capability seem to lack a broader strategic objective: stabilizing the Middle East with a regional balance of power. What does the China experience tell us about prospects for a strategic breakthrough with Iran?
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Fighter Aircraft
commentary
Do Joint Fighter Programs Save Money?
Mark A. Lorell
Dec 24, 2013
The RAND Blog
Joint aircraft programs have not historically saved overall life cycle cost. On average, such programs experienced substantially higher cost growth in acquisition (research, development, test, evaluation, and procurement) than single-service programs.
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Ukraine
commentary
Preserving Ukraine's European Choice
F. Stephen Larrabee
Dec 24, 2013
The RAND Blog and GlobalSecurity.org
The United States and the EU have a strong stake in keeping open a European option for Ukraine. A reorientation of Ukrainian policy back toward Russia would shift the strategic balance in Europe and have a negative impact on the prospects for democratic change on Europe's eastern periphery.
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Afghanistan
commentary
Presidential Candidates Need Multiethnic Consensus
Seth G. Jones
Dec 23, 2013
Council on Foreign Relations
While many policymakers and analysts focus on who will be the next president of Afghanistan, the more important question may be whether the country's Pashtun, Uzbek, Tajik, Hazara, and other major constituencies will support the 2014 election's outcome.
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Affordable Care Act
blog
RAND Health Reform Opinion Study Update: Positive Opinion on ACA Grows, Negative Opinion Stabilizes
Katherine Grace Carman @KGCarman
Dec 23, 2013
Last week we introduced the RAND Health Reform Opinion Study, a new way to measure public opinion of the Affordable Care Act. Negative opinion about the ACA seems to be stabilizing, while positive opinion is increasing. Those undecided about the ACA are decreasing.
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Syria
commentary
Should the United States End Assistance to Syria's Rebels?
Brian Michael Jenkins @BrianMJenkins
Dec 23, 2013
The RAND Blog and GlobalSecurity.org
The American investment in Syria thus far can be accurately described as timid and minimal. The United States can do more to assist the rebels without directly using American military power or sliding into a strategy of escalation.
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Russia
commentary
Putin's Pardons
Olga Oliker
Dec 23, 2013
The RAND Blog and GlobalSecurity.org
Few, if any, think that the amnesties just announced are a sea change in Russian domestic policy. Some speculate that they are an effort to dampen criticism of Russian human rights abuses, especially the anti-gay law, as Russia gears up for the Sochi Olympics this February.
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Diet and Eating Habits
commentary
'Tis the Season to Be Wary
Deborah A. Cohen
Dec 23, 2013
The RAND Blog
During the holiday season, a time when overindulgence is a tradition for many, food marketing creates especially serious challenges for people trying to limit their intake and make careful decisions about healthier eating.
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Ukraine
commentary
Ukraine's Murky Future
Olga Oliker
Dec 19, 2013
U.S. News & World Report
While some see Ukraine choosing between European-style democracy and economic, political, and cultural backwardness in Russia's shadow, the fact is that Ukraine faces a difficult and murky path in any direction. The country is in dire financial straits, needing billions in loans to avoid bankruptcy.
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Affordable Care Act
commentary
A New Way to Measure Public Opinion of Health Reform
Katherine Grace Carman @KGCarman
Dec 18, 2013
The RAND Blog
Whether the public will begin to settle on an overall positive or negative perception of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) is very much an open question. But understanding how opinion of the law evolves over time could offer valuable insight into Americans' appetite both for the ACA and for health reform more broadly.
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European Union
commentary
A Long-Term View for the EU: The Health of Nations
Stijn Hoorens @StijnHoorens
Dec 18, 2013
The RAND Blog
By shifting the strategic focus beyond growth and jobs, the successor of the current Europe 2020 Strategy should aim to invest in human capital and avoid sluggish productivity growth achieved at the expense of social inclusion, public health, education and skills, security or freedom.
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Central Africa
commentary
The Central African Republic Must Save Itself
Stephanie Pezard @StephaniePezard, Michael Shurkin @MichaelShurkin
Dec 13, 2013
U.S. News & World Report
The coincidence of the passing of Nelson Mandela last week with France's decision to intervene in the Central African Republic highlights a number of inconvenient truths about Africa and the role of the international community in its affairs.
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Sleep
commentary
Deadly Aftermath of 'Microsleep'
Wendy M. Troxel @wendytroxel
Dec 12, 2013
Newsday
Though “microsleep,” commonly referred to as “highway hypnosis,” may enter the public discourse most often when it's cited as the possible cause of a disaster like the Metro-North train wreck, it is responsible for fatal accidents on American highways every day.
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Alzheimer's Disease and Dementias
commentary
A Global Focus on Dementia
Regina A. Shih @ReginaShih
Dec 11, 2013
The RAND Blog
The Group of 8 industrial nations is convening a special session to seek an international approach to dementia research at a time the disease is being recognized as a 21st century global health crisis of historic proportions.
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Al Qaida
q&a
Whither al Qaeda: A 'Tri-alogue' with Brian Michael Jenkins, Seth Jones, and Andrew Liepman
Dec 10, 2013
Recent comments by key U.S. lawmakers have again raised the issue of where the United States is in its campaign against al Qaeda. This has left some to wonder if the terrorism threat is increasing and if Americans are not as safe as they were a year or two ago. Three senior RAND analysts offer their take.
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Health Care Workforce
commentary
Is There Really a Physician Shortage?
David I. Auerbach
Dec 6, 2013
The Health Care Blog
Large coverage expansions under the ACA have reignited concerns about physician shortages. These estimates result from models that forecast future supply and demand for physicians based on past trends and current practice. While useful exercises, they do not necessarily imply that intervening to boost physician supply would be worth the investment.
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Afghanistan
commentary
Afghanistan After the Drawdown
Paul D. Miller
Dec 6, 2013
Foreign Policy
It is relatively easy to criticize what's going wrong in Afghanistan. It is much harder to propose a realistic way forward. Seth Jones and Keith Crane in a new report, “Afghanistan After the Drawdown,” suggest a calibrated political and military approach that protects U.S. interests at a realistic level of manpower and investment.
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China
blog
No Easy Way Out for China After 'Air Defense Zone' Ratchets Up Tensions
Dec 4, 2013
The ongoing row between China and Japan over a chain of islands in the East China Sea escalated sharply last week when Beijing declared an “air defense zone” over the disputed territory. If China's intention was to force Japan to the negotiating table, Beijing's plan appears to have backfired.
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International Diplomacy
commentary
Thoughts on China's New Air Defense Zone Policy
Scott W. Harold @ScottWHarold
Dec 4, 2013
The RAND Blog
In response to an inquiry from The Nelson Report, RAND's Scott Harold offered some thoughts on China's new air defense zone policy and how Japan and South Korea could be brought closer together by their respective responses.
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Nuclear Sciences
announcement
RAND Is Accepting Applications for Stanton Nuclear Security Fellowships
Dec 4, 2013
The RAND Corporation is accepting applications for up to three Stanton Nuclear Security Fellows. The application deadline is February 10, 2014.
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Children and Families Legislation
commentary
The Time Is Ripe for Evidence
M. Rebecca Kilburn, Michael Frearson
Dec 2, 2013
The Alliance for Useful Evidence
Earlier this year, the European Commission renewed its commitment to promoting child well-being. One of the guidelines was to strengthen the use of evidence-based policy. This is noteworthy because it represents one of the first times that the EC has specifically advocated the use of evidence in policy making.
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Sleep
commentary
How to Sleep in Heavenly Peace This Holiday Season
Wendy M. Troxel @wendytroxel
Dec 2, 2013
The Huffington Post
The holiday season is a time when people try to do too much. And that often leads to stress and worry, which can be the enemies of a good night's sleep. Here are a few tricks to help manage the episodic bouts of insomnia that are common during the holidays.
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Employer Sponsored Health Insurance
commentary
Employer-Provided Health Insurance: Why Does It Persist, and Will It Continue after 2014?
Christine Eibner @Chrissyeibner
Dec 2, 2013
New England Journal of Medicine
As the ACA is implemented, policy makers should be attuned to potential inefficiencies and inequities created by a system with different regulatory and tax rules for small employers, large employers, and individual health plans. Attempts to equalize the playing field may be difficult.
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