2015

blog

Hurricane Katrina: 10 Years After the Storm

This weekend marks 10 years since Hurricane Katrina ravaged the Gulf Coast. As the region struggled to cope and rebuild after the storm, RAND experts worked on solutions to the region's long-term challenges.

commentary

A Better Deal for Iran

It is critical for lawmakers to understand there will be serious consequences for rejecting the Iran deal. And those consequences look a lot worse for the United States and its partners than for Iran.

Dalia Dassa Kaye

commentary

Afghanistan, Choose Your Enemies Wisely

The Taliban's new leadership may be the last decent opportunity for a political solution to the conflict. Without a solution, the Islamic State could make Afghanistan the next Iraq or Syria.

Jeffrey Eggers

commentary

In Afghanistan, the Glass Is Still Better Seen as Half Full: A Response to Gary Owen

While things are certainly not “great” in Afghanistan, there are more reasons for hope than many had expected to see by this point in the transition from a large U.S. presence to a greatly reduced one.

Stephen Watts, Sean Mann

essay

Interdependence Day: Contending with a New Global Order

A team of RAND experts took a sober look at the threats facing the United States and developed a playbook of strategies to address them.

commentary

China at Home: Marrying Prosperity and Well-Being

As China strives to sustain its upward economic trajectory, it must also address its domestic problems—such as its air pollution and the challenges presented by its aging population—if its people are to share fully in the rewards of economic development and expansion.

Michael D. Rich @michaeldrich

commentary

Control Disease in a New York Minute

Legionella bacteria are ubiquitous in many warm-water environments, but outbreaks of Legionnaires' disease like the recent one in the South Bronx don't have to be. Effective public health policies and practices can help inhibit Legionella growth, minimize the occurrence and impact of outbreaks, and save lives.

Shoshana R. Shelton, Melinda Moore

commentary

20 Years Later, the Lessons of Bosnia-Herzegovina

U.S. intervention in Bosnia ended the fighting, bought time for a political solution to be reached, and halted the humanitarian crisis. But 20 years later, the prospects for lasting peace and a true multiethnic society to emerge in Bosnia are not encouraging.

Daniel M. Gerstein @Daniel_Gerstein

commentary

One State Over the Status Quo

If the next U.S. administration were to conclude that perpetuating the Israeli-Palestinian status quo for another eight years was unacceptable or unachievable, it might begin speaking of the one-state solution not as its preferred outcome, but as one more acceptable than no solution at all.

James Dobbins @Jim_Dobbins

commentary

Is Concern About Powdered Alcohol Distracting from More Serious Drinking Problems?

Powdered alcohol is at this point a curiosity, not a threat. Americans should be more worried about the health problems caused by widespread misuse of liquid alcohol.

Kimberly A. Hepner @KimberlyHepner

commentary

Loose Clicks Sink Ships: When Social Media Meets Military Intelligence

Social media updates can reveal military intelligence. But stopping a soldier from posting a geotagged tweet or Instagram photo presents challenges.

Douglas Yeung @DouglasCYeung, Olga Oliker

commentary

The Ramifications of Repealing the Individual Mandate

As part of its goal of near-universal coverage, the Affordable Care Act requires most Americans to obtain insurance or pay a penalty. Repealing that requirement would significantly reduce health insurance enrollment and cause individual market premiums to rise.

Evan Saltzman, Christine Eibner @Chrissyeibner

commentary

Eurasia Facing Tough Choices for the Future

There is much to be said for Eurasia's rich ethnic, national, religious, and cultural diversity. In the economic sphere, however, Eurasians should reassess bad habits, such as weak property rights, centralized state control, and associated corruption.

William Courtney @courtneywmh

commentary

Pakistan's Shocking Strategic Shift

Pakistan's security policies have experienced striking but underappreciated shifts since 2001 along three dimensions: aggressive behavior, strategic orientation, and self-examination. These shifts warrant a reexamination by international security analysts of their of assumptions about Pakistan and their theories of strategic stability and instability in South Asia.

Sameer Lalwani

commentary

Algeria: The Bastion of North Africa

Algeria could be a key regional partner for the United States and France in security and counterterrorism efforts against Al Qaeda and the Islamic State. It has a clear interest in quelling the threat posed by regional jihadists and it has local knowledge that could be helpful to U.S. counterterrorism efforts.

Christopher S. Chivvis, Amanda Kadlec