2015

China
commentary
China's Airfield Construction at Fiery Cross Reef in Context: Catch-Up or Coercion?
Michael S. Chase, Benjamin Purser
Aug 11, 2015
Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative, CSIS
Even if China really sees itself as undertaking legitimate activities to protect its rightful interests, it is not surprising that its rival claimants, as well as the United States and other countries in the region, see Beijing's island building activities as efforts to improve China's abilities to bully its neighbors.
Read More »
Global Climate Change
commentary
Climate Targets: Values and Uncertainty
Robert J. Lempert @RobertLempert
Aug 11, 2015
Nature Climate Change News and Views
Policymakers know that the risks associated with climate change mean they need to cut greenhouse-gas emissions. But uncertainty surrounding the likelihood of different scenarios makes choosing specific policies difficult.
Read More »
Cybercrime
announcement
Law Enforcement Cyber Center: A New Internet Resource for Combating Cybercrime
Sasha Romanosky, Laura Patton
Aug 11, 2015
The Law Enforcement Cyber Center provides vital information and resources to police chiefs, police officers, cybercrime investigators, and prosecutors.
Read More »
Alzheimer's Disease and Dementias
essay
Struggling with Dementia
Aug 10, 2015
The costs of dementia are staggering. A recent RAND analysis quantifies the scope of the problem in the United States and serves as a wake-up call to policymakers everywhere.
Read More »
International Diplomacy
commentary
Aung San Suu Kyi's Trip to China: Sino-Myanmar Relations as the Countdown to the November Elections Begins
Cristina L. Garafola @CLGarafola
Aug 10, 2015
China-US Focus
For Aung San Suu Kyi and the rest of the National League for Democracy (NLD) delegation, meeting with Chinese leadership provided a forum for bilateral engagement with one of Myanmar's most important neighbors in the region, relations that will expand given the NLD's likely success at the polls in November.
Read More »
Sleep
commentary
When the School Bell Tolls Too Early
Wendy M. Troxel @wendytroxel
Aug 10, 2015
The Park Record
School schedules can bring sleep-defying stresses to kids and teens. But there are strategies for parents to get their families 'sleep-ready' for the school year.
Read More »
Civil-Military Relations
commentary
Political Scientists and the Military
Paula G. Thornhill, Rachel Whitlark
Aug 10, 2015
War on the Rocks
For civilian academics interested in bridging the political science–military gap, five recommendations to acquire basic information about the military could encourage improved interaction, better policy-relevant scholarship, and an enhanced policy process.
Read More »
Prisoner Reentry
commentary
Obama Commutes Sentences of 46 Drug Offenders. Now for the Hard Part
Lois M. Davis @LoisMDavis
Aug 10, 2015
The Tampa Tribune
Last month, President Obama commuted more sentences in a single day than any president since Lyndon Johnson. But commutation doesn't erase a criminal conviction.
Read More »
Infectious Diseases
commentary
The Cost of Resistance and the Attack of the Microbes
Marco Hafner, Jirka Taylor
Aug 7, 2015
LifeZette
If left unaddressed, the threat posed by antimicrobial resistance and the rise of 'superbugs' could devastate the world economy and pose a deadly threat to humanity.
Read More »
Military Acquisition and Procurement
commentary
Apply Principles of Professional Change Management to Any Acquisition Reform, or Risk More Failure
Cynthia R. Cook @CynthiaRCook, Laura H. Baldwin @LauraHBaldwin
Aug 7, 2015
The Hill
If Congress enacts substantial changes to acquisition processes as part of the 2016 National Defense Authorization Act, then it has a responsibility to ensure that the DoD has the opportunity and resources to implement proven change management principles to increase the chances for its success.
Read More »
Nuclear Disarmament
commentary
Out of the Mushroom Cloud's Shadow
Jonathan Reid Hunt
Aug 6, 2015
Foreign Policy
With Japan's nuclear restraint no longer the article of faith it once was, the significance of the nuclear pacts struck decades ago will become ever more consequential.
Read More »
United States
blog
The 2015 Summer Reading List for Congress
Aug 5, 2015
With Capitol Hill slowing for August recess, this list of must-read research and commentaries will help ensure that policymakers are ready to dive right back in this fall.
Read More »
Emerging Technologies
commentary
How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Internet of Things
Martin C. Libicki
Aug 4, 2015
The RAND Blog
Late last month, Fiat Chrysler recalled 1.4 million cars to fix a defect that allowed hackers to imperil drivers from afar. In essence, what was considered a huge threat was converted into a solved or at least solvable problem.
Read More »
Iran
commentary
Opening Iran After the Nuclear Deal
Alireza Nader, Morad Ghorban
Aug 3, 2015
The Hill
The nuclear accord paves the way for Iranian-Americans to help Iranians know the United States not for past perceived misdeeds, but future possibilities.
Read More »
Health Care Quality Measurement
commentary
Can Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Improve Health Care?
Thomas W. Concannon @tconcannon
Jul 31, 2015
The BMJ
A review in 2017 of the adequacy and use of Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Trust Funds will be used to determine whether funding levels should be continued or adjusted after its authorization runs out in 2019. Researchers ought to take stock of the work in patient-centered outcomes research.
Read More »