2015

Security Cooperation
commentary
To Defeat ISIS, Focus on Its Real Sources of Strength
Benjamin Bahney, Patrick B. Johnston
Dec 4, 2015
The National Interest
The threat ISIS poses today is graver than ever for two reasons: its war chest and its ability to attract foreign recruits are both at their peak. Redoubling international efforts to cut off ISIS from these two pillars of its war machine is necessary to sap the group's strength.
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Military Acquisition and Procurement
commentary
Inside the Fish Bowl: High Stakes Acquisition Protests
Edward R. Harshberger, Obaid Younossi, Laura H. Baldwin @LauraHBaldwin, Frank Camm
Dec 3, 2015
Defense News
The Boeing-Lockheed Martin team filed a protest with the Government Accountability Office asserting that the U.S. Air Force's selection of Northrop Grumman to build the Long Range Strike-Bomber was fundamentally flawed. Work on the program, valued at approximately $80 billion, is now paused.
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Refugees
commentary
To Undermine ISIS, We Should Welcome Syrian Refugees
Kim Cragin, Ben Connable
Dec 3, 2015
Newsweek
Demonstrating American goodwill to Syrian refugees is the best way to help defeat ISIS and rehabilitate America's image in the chaotic Middle East.
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Syria
commentary
Will Syria's Civil War Turn Out Like Spain's Did?
Scott Savitz
Dec 2, 2015
The Washington Post
The similarities between the Syrian and Spanish civil wars, including foreign involvement and the level of brutality against civilians and captives, suggest that the Syrian war, like the Spanish one before it, could potentially foreshadow future conflicts.
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Security Cooperation
commentary
Book Review: 'Strategic Asia 2015–16, Foundations of National Power in the Asia-Pacific'
Timothy R. Heath
Nov 30, 2015
War on the Rocks
Which nations have the resources and motivations to either cooperate with or frustrate Washington's designs? What liabilities and assets reside with each country? The book, Strategic Asia 2015–16, surveys some of the most powerful nations in Asia with such questions in mind.
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Arctic Region
commentary
It's Getting Harder and Harder to Live on Top of the World
Timothy William James Smith
Nov 30, 2015
Newsweek
In September, a relatively new kind of storm, made possible due to larger swaths of ice-free Arctic Ocean, battered Barrow, Alaska, washing away chunks of coastline, threatening businesses, houses, and the freshwater supply. While mitigation efforts are necessary on a macro level, adaptation measures are needed now for such Arctic communities.
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Counterterrorism
commentary
Brussels Locked-Down Heartbeat: A View from Within
Ines von Behr, Sonja Thebes
Nov 27, 2015
The RAND Blog
To understand Molenbeek, the Brussels district that can be linked to most of the terror attacks on European soil in the past 18 months, it's necessary to examine the broader political and cultural context in Belgium.
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United Kingdom
commentary
The SDSR: A Step Forward, but Questions Remain
Hans Pung
Nov 27, 2015
The RAND Blog
The United Kingdom's Strategic Defence and Security Review contains a number of commitments that will be welcomed by defense and security experts. But some unanswered questions will play a critical role in determining the overall success of Britain's security strategy.
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Refugees
commentary
France Is Right to Stay the Course
Stephanie Pezard @StephaniePezard
Nov 25, 2015
U.S. News & World Report
President Hollande announced that 30,000 Syrian refugees would be welcomed in France, honoring the commitment France made to its European partners before the Paris attacks. Altering its policy would only give the terrorists what they want.
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Health Insurance Cost Sharing
commentary
What Happens If the ACA's Tax Credits Are Replaced with Premium Support?
Evan Saltzman, Christine Eibner @Chrissyeibner
Nov 24, 2015
The Commonwealth Fund Blog
As policymakers consider alternatives to reduce the federal government's financial burden from providing subsidies under the ACA, they should consider the consequences for enrollees. Existing premium-support models yield considerable savings for the federal government but could create age and income disparities in coverage.
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Global Climate Change
commentary
COP 21 Not a Silver Bullet on Climate Change
Robert J. Lempert @RobertLempert
Nov 24, 2015
The RAND Blog
The Paris climate conference cannot provide the engine that will drive a solution to the world's climate change challenge. Rather, it can best serve as a mediator that will help guide and structure the swirling, bottom-up process of radical change that is the best hope of preserving Earth's climate.
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Nuclear Sciences
announcement
RAND Is Accepting Applications for Stanton Nuclear Security Fellowships
Nov 23, 2015
RAND is accepting applications for up to three Stanton Nuclear Security Fellows. The application deadline is February 8, 2016. The program was created to stimulate the development of the next generation of thought leaders on nuclear security.
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Educational Program Evaluation
commentary
A Comprehensive Approach to Early Education
Gail L. Zellman, M. Rebecca Kilburn
Nov 23, 2015
U.S. News & World Report
A relatively new approach to improving long-term educational outcomes, called “preschool to third grade,” or P-3, focuses on the youngest students. Hawaii's recent initiative has been successful at raising third-grade reading scores.
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Security Cooperation
commentary
Improving the U.S. Security Assistance Model
Michael Shurkin
Nov 18, 2015
The Cipher Brief
The United States often approaches security assistance the same way it did in Vietnam, with the same results. A better way would be to focus on politics and shaping the political context.
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commentary
Flirting with Genocide in Burundi: Paying Attention Could Save Lives
Michael Shurkin
Nov 18, 2015
Newsweek
Burundi has been afflicted by political violence since April. President Pierre Nkurunziza, who helped bring peace to the country in the last decade, is risking everything for the sake of staying in power. He is dragging the country backwards after 10 years of progress.
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