2015

announcement

Harold and Colene Brown Endow Faculty Chair at Pardee RAND Graduate School

The Harold and Colene Brown Faculty Chair will enable exceptional RAND researchers and faculty to be in residence at the school each year, allowing them to work on independent research and provide mentorship and guidance to students.

commentary

ISIS Will Become More Deadly Before It Dies

The lesson with ISIS is straightforward. Western populations should be prepared for an upsurge in violence if ISIS continues to lose territory. There has already been a growth in attacks and plots across the West with operational or inspirational ties to ISIS.

Seth G. Jones

commentary

Insights on the Paris Terror Attacks from RAND Experts

RAND experts weigh in on what the wave of coordinated terror attacks across Paris means for France, the U.S.-led coalition against ISIS, the global refugee crisis, and more.

commentary

The French Way of War

There is a French way of warfare that reflects the French military's lack of resources and its modest sense of what it can achieve. They specialize in carefully apportioned and usually small but lethal operations, often behind the scenes.

Michael Shurkin

commentary

Step Aside, 'Screen Time.' Make Room for 'Screen Purpose.'

Technology is simply another way to communicate, learn, and play. It shouldn't automatically be regarded as a threat. Whether technology helps or harms children largely depends on how it is used.

Lindsay Daugherty

commentary

Bosnia Was Hard, Syria Is Harder

To find peace in Syria, cooperation among outside powers will be an essential first step. But before going forward, the great powers should soberly assess prospects for an enduring peace accord, as well as the resources required.

William Courtney @courtneywmh

commentary

Ensuring Robust Water Management Strategies in Lima-Callão, Peru

Water resource agencies around the world are grappling with how to make smart investments to ensure long-term water reliability at a time of unprecedented water stress, growing demands, uncertain climate change, and limited budgets.

Laura Bonzanigo, Nidhi Kalra, et al.

commentary

Why the Paris Terrorists Couldn't Be Stopped

Terrorists almost always have the advantage. Theoretically, they can attack anything, anywhere, anytime. And governments cannot protect everything, everywhere, all the time.

Brian Michael Jenkins @BrianMJenkins

commentary

Time to Prepare for the Unthinkable

Given ISIS's strategy, it seems only a matter of time before these extremists might attempt an attack in the United States. The irony is that the very rights that Americans hold so dear (liberty, privacy, freedom) place it at greater risk. So what should America do to prepare?

Daniel M. Gerstein @Daniel_Gerstein

commentary

Big Questions Facing France

In Paris, the heavily armed terrorists reportedly struck at six locations, including restaurants, a football stadium, and a theater during a rock concert. It seems clear the killers must have had some confederates. That would mean some terrorists are still at large.

Brian Michael Jenkins @BrianMJenkins

commentary

Implementing Education Reforms to Enhance School Performance

Although countries differ greatly in how their education systems are structured, financed, and the extent to which they are centralized, they share common obstacles that undermine reform success. Beyond the obvious steps of providing adequate resources and professional development, there are ways to improve the implementation of school-wide reforms.

Rita T. Karam

commentary

The Two Sides of Cybersecurity

Securing government networks is certainly necessary, but authorities should not lose sight of the need to couple their defense of America's networks with appropriate resources dedicated to combatting criminal, terrorist, and other threats in cyberspace.

Daniel M. Gerstein @Daniel_Gerstein

commentary

How Can Regulation Improve Quality of Care in the English Health Care System?

Inspections have become more prominent in England's approach to health service regulation as a way to identify problems before they occur. But the evidence of regulation contributing to better quality of care in different systems is scarce.

Christian Van Stolk

blog

What Is America's Role in the World?

One Night with RAND brought together leaders in business, philanthropy, government, academia, and media for a discussion about the international strategic choices that will shape the U.S. role in the world for years to come.

commentary

Is Winter Coming? Or, Our Russia Strategy

Many ask if Russian actions represent a new challenge to international order, and, if so, what is the best course of action to respond to it.

Michael Spirtas