2015

commentary

Congress Should Monitor Iran Deal, Not Keep Trying to Kill It

If Iranian compliance with the nuclear accord is Congress's goal, then legislators should focus on ensuring that the deal is effectively implemented.

Larry Hanauer

commentary

ISIS Plus Chemical Weapons Does Not Equal Apocalypse

The renewed use of chemical weapons on the battlefields of Iraq and Syria is a dangerous regional phenomenon, not an imminent global threat.

Scott Savitz

commentary

How to Lose a Civil War: Lessons for Afghanistan and Syria

Recently, both Syria and Afghanistan have seen battles that demonstrate anew the potential risks of seeking to defend exposed positions. Syrian leaders seem to have recognized that there are limits to the amount of territory its military can hold. Afghanistan's leaders would be well advised to come to the same conclusion.

James T. Quinlivan

commentary

U.S. Needs Larger Army, Not a Smaller One

To meet potential challenges in the Baltics and Korea while at the same time countering the existing terror threat posed by the Islamic State group and dealing with other problems that will doubtless emerge, the United States would need more troops, not less.

Timothy M. Bonds, Michael Johnson

commentary

How to Defeat a New Boko Haram in Mali

While there is a need for stepped up military and police efforts against the self-proclaimed Macina Liberation Front, Mali's policymakers and their international partners need to focus on countering revivalist Islam, ideally by promoting Mali's other Islamic traditions, while finding ways to calm the inter-communal competition.

Michael Shurkin

commentary

What Hurricane Katrina Taught Us About Community Resilience

Hurricane Katrina left a path of destruction, death, and suffering in its wake. Its recovery, halting and incomplete as it has been, has taught us valuable lessons about resiliency.

Alonzo L. Plough, Anita Chandra

commentary

One in Five Hourly Employees Working Overtime Not Properly Compensated

Most laws as old as the Fair Labor Standards Act regularly need tuning up. But its overtime provisions are complicated because some workers are exempt from being covered. A survey of more than 1,500 employed adults finds that employers are violating the rules.

Susann Rohwedder, Jeffrey B. Wenger

commentary

Paying for Telemedicine

Telehealth, delivering health services and information via technology, holds great promise. But more information is needed to determine what works and what doesn't.

Shira H. Fischer @ShiraFischer

commentary

China's Military Parade Highlights Its New Strategic Capabilities

China's elaborate military parade to mark the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II showcased some of the People's Liberation Army's newest high-tech weapons.

Michael S. Chase

commentary

Is It Time to Appoint a Data Security Czar?

Cybersecurity needs to become more of a priority for the government and private corporations. Whatever the solution, public and private officials need to do a better job of weighing the risk-benefit calculation of storing data on Internet-accessible computers and justifying data-handling protocols.

Susan M. Sohler Everingham, Lillian Ablon

announcement

RAND Hosts Cybersecurity Exercise

The discussion of cybersecurity should not be trapped within narrow technical, national security, or legal stovepipes and should include an examination of economic, civil, and societal factors. With that goal in mind, RAND hosted an analytic exercise on cybersecurity.

commentary

How School Choice Could Disadvantage Low-Income Students

The flexibility to allow Title I-A funds to follow students across schools has a certain appeal. But it could have negative consequences for some of the poorest students.

Andrew McEachin, Brian M. Stecher, et al.

commentary

The Strategic Value of Terrorism

While terrorists and criminals joining forces is certainly a scary thought, it's nothing new and not something that works as simply in practice as it does on a white board. Still, it's a threat worth watching.

Brian Michael Jenkins @BrianMJenkins

commentary

The Only Iran Deal Alternative Worth Considering

Now is the time for Washington to prove its leadership and implement the Iran nuclear deal. The alternative is a major diplomatic defeat for America and an unrestricted Iranian nuclear program.

Alireza Nader

commentary

Why Kim Jong Un Fears South Korean Propaganda

While the latest confrontation between North and South Korea appears to be ending peacefully, it provides insight into future North Korean provocations. Words as weapons can work when they are aimed at North Korea's internal politics and backed up by a strong South Korean response supported by the U.S.

Bruce W. Bennett @bwbennett