April 2015

commentary

Unprecedented Changes in Marijuana Policy

The marijuana policy landscape changed dramatically in 2014. Legal sales for nonmedical purposes began in Colorado and in Washington state. Voters in Washington, D.C., Alaska, and Oregon passed initiatives to liberalize their marijuana laws. Uruguay also started implementing its marijuana legalization law.

Beau Kilmer @BeauKilmer

commentary

The Forgotten Cornerstone in the Immigration Reform Debate

The Executive Office for Immigration Review manages the U.S. immigration court system and thereby plays a pivotal role in assuring the timely processing of foreign nationals and the security of the nation and its borders. It should not be left out of discussions of immigration reform.

Daniel M. Gerstein @Daniel_Gerstein, Martina L. Melliand

commentary

Shinzo Abe Visit Caps New Dawn in U.S.-Japan Relations

A shift toward “collective self-defense” will allow Japan to take joint military action with its allies even when it is not directly attacked and thereby participate in security measures beyond its borders. Prime Minister Abe's trip to Washington this week is intended to cement Japan's deepening bilateral security alliance with the U.S.

K. Jack Riley @K_Jack_Riley, Scott W. Harold

commentary

Traumatic Brain Injury Isn't Just an NFL Problem

Chris Borland retired early out of concern for his long-term mental and emotional health as a result of football's well-documented link to traumatic brain injury. Hopefully, his bold move will lead to better prevention and treatment of brain trauma in football, but it is also an issue for young athletes, military veterans, and others.

Terri Tanielian

commentary

The Afghan Warlord with a Cheshire Cat Grin

Matiullah Khan was an Afghan militia leader turned police chief whose rise to power demonstrated both the dangers and opportunities posed by the lack of governance in Afghanistan. The victim of a Taliban suicide bomber, his death left a power vacuum that persists today. His successor, Gulab Khan, was murdered last week.

S. Rebecca Zimmerman

commentary

Wellbeing Project to Weave Science Into Government Decisions

Wellbeing is about individuals having the skills and opportunity to live a meaningful life. There are countless things that cities do that either contribute or detract from that sense of meaning. Santa Monica's Wellbeing Project is working to fundamentally change how the government thinks about its citizens.

Anita Chandra

blog

Scientific Workforce Diversity: A Conversation with Raynard Kington

Grinnell College president and RAND alumnus Raynard Kington discusses the need for (and reality of) diversity in the biomedical scientific workforce.

essay

Power to the People: How Smart Grids Can Change the Way We Live

A modernized, 'smart' grid could change how much you pay for electricity, where it comes from, and how likely you are to lose it in a summer storm. But has the reality of the smart grid kept pace with the promise?

commentary

What Works in Early Life to Prevent Tobacco and Alcohol Addiction?

Tobacco and alcohol addiction are widespread public health risks across the European Union. Both merit tackling at a young age. Evidence-based, early interventions are available that can be applied in small-scale settings to prevent underage alcohol and tobacco abuse.

Daniel Schweppenstedde

commentary

More Long-Term Health Conditions, Poorer Health Care Experiences

Patients with multiple long-term health conditions are more likely to report poorer experiences in primary care than those with fewer health problems. A patient-centered model that takes into account the severity of disease — and the impact of combinations of diseases, on patient quality of life and health care experiences — could make a difference.

Catherine L. Saunders, Charlotte Paddison

commentary

What Does It Take to Rescue Migrants at Sea?

European Union leaders gathered today for an emergency summit to discuss a concerted response to the humanitarian disaster unfolding in the Mediterranean Sea. As a former officer serving aboard an Italian Navy warship deployed in Operation Mare Nostrum in November 2013, Giacomo Persi Paoli is well aware of the challenges.

Giacomo Persi Paoli

commentary

Fixes for Risk Assessment in Defense

Defense Department approaches to risk management could be improved if they focused on complex strategic judgments — questions on which information is imperfect, dozens of variables interact in nonlinear ways, and human choice and agency generate unpredictable patterns.

Michael J. Mazarr @MMazarr

commentary

Letter from London

There is evidence of decisiveness and clarity in the UK's foreign policy outlook. Yet there is also ambivalence, partly explained by preelection domestic politics, some aspects of which challenge the very notion of the UK as a unitary foreign policy actor.

Paul Cornish

commentary

Rethinking Risk in Defense

The way the United States uses risk in national security has too often been ill-defined and misleading. The country needs a more focused and precise understanding of risk at the highest levels. In the process of developing one, risk processes should be judged by how they contribute to the making of effective strategy.

Michael J. Mazarr @MMazarr

commentary

Putin: Eyes Wide Shut

The Russia that the United States faces today is more assertive and more unpredictable—and thus, in many ways, more dangerous—than the Russia that the U.S. confronted during the latter part of the Cold War.

F. Stephen Larrabee