April 2015

Egypt
commentary
Seduced by a Strongman?
Jeffrey Martini
Apr 30, 2015
Foreign Affairs
It is not true that domestic politics can be quarantined from foreign policy. In fact, Egypt's domestic and foreign policies are becoming more entangled by the day. And that bleed-over should raise concerns.
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Drug Policy and Trends
commentary
Unprecedented Changes in Marijuana Policy
Beau Kilmer @BeauKilmer
Apr 30, 2015
Britannica Book of the Year
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.
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Immigration Legislation
commentary
The Forgotten Cornerstone in the Immigration Reform Debate
Daniel M. Gerstein @Daniel_Gerstein, Martina L. Melliand
Apr 30, 2015
The Hill
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.
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Security Cooperation
commentary
Shinzo Abe Visit Caps New Dawn in U.S.-Japan Relations
K. Jack Riley @K_Jack_Riley, Scott W. Harold @ScottWHarold
Apr 30, 2015
U.S. News & World Report
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.
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Traumatic Brain Injury
commentary
Traumatic Brain Injury Isn't Just an NFL Problem
Terri Tanielian @TerriTanielian
Apr 30, 2015
Washington Post PostEverything
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.
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Afghanistan
commentary
The Afghan Warlord with a Cheshire Cat Grin
S. Rebecca Zimmerman @_rebeccaz
Apr 30, 2015
Newsweek
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.
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Health and Wellness Promotion
commentary
Wellbeing Project to Weave Science Into Government Decisions
Anita Chandra
Apr 29, 2015
Santa Monica Daily Press
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.
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Workforce Diversity
blog
Scientific Workforce Diversity: A Conversation with Raynard Kington
Apr 28, 2015
Grinnell College president and RAND alumnus Raynard Kington discusses the need for (and reality of) diversity in the biomedical scientific workforce.
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Energy Consumption
essay
Power to the People: How Smart Grids Can Change the Way We Live
Apr 27, 2015
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?
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Underage Substance Use Prevention
commentary
What Works in Early Life to Prevent Tobacco and Alcohol Addiction?
Daniel Schweppenstedde
Apr 23, 2015
The RAND Blog
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.
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Patient Experience
commentary
More Long-Term Health Conditions, Poorer Health Care Experiences
Catherine L. Saunders, Charlotte Paddison
Apr 23, 2015
The RAND Blog
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.
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Migrants
commentary
What Does It Take to Rescue Migrants at Sea?
Giacomo Persi Paoli @GPersiPaoli
Apr 23, 2015
The RAND Blog
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.
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United States Department of Defense
commentary
Fixes for Risk Assessment in Defense
Michael J. Mazarr
Apr 22, 2015
War on the Rocks
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.
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United Kingdom
commentary
Letter from London
Paul Cornish
Apr 21, 2015
Carnegie Europe's Strategic Europe blog
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.
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Threat Assessment
commentary
Rethinking Risk in Defense
Michael J. Mazarr
Apr 20, 2015
War on the Rocks
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.
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Russia
commentary
Putin: Eyes Wide Shut
F. Stephen Larrabee
Apr 20, 2015
GlobalSecurity.org and The RAND Blog
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.
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Iran
commentary
Why the United States Needs to Be Patient with Iran
Alireza Nader
Apr 20, 2015
The National Interest
No one should expect miracles after a nuclear deal. Khamenei and his system will not change so easily. But Iranians have been patient. The United States should be as well.
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Politics and Government
commentary
Ukraine Crisis Is a Geopolitical Game Changer
Ian Bond, Denis Corboy, William Courtney @courtneywmh, Michael Haltzel, Richard Kauzlarich
Apr 17, 2015
U.S. News & World Report
Russia's aggression abroad and repression at home have altered the basic assumptions of earlier Western policy. By misjudging the tolerance for aggression in Europe, Moscow is bringing on the encirclement it fears. The West is now better prepared to deal with any further aggression and more confident that Ukraine's future will be as part of an enlarged Europe.
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Mathematics
q&a
The Statistician Is In: Q&A with Marc Elliott
Apr 17, 2015
Statistician Marc Elliott talks about the real-world impact his work has had, how his discipline lets him 'play in everyone else's sandbox,' and more.
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Parenting
commentary
MIECHV Reauthorization: Recommendations from Research
M. Rebecca Kilburn, Grace Evans
Apr 17, 2015
The RAND Blog
Funding for the Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting program was extended through fiscal year 2017, without policy changes. If Congress decides to make policy changes to MIECHV in the future, research on home visiting programs can inform recommendations.
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Military Veterans
commentary
Learning to Let Go
Kayla M. Williams
Apr 16, 2015
More Magazine
Kayla Williams discusses being a minority in the veterans' community, then finding a group of other female veterans, strangers who knew more about her life than many family members.
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The Internet
commentary
The Clash of Internet Civilizations: Why Neither Side Should Prevail
Daniel M. Gerstein @Daniel_Gerstein
Apr 10, 2015
Government Technology
The debate over net neutrality pits two opposing philosophies against each other — one pushing for the continued evolution of the Internet as an open information superhighway, the other asserting that the Internet's evolution needs to take more account of the many ways it is and will be used.
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Security Cooperation
commentary
Djibouti: Outpost of Stability in an Unstable Region
K. Jack Riley @K_Jack_Riley, Seth G. Jones
Apr 10, 2015
The Hill
The collaborative role being played by the United States and Djibouti represents the kind of partnerships that are now required in the battle against terrorism, because little-known places like Djibouti are one arena where the battle could be won or lost.
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Military Personnel
commentary
The Most Enduring Lesson: People
James A. Blackwell, Michael J. Mazarr, Don Snider
Apr 10, 2015
Army Acquisition, Logistics and Technology Magazine
Given the complex, technology-heavy, and conceptually-nuanced environment of today's military, the quality of military personnel is the dominant form of competitive advantage. All the services today place maintaining a high-quality force at the top of their list of priorities.
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Iran
commentary
Don't Call It a Shakeup: Why the Nuclear Deal Won't Change U.S. Regional Politics
Dalia Dassa Kaye
Apr 10, 2015
Foreign Affairs
The United States can't wait for a final nuclear deal with Iran to begin thinking through how to manage its aftermath. The challenges ahead are already clear. Washington should prepare for them by setting aside old formulas that have failed to advance stability.
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Biological Weapons and Warfare
commentary
To Know the Future of Biological Weapons, Look to the Past
Daniel M. Gerstein @Daniel_Gerstein
Apr 10, 2015
U.S. News & World Report
A panel chaired by former Sen. Joe Lieberman and former Gov. Tom Ridge will review U.S. policy on biodefense. Looking back to the end of the U.S. offensive biological warfare program would provide valuable lessons.
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Pittsburgh
commentary
Building the Best Pittsburgh Possible
Susan S. Sohler Everingham
Apr 9, 2015
p4 Blog
Pittsburgh's journey toward its bright future has only just begun. To realize its potential, the city needs a vision as well as an innovative, inclusive, and data-driven approach to community development.
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Early Childhood Education
q&a
Investing in Kids Can Yield High Returns: Q&A with Lynn A. Karoly
Apr 8, 2015
The Center for High Impact Philanthropy
There is strong evidence of large potential economic returns to investing in high quality early childhood programs, but that doesn't mean that every program will generate equally large returns. Many programs likely have a “threshold” of quality and intensity that needs to be achieved in order to register positive returns.
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Nutrition Policy
commentary
Food Providers: Regulators Should Insist They 'First, Do No Harm'
Deborah A. Cohen @DrDebCohen
Apr 8, 2015
The RAND Blog
Everyone needs food, water, and shelter, yet society offers protective standards and regulations for just two of these three essentials. Food regulations focus on preventing illnesses like botulism, but when it comes to chronic diseases like obesity and diabetes, regulations offer little protection to U.S. consumers.
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Iran
q&a
RAND Experts Q&A on the Iran Nuclear Framework
Apr 6, 2015
The RAND Blog
President Barack Obama hailed last week's framework for an Iranian nuclear accord as a 'historic understanding,' and there was celebration in Iran, but many challenges remain.
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Civil-Military Relations
commentary
A Funny Thing Happened When These Military Officers and Academics Got Together
Paula G. Thornhill
Apr 6, 2015
Defense One
If senior military officers and academics find themselves divided, is there a way to build respect and trust earlier in their careers? A tabletop exercise suggested that the best way to bridge the civilian-military divide is not via large conferences or formal papers. Instead, it can be done by building trust, one person at a time, over time.
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China
commentary
China's North Korean Challenge
Andrew Scobell, Mark R. Cozad
Apr 3, 2015
Lawfare
China's North Korea policy seems to suffer from inertia and fear of upsetting the fragile status quo. The enduring goal is to defend Beijing's vital interests by all necessary means. These include preventing domestic insecurity and maintaining a stable buffer state at the gateway to China's political and economic heartland.
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Missile Defense
q&a
South Korea's Missile-Defense System Decision: Q&A with Bruce Bennett
Apr 3, 2015
The RAND Blog
What might it mean if the U.S. deploys the terminal high-altitude air defense missile system known as THAAD in South Korea? Chinese pressure on South Korea to not allow THAAD deployment has become a major regional security issue.
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