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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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
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
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
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
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 @MMazarr
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 @MMazarr
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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