2016

Refugees
commentary
Battered by War, Syrian Refugee Kids Need to Be Taught
Shelly Culbertson @SC_Culbertson, Louay Constant
Jan 15, 2016
Newsweek
More than 700,000 Syrian refugee children are not receiving formal education. Host countries are struggling to create enough spaces to accommodate them in schools, and there are no formal programs to teach children who have missed years of instruction.
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Military Strategy
commentary
The Strange Debates of Strategy
Michael J. Mazarr @MMazarr
Jan 14, 2016
War on the Rocks
The United States and its allies confront a specific form of statecraft; not new, in all its characteristics, but real and relevant. And most observers who have looked at the problem tend to agree that the U.S. is ill-prepared for such tactics, in part because it simply has not thought of them as a coherent approach worthy of a tailored response.
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Homeland Security Legislation
commentary
Oregon Standoff Shouldn't Have an Anti-Terrorism Twist
Brian Michael Jenkins @BrianMJenkins
Jan 13, 2016
Slate
Dwight and Steven Hammond were charged under a law enacted to fight terrorism, not rein in wayward ranchers. Anti-terrorist laws should not be used to strengthen prosecutors' hands in nonterrorist prosecutions—it makes national security needs look like an instrument of oppression.
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Counterterrorism
commentary
Solving the Geometrical Problem of Terrorism
Daniel M. Gerstein @Daniel_Gerstein
Jan 13, 2016
U.S. News & World Report
Think of terror organizations as being composed of four elements, organized in concentric circles with the leaders at the center bull's eye, operational elements in the second ring, supporters in the third, and sympathizers in the fourth. Neutralizing each group will require different strategies.
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United States
blog
State of the Union 2016: Insights on Obama's Last Address
Jan 13, 2016
RAND research, analysis, and expertise provide context for many of the issues discussed in President Barack Obama's final State of the Union address, including the threat of ISIS, global climate change, and bringing peace to Syria.
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Affordable Care Act
commentary
Modifying the ACA's Family Subsidy Rules to Help Ensure Affordability
Amado Cordova, Sarah A. Nowak, Evan Saltzman
Jan 12, 2016
The Commonwealth Fund Blog
The ACA encourages workers to retain employer coverage by restricting their eligibility for marketplace subsidies. Modifying the policy could help 700,000 people gain coverage and lower spending for 1.6 million who are insured but face high health care costs under current ACA policy.
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Military Strategy
commentary
Artillery Returns to the Battlefield in the War Against ISIL
James T. Quinlivan
Jan 11, 2016
War on the Rocks
Together with increased air attacks, the Syrians and their Russian advisors seek to revitalize combined arms forces, and artillery is critical to their vision.
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Afghanistan
commentary
Pakistan Holds the Key to Peace in Afghanistan
Zalmay Khalilzad, James Dobbins @Jim_Dobbins
Jan 11, 2016
Newsweek
Sustained and intensified U.S. pressure on Pakistan offers the only viable path to advancing the Afghan reconciliation process in a way that does not turn Afghanistan into a launching pad for terrorism and extremism.
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Emerging Technologies
essay
How Will Technology Change Criminal Justice?
Jan 7, 2016
In perhaps no other field does society have as direct a stake in getting technology right as in policing. How will technology change the work that law enforcement agencies do and the communities they serve?
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Survey Research Methodology
commentary
Taking an Interest: What Makes Someone Respond to a Survey
Catherine L. Saunders
Jan 5, 2016
Statistics Views
Researchers have two main reasons for caring about non-response. First, it is important to ensure that survey findings are unbiased and representative, and second, concern about survey non-response is a key reason given by those who ignore or chose not to act on the findings of research.
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Nation Building
commentary
Georgia Needs Support from the U.S. and the West
Denis Corboy, William Courtney @courtneywmh, Kenneth Yalowitz
Jan 5, 2016
U.S. News & World Report
Georgia is poised to make big changes to reinvigorate its democracy and economy, but it needs support to deter risks and advance progress. With one-fifth of its territory occupied by Russia and facing risks every day, Georgia needs more Western aid, including military training, technology, and defensive arms.
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Recidivism
essay
The Case for Correctional Education in U.S. Prisons
Jan 3, 2016
Inmates who participate in any kind of educational program behind bars are up to 43 percent less likely to reoffend and return to prison. They also appear to be far more likely to find a job after their release.
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