2017

The Islamic State (Terrorist Organization)
commentary
Terrorism Fatigue
Amarnath Amarasingam, Colin P. Clarke
Nov 1, 2017
Slate
By continually staking claim to big and small terrorist attacks, regardless of target selection or casualty count, ISIS has attempted to instill a sense of omnipresent and unpredictable danger. And in the process, terrorism fatigue may be setting in around the world.
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Physicians
blog
When RAND Applied Weapons Research to Health Care Delivery
Nov 1, 2017
In the 1970s, it was assumed that new physicians wouldn't set up practice in America's small towns. RAND economists used software originally designed to estimate damages from a nuclear bomb to calculate the effects of placing doctors in specific locations.
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Terrorism Threat Assessment
commentary
New York Terror Attack: Can Vehicle Attacks Be Prevented?
Colin P. Clarke
Nov 1, 2017
The Globe and Mail
The recent vehicle attack in Manhattan was the deadliest terror attack on New York since 9/11. Preventing every attack is unrealistic, but with increased vigilance, cooperation with law enforcement, and intelligence sharing, citizens can help mitigate the threat of terrorism.
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commentary
Abe's Victory and Constitutional Revision
Jeffrey W. Hornung, Kenneth M. McElwain
Oct 31, 2017
Foreign Affairs
After Japan's election, observers immediately began speculating about its impact on constitutional reform. While parties in favor of constitutional revision have secured enough seats to pass the legislative hurdle needed to revise Japan's basic law, the road ahead is much more complicated.
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International Economic Relations
commentary
Killing Iran's Economy Won't Help the U.S.
Alireza Nader
Oct 31, 2017
Bourse and Bazaar
Iran's economy is likely to be damaged by any new U.S. sanctions, with foreign investment having already slowed in response to President Trump's rhetoric. The biggest losers will not be the Iranian regime but the Iranian people, whose striving the U.S. has long hoped would bring about a less antagonistic Iran.
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Health and Wellness Promotion
commentary
Candy Out of Sight, Out of Mind
Deborah A. Cohen
Oct 31, 2017
U.S. News & World Report
CVS is cutting back on candy at the cash register, making junk food less visible and "healthier" snacks easier to find. Any move that nudges consumers toward healthier choices should be applauded, but CVS could take the lead as a retailer and do away with junk food displays by the cash register altogether.
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Global Security
commentary
Military Power Cannot Close the Defense Strategy Gap
Michael J. Mazarr @MMazarr
Oct 30, 2017
War on the Rocks
As defense debates heat up this season, most of the noise will be around how to use defense investments. But it’s time to consider the radical notion that the best answer to strategic insolvency isn’t budgetary. It’s not even military. It is geopolitical and diplomatic.
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National Security Organizations
commentary
Reauthorizing DHS: Contemplating Major DHS Organizational Realignments
Daniel M. Gerstein @Daniel_Gerstein
Oct 30, 2017
The National Interest
As Congress considers DHS reauthorization, having clear organizational realignment principles could help assess the degree to which expectations will be met. Those principles could examine whether mission effectiveness would improve and whether implemented changes would introduce new issues.
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Security Cooperation
commentary
The Real Questions We Should Be Asking About Niger
Philip Mudd, Andrew Liepman
Oct 30, 2017
CNN
In the wake of the deaths of four U.S. servicemen in Niger, Americans are embroiled in a pointless political squabble. The focus should be on developing a greater understanding of the risks and benefits of U.S. counterterrorism operations abroad.
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Nuclear Sciences
announcement
RAND Is Accepting Applications for Stanton Nuclear Security Fellowships
Oct 30, 2017
RAND is accepting applications for up to three Stanton Nuclear Security Fellows. The application deadline is January 15, 2018. The program was created to stimulate the development of the next generation of thought leaders on nuclear security.
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Military Caregivers
essay
Military Caregivers Share the Costs of War
Oct 30, 2017
Millions of veterans and service members receive care from family and friends who need support as well. Military caregivers sacrifice their time, their jobs, and even their health to provide a service worth billions of dollars to the United States.
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Program Evaluation
commentary
Tracking Global Trends in Open Peer Review
Sarah Parks, Salil Gunashekar
Oct 27, 2017
Publons
Open peer review is happening in a variety of forms, but it still accounts for a small percentage of reviews carried out, and it is not clear whether open peer review is increasing in usage. In the future, as the Publons dataset grows, it will be worth exploring the data in more detail.
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Terrorism Financing
q&a
Oil, Extortion Still Paying Off for ISIS
Oct 27, 2017
The Cipher Brief
ISIS's oil revenues declined from a peak of $40 million per month in 2015 to $4 million per month as of early October 2017. Despite the massive reduction, it's still a substantial amount of money for a group whose expenditures decrease with the size of the population and territory it controls and decreased recruitment.
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Health Care Reform
blog
Beyond the Headlines: RAND's Christine Eibner Discusses Health Care Reform
Oct 27, 2017
The issue of how to improve health care in the United States is complicated. At a RAND event, senior economist and Paul O'Neill Alcoa Chair in Policy Analysis Christine Eibner discussed modifications to the Affordable Care Act and the long-term outlook for health care reform.
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Preschool
commentary
In Britain's Approach to Free Child Care, Lessons for the U.S.
Barbara Janta
Oct 27, 2017
USA Today
If public school in America is free for kindergarten through high school, why not extend the same guarantee for the earliest years, when the potential impact is greatest? The United States can learn from Britain's experience in this area.
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