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September 2019

Teachers and Teaching
commentary
Elevating Teacher Voices, Along With Their Salaries to Professionalize Teaching in Louisiana
Julia H. Kaufman @juliahkaufman
Sep 18, 2019
The RAND Blog
Salary raises have a direct impact on teachers' day-to-day lives. But efforts like those in Louisiana to elevate teachers' voices, and not just their salaries, are more likely to make a real difference for the teaching profession by creating a clear career ladder. The state's efforts could also be cultivating a teaching force that is providing students with the curricula and instruction they need to achieve at higher levels.
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International Diplomacy
commentary
South Korea–Japan Tensions Complicate U.S. Efforts to Leverage Allies in Competition with China
Scott W. Harold @ScottWHarold
Sep 17, 2019
Institut Montaigne
The rapid deterioration of ties between South Korea and Japan not only undercuts America's Indo-Pacific strategy, it also increases the risks to U.S. allies and partners in the region. Just how consequential is the growing South Korea–Japan tension for U.S. strategy and what is Washington doing to address the issue?
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Democracy
commentary
African Dictators Have Been Losing Power—Some to Democratic Governments. Militaries Can Tip the Scales Toward Democracy
Nathaniel Allen, Alexander H. Noyes @alexhnoyes
Sep 16, 2019
The Washington Post Monkey Cage Blog
Africa's security forces most often make headlines when they commit atrocities, crack down on protesters, or seize power in coups. But Africa's troops can also contribute to democracy and peace when they lay down their arms or refuse orders to turn their guns against the people.
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Democracy
commentary
How Can the United States Support Democracies in the Former USSR?
Kenneth Yalowitz, William Courtney @courtneywmh
Sep 16, 2019
The National Interest
The West has only modest capacity to influence circumstances in most post-Soviet countries. In Ukraine, Georgia, Armenia and Moldova, however, the West has the potential to make a real difference by supporting civil society and improved governance.
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Israel
commentary
Israel’s War with Iran May Be Going Too Far
Dalia Dassa Kaye
Sep 16, 2019
The National Interest
Israel has a right to defend itself from Iranian threats to its country. American leaders should consider balancing support for Israel's efforts to counter Iran with firm redlines about activities negatively impacting American interests.
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The Islamic State (Terrorist Organization)
commentary
Southeast Asia Loves ISIS, but Is the Feeling Mutual?
Zachary Abuza, Colin P. Clarke @ColinPClarke
Sep 16, 2019
Foreign Affairs
As the ISIS core in Iraq and Syria attempts to rebuild, Baghdadi and his lieutenants will have to make difficult decisions about where to allocate resources. Now that the caliphate is gone and ISIS must transform into an insurgency, the largely untested lands of Southeast Asia may yield rich rewards.
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Pharmaceutical Drugs
commentary
The Promise and Peril of Offshoring Prescription Drug Pricing
Andrew W. Mulcahy
Sep 16, 2019
The Hill
Most Americans, including Congress and the president, agree that prescription drug prices are too high. Policy proposals from both major parties could promise some relief. Several of them look to drug prices in other countries to help set prices in the United States.
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Social Determinants of Health
commentary
New Data on How We're Measuring a Culture of Health
Alonzo L. Plough, Anita Chandra
Sep 13, 2019
Robert Wood Johnson Foundation's Culture of Health blog
We are seeing small but positive changes in the appreciation of the social determinants of health and the need for broader community health investments. People are expanding their views of what influences health and there have been some targeted improvements in health care and public health access. Yet, the critical systemic changes needed for more transformative health improvements have been slower to follow.
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Civil-Military Relations
commentary
Americans Have Faith in the Military, but They Don't Understand It
Paula G. Thornhill
Sep 13, 2019
The National Interest
The American military is a central element of U.S. power and history, dominates discretionary spending, and remains the country's most trusted institution. Despite these factors, it is peripheral to the daily life of most citizens. As a result, the nation's most expensive and trusted institution is remote from the population that provides the people and money essential to its existence.
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Taiwan
commentary
A Tale of Two Cities China Ignores at Its Peril
Derek Grossman @DerekJGrossman
Sep 12, 2019
South China Morning Post
Beijing may believe that, eventually, Taiwanese politics will turn in its favor. But it should consider experiences from the other two territories currently living under the formula—Hong Kong and Macau—to better understand why “one country, two systems” will never work in Taiwan, regardless of politics.
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Crime and Violence Prevention
commentary
'Stand Your Ground' Laws May Be Causing More Harm Than Good
Andrew R. Morral @AndrewMorral, Rosanna Smart @RosannaSmart
Sep 12, 2019
Orlando Sentinel
Americans have debated whether “stand your ground” laws or gun-free zones make us safer or less safe for decades. These are debates about factual matters that are, in principle, knowable. Without research on these and other topics, bad laws will inadvertently be passed or retained.
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Artificial Intelligence
commentary
A Code of Conduct for AI in Defense Should Be an Extension of Other Military Codes
Cortney Weinbaum @cortney_dc
Sep 11, 2019
Friends of Europe's Debating Security Plus 2019 Programme
An AI code of conduct for defense should look a lot like all other defense codes of conduct. A global society that would create the Geneva Convention is a society that believes in a moral code for warfare, and this same moral code could extend into its weaponized algorithms.
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Environmental Pollution
commentary
We Built an App to Detect Areas Most Vulnerable to Life-Threatening Haze
Tianjia Liu, Miriam Elizabeth Marlier, Jonathan J. Buonocore, Loretta J. Mickley, Ruth S. DeFries
Sep 10, 2019
The Conversation
Forest and land-use fires are ravaging Indonesia's Sumatra and Kalimantan islands. Haze from these fires threatens lives as inhaling smoke can cause heart and respiratory diseases, leading to premature deaths. We developed a new online tool to provide decision-makers with information to protect people living downwind from the fires.
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Political Reform Movements
commentary
Why Ethiopia Sailed While Zimbabwe Sank
Hilary Matfess, Alexander H. Noyes @alexhnoyes
Sep 9, 2019
Foreign Policy
At a time when outside powers are calibrating how they respond to political transitions around the world, the divergent paths of Ethiopia and Zimbabwe illustrate their precariousness and offer lessons for how the international community can support democratization processes in Africa and beyond.
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Military Doctrine
commentary
Anticipating a New Russian Military Doctrine in 2020: What It Might Contain and Why It Matters
Dara Massicot @MassDara
Sep 9, 2019
War on the Rocks
The United States and its allies should anticipate the possibility of an updated Russian military doctrine as early as 2020. Evaluating this document closely is important for understanding Russian threat perceptions and the leadership's methods to address those threats.
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Disaster Recovery Operations
commentary
Hurricane Recovery in the Bahamas: Turning Good Intentions into Good Decisions
Melissa L. Finucane @MelissaFinucane, Joie D. Acosta
Sep 6, 2019
The RAND Blog
Recovery in the Bahamas will have to be a balancing act. Plans will need to allow for transition toward long-term strategic goals for the nation, but also be mindful of not perpetuating inequities.
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Al Qaida
commentary
Al Qaeda Is Ready to Attack You Again
Colin P. Clarke @ColinPClarke, Charles Lister
Sep 5, 2019
Foreign Policy
As al Qaeda continues to undergo change as a global organization, one of the most pressing questions for policymakers and government officials is to what extent the group is still focused on attacking the West. Does the absence of spectacular attacks attributed to al Qaeda during this phase represent a lack of capability or merely a shift in priorities?
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Labor Markets
commentary
Saving Farmworkers from Slavery-Like Conditions, Field by Field
Susan L. Marquis @susanlmarquis
Sep 5, 2019
United Press International
Those at the bottom of the European agricultural supply chain are vulnerable to abuse. The same was true in the tomato fields of Florida until recently. The solution developed there may offer a roadmap for doing right by workers in Europe.
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Social and Emotional Learning
commentary
Back to School Means Back to SEL for America's Teachers and Principals
Laura S. Hamilton @HamiltonLauraS, Christopher Joseph Doss @Chris_J_Doss, Elizabeth D. Steiner
Sep 4, 2019
CASEL Measuring SEL Blog
Schools are increasingly adopting social and emotional learning (SEL) programs and practices to build these skills. Policymakers can benefit from understanding the educator perspective: how they feel about emphasizing SEL, what they are doing to promote SEL, and what resources they need to do that better.
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Workplace Violence
commentary
Is Training for NHS Staff to Manage Workplace Violence Effective?
Brandi Leach, Michael Whitmore
Sep 4, 2019
Nursing Times
Going to work should not mean being subjected to physical or verbal assault, but this is the reality faced by thousands of frontline NHS staff. De-escalation training may help staff manage patient violence and aggression, but there is not enough research about what works in specific healthcare contexts.
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United States
commentary
Time to Return to the Basics of Statecraft
James Dobbins @Jim_Dobbins
Sep 4, 2019
The Wall Street Journal
After two decades of setbacks abroad, it's time to ask whether the decline in American influence is irreversible. Ultimately, neither China nor Russia is responsible for these difficulties. Washington's failures have been self-inflicted, the result of flawed policy rather than any decisive shift in the global balance of power.
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International Economic Relations
commentary
Maintaining the U.S. Edge in the Freely Associated States
Derek Grossman @DerekJGrossman, Michael S. Chase
Sep 3, 2019
East Asia Forum
In the geo-strategically vital region of the Freely Associated States (FAS), China is increasingly competing with the United States for influence. The United States and its allies and partners will need to engage not only with economic aid, but also with other issues including health, economic development, natural disasters, climate change and illegal fishing to sustain a strong partnership with the FAS.
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Counterterrorism
commentary
Counterproductive Counterinsurgency: Is Mozambique Creating the Next Boko Haram?
Hilary Matfess, Alexander H. Noyes @alexhnoyes
Sep 3, 2019
Lawfare
Despite recent claims of ties to the Islamic State, the threat in Mozambique from the Islamist insurgent group al-Sunnah wa Jamaah appears to be domestic, with scarce evidence of direct ties to international extremist groups. But if the Mozambique government continues to respond in a heavy-handed manner, the threat is likely to grow, with potentially devastating effects for the country and region.
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Substance Use Harm Reduction
commentary
Tackle Fentanyl like a Poisoning Outbreak, Not a Drug Epidemic
Bryce Pardo @brycepardo, Jonathan P. Caulkins, Beau Kilmer @BeauKilmer
Sep 3, 2019
Los Angeles Times
America's fentanyl problem is far deadlier than past crises with other illegal drugs. New ideas, be they public policies, technologies or law enforcement strategies, are desperately needed. Continuing to treat fentanyl just like previous drug epidemics will likely be insufficient and may condemn thousands more to early deaths.
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