2020

Security Cooperation
commentary
Don't Get Too Excited, 'Quad Plus' Meetings Won't Cover China
Derek Grossman @DerekJGrossman
Apr 9, 2020
The Diplomat
The “Quad” countries met via video teleconference in March to help each other amid the coronavirus pandemic, along with several other, non-Quad, countries, including New Zealand, South Korea, and Vietnam. But for all the good that can come of these countries working together on issues of common concern, the Quad Plus, if sustained, may actually jeopardize the Quad's primary mission long-term: to counter China's growing assertiveness in the Indo-Pacific.
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Workplace Well-Being
commentary
It Is More Important Than Ever for Employers to Look After Staff Health and Wellbeing
Christian Van Stolk
Apr 9, 2020
The RAND Blog
COVID-19 will likely have a direct effect on the health and wellbeing of employees. While many employers responding to the COVID-19 crisis have understandably been concerned with business resilience, processes, and performance, it is important that they also continue to focus on the health and wellbeing of staff.
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Media Literacy
commentary
How to Contain the Disinformation Virus
Axelle Devaux @AxelleDevaux
Apr 9, 2020
Encompass
Like COVID-19, disinformation spreads only if we help it. While we have all been asked to stay at home as responsible citizens to contain the virus, we should also feel responsible for making it harder for disinformation to spread.
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Data Privacy
article
Quantum Computers Will Break the Internet, but Only If We Let Them
Apr 9, 2020
Quantum computers are expected to be powerful enough to break the current cryptography that protects all digital communications. But this scenario is preventable if policymakers take actions now to minimize the harm that quantum computers may cause.
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Work-Family Conflicts
commentary
Parenting Through the Pandemic: Who's Working, Who's Caring for the Kids, and What Policies Might Help
Kathryn A. Edwards, Grace Evans, Daniel Schwam
Apr 8, 2020
The RAND Blog
To help inform policy decisions that could help working parents affected by COVID-19, we examined the U.S. Department of Labor's Current Population Survey and recent coronavirus relief acts. Our review shows us what aid working parents might expect and what kinds of aid policymakers might consider going forward.
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Nuclear Disarmament
commentary
New START Is Not NAFTA
William Courtney @courtneywmh, John Lauder
Apr 8, 2020
The Hill
The 2010 New START Treaty with Russia reduces long-range nuclear arms. President Trump may seek a different deal, however, as he did in renegotiating the 1994 North American Free Trade Agreement. But this succeeded because America had predominant leverage and Canada and Mexico are friends. Neither holds true with Russia.
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Homeless Populations
commentary
Emergency Homeless Services During the COVID-19 Crisis
Aaron Clark-Ginsberg, Sarah B. Hunter, Benjamin Henwood
Apr 7, 2020
The RAND Blog
The recently passed $2 trillion stimulus package includes a suite of measures designed to support households that are affected by the COVID-19 outbreak. But policymakers may want to consider what protections the package offers to a particularly high-risk group: people experiencing homelessness.
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Military Budgets and Defense Spending
commentary
Defense Budget Implications of the COVID-19 Pandemic
Daniel Egel, Howard J. Shatz @HowardJShatz, Krishna B. Kumar @kbkumar_, Ted Harshberger @TedHarsh
Apr 7, 2020
RealClearDefense
The COVID-19 pandemic is taking a dramatic toll on the U.S. economy. This could have significant medium-term implications for the U.S. defense budget. The U.S. Department of Defense will need to find efficiencies that are of at least the same magnitude as the recent sequestration.
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Iran
commentary
Does the U.S. Deal with the Taliban Present Opportunities for Iran in Afghanistan?
Colin P. Clarke @ColinPClarke, Ariane M. Tabatabai
Apr 6, 2020
Defense One
Iran is watching closely as the United States and the Taliban negotiate an end to America's operations in Afghanistan. If the expected withdrawal of significant U.S. forces destabilizes Afghanistan, how much will Tehran assert its influence over its neighbor to the east?
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China
commentary
A Short History of China's Fishing Militia and What It May Tell Us
Derek Grossman @DerekJGrossman, Logan Ma
Apr 6, 2020
Maritime Issues
China's armed fishing militia plays an instrumental role in Beijing's strategy to enforce its sovereignty claims in the South China Sea and East China Sea. Why did Beijing create a maritime militia to begin with and how has it evolved over time? What does this history suggest about its future?
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Immigrants and Emigrants
commentary
The Public Charge Rule's Likely Hazard to Our Nation's Health During COVID-19
Kathryn Pitkin Derose
Apr 6, 2020
The Hill
The Public Charge rule makes immigrants who receive Medicaid and other publicly-funded benefits potentially ineligible for green cards, and, in some cases, subjects them to deportation. Fear and reluctance to seek assistance among immigrants is likely to worsen during the COVID-19 epidemic.
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Employment and Unemployment
commentary
Millions Need Unemployment Benefits. Unfortunately, the Delivery System Is Broken
Kathryn A. Edwards
Apr 6, 2020
Los Angeles Times
More than 10 million Americans filed for unemployment insurance in March as businesses closed in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Washington's stimulus package enacted welcome measures to tide people over, but these temporary fixes don't address some serious structural problems.
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Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)
commentary
During Coronavirus Pandemic, Can Congress Members Do Their Jobs by Teleworking?
Quentin E. Hodgson @QHodgson
Apr 6, 2020
Fox News Channel
The COVID-19 pandemic presents a new challenge to how Congress conducts business. How can the United States leverage existing technologies so lawmakers can continue to work safely and securely?
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Workforce Management
commentary
Should the Federal Workforce Stay Remote? Planning for After the Crisis
Kathryn A. Edwards, Melanie A. Zaber, Richard S. Girven
Apr 3, 2020
The RAND Blog
As physical distancing becomes the new norm, so too does telework. But should federal agencies maintain their remote operations for the long haul? As those of us involved with national security agencies, operations, and workforce issues know, this is not a decision to make lightly.
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International Diplomacy
commentary
Maximizing Bargaining Leverage with Beijing: Developing Missiles as Bargaining Chips
Luke Griffith
Apr 3, 2020
RealClearDefense
Arms negotiations may offer the only way to reduce the grave threat posed to the United States and allied security by China's missiles. U.S. owned and operated missiles could provide the best bargaining chips.
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Health Disparities
commentary
Incarceration Rates: A Key Measure of Health in America
Carolyn E. Miller, Douglas Yeung @DouglasCYeung
Apr 3, 2020
Robert Wood Johnson Foundation's Culture of Health blog
There's widespread agreement that incarceration has adverse effects on health and health equity, not just for prisoners but also for families and communities. That's one important reason why incarceration in the United States needs to be reduced.
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