International Affairs Issues

Recent Findings

Briefings

Testimony

• Evolution of the U.S. Overdose Crisis: Understanding China's Role in the Production and Supply of Synthetic Opioids

  Bryce Pardo

  Testimony presented before the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health, Global Human Rights, and International Organizations on September 6, 2018.

• Russian Social Media Influence: Understanding Russian Propaganda in Eastern Europe: Addendum

  Todd C. Helmus

  Document submitted August 30, 2018, as an addendum to testimony before the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence on August 1, 2018.

• Russian Social Media Influence: Understanding Russian Propaganda in Eastern Europe

  Todd C. Helmus

  Testimony presented before the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence on August 1, 2018.

• The Challenges and the Benefits for U.S. National Security of Providing Foreign Assistance to Afghanistan: Addendum: Responses to Post-Hearing Questions for the Record

  Laurel E. Miller

  Document submitted June 28, 2018, as an addendum to testimony before the Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee, Subcommittee on Federal Spending Oversight and Emergency Management, on May 9, 2018.

• Russian Nuclear Forces and Prospects for Arms Control

  Austin Long

  Testimony presented before the House of Representatives Committee on Foreign Affairs, Subcommittee on Terrorism, Nonproliferation, and Trade on June 21, 2018.

• The Challenges and the Benefits for U.S. National Security of Providing Foreign Assistance to Afghanistan

  Laurel E. Miller

  Testimony presented before the Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee, Subcommittee on Federal Spending Oversight and Emergency Management, on May 9, 2018.

• PLA Military Modernization: Drivers, Force Restructuring, and Implications

  Cortez A. Cooper III

  Testimony presented before the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission on February 15, 2018.

• PLA Rocket Force Modernization and China's Military Reforms

  Michael S. Chase

  Testimony presented before the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission on February 15, 2018.

• Jihadist Violence in the Caucasus: Russia Between Counterterrorism and Counterinsurgency

  Colin P. Clarke

  Testimony presented before the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Subcommittee on Terrorism, Nonproliferation, and Trade and Subcommittee on Europe, Eurasia, and Emerging Threats on November 7, 2017.

• China and North Korea: Bolstering a Buffer or Hunkering Down in Northeast Asia?

  Andrew Scobell

  Testimony presented before the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission on June 8, 2017.

• Managing the Long War: U.S. Policy toward Afghanistan and the Region

  Seth G. Jones

  Testimony presented before the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Subcommittee on Terrorism, Nonproliferation, and Trade on April 27, 2017.

• Chinese Contingency Planning for Regional Hotspots

  Mark R. Cozad

  Testimony presented before the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission on April 13, 2017.

• Chinese Political and Military Thinking Regarding Taiwan and East and South China Seas

  Timothy R. Heath

  Testimony presented before the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission on April 13, 2017.

• Fifteen Years After 9/11: A Preliminary Balance Sheet: Addendum

  Brian Michael Jenkins

  Document submitted on January 11, 2017 as an addendum to testimony presented before the House Armed Services Committee on September 21, 2016.

• Fifteen Years After 9/11: A Preliminary Balance Sheet

  Brian Michael Jenkins

  Testimony presented before the House Armed Services Committee on September 21, 2016.

• Implications of China's Aerospace Industrial Policies

  Chad J. R. Ohlandt

  Testimony presented before the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission on April 27, 2016.

• PLA Expeditionary Capabilities and Implications for United States Asia Policy

  Kristen Gunness

  Testimony presented before the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission on January 21, 2016.

• Developments in China's Military Force Projection and Expeditionary Capabilities

  Timothy R. Heath

  Testimony presented before the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission on January 21, 2016.

• PLA Joint Training and Implications for Future Expeditionary Capabilities

  Mark R. Cozad

  Testimony presented before the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission on January 21, 2016.

• The Implications of the Paris Terrorist Attack for American Strategy in Syria and Homeland Security

  Brian Michael Jenkins

  Testimony presented before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee on November 19, 2015.

• The Syrian Refugee Crisis and U.S. National Security

  Seth G. Jones

  Testimony presented before the House Judiciary Committee, Subcommittee on Immigration and Border Security on November 19, 2015.

• The Dynamics of the Conflicts in Syria and Iraq and the Threat Posed by Homegrown Terrorists and Returning Western Fighters

  Brian Michael Jenkins

  Testimony submitted before the House Foreign Affairs Committee and House Homeland Security Committee on November 18, 2015.

• An Assessment of the Counter-ISIL Campaign: One Year after Mosul: Addendum

  Linda Robinson

  Document submitted August 24, 2015 as an addendum to testimony presented before the House Armed Services Committee, Subcommittee on Emerging Threats and Capabilities on June 24, 2015.

• An Assessment of the Counter-ISIL Campaign: One Year After Mosul

  Linda Robinson

  Testimony presented before the House Armed Services Committee, Subcommittee on Emerging Threats and Capabilities on June 24, 2015.

• The Terrorism Threat to the United States and Implications for Refugees

  Seth G. Jones

  Testimony presented before the House Homeland Security Committee, Subcommittee on Counterterrorism and Intelligence on June 24, 2015.

• Historical Lessons for the Wars in Iraq and Syria

  Seth G. Jones

  Testimony presented before the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Subcommittee on the Middle East and North Africa on April 30, 2015.

• The Growing Strategic Threat of Radical Islamist Ideology

  Rick Brennan, Jr.

  Testimony presented before the House Foreign Affairs Committee on February 12, 2015.

• Defeating the Islamic State in Iraq

  Ben Connable

  Testimony presented before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on September 17, 2014.

• The Effectiveness of China's Industrial Policies in Commercial Aviation Manufacturing

  Keith Crane

  Testimony presented before the Senate Commerce, Science, & Transportation Committee, Subcommittee on Aviation, Operations, Safety, and Security on July 31, 2014.

• Back to the Future: The Resurgence of Salafi-Jihadists

  Seth G. Jones

  Testimony presented before the House Armed Services Committee on February 4, 2014.

• Preparing for the Possibility of a North Korean Collapse

  Bruce W. Bennett

  Briefing presented before the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission on January 29, 2014.

• The Role of Terrorism and Terror in Syria's Civil War

  Brian Michael Jenkins

  Testimony presented before the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Subcommittee on Terrorism, Nonproliferation, and Trade on November 20, 2013.

• The Challenge of North Korean Biological Weapons

  Bruce W. Bennett

  Testimony presented before the House Armed Services Subcommittee on Intelligence, Emerging Threats and Capabilities on October 11, 2013.

• The Terrorist Threat from Al Shabaab

  Seth G. Jones

  Testimony presented before the House Foreign Affairs Committee on October 3, 2013.

• Re-Examining the Al Qa'ida Threat to the United States

  Seth G. Jones

  Testimony presented before the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Subcommittee on Terrorism, Nonproliferation, and Trade on July 18, 2013.

• Rouhani's Election: Regime Retrenchment in the Face of Pressure

  Alireza Nader

  Testimony presented before the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Subcommittee on the Middle East and North Africa on June 18, 2013.

• The Threat of a Mumbai-Style Terrorist Attack in the United States

  Brian Michael Jenkins

  Testimony submitted before the House Homeland Security Committee, Subcommittee on Counterterrorism and Intelligence on June 12, 2013.

• Lashkar-e Taiba and the Threat to the United States of a Mumbai-Style Attack

  Jonah Blank

  Testimony presented before the House Homeland Security Committee, Subcommittee on Counterterrorism and Intelligence on June 12, 2013.

• The Terrorist Threat from Syria

  Seth G. Jones

  Testimony presented before the House Homeland Security Committee, Subcommittee on Counterterrorism and Intelligence on May 22, 2013.

• The Relationship between Natural Resources and Tensions in China's Maritime Periphery

  Lloyd Thrall

  Testimony presented before the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission on April 4, 2013.

• Managing September 12th in Cyberspace: Presented before the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Subcommittee on Europe, Eurasia, and Emerging Threats

  Martin C. Libicki

  Testimony presented before the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Subcommittee on Europe, Eurasia, and Emerging Threats on March 21, 2013.

• After the Withdrawal: A Way Forward in Afghanistan and Pakistan

  Seth G. Jones

  Testimony presented before the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Joint Subcommittee on Middle East and North Africa and Subcommittee on Asia and the Pacific on March 19, 2013.

• Embassy Security: From The Outside In

  William Young

  Testimony presented before the House Committee on Foreign Affairs on November 15, 2012.

• The Case for Expanding Assistance to the Syrian Opposition

  James Dobbins

  Testimony presented before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on August 1, 2012.

• Iran's Human Rights Abuses

  Alireza Nader

  Testimony presented before the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Subcommittee on The Middle East and South Asia on September 22, 2011.

• The Future of Al Qa'ida

  Seth G. Jones

  Testimony presented before the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Subcommittee on Terrorism, Nonproliferation and Trade on May 24, 2011.

• Transitioning to Afghan-Led Counterinsurgency

  Seth G. Jones

  Testimony presented before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on May 10, 2011.

• The Al Qa'ida Threat in Pakistan

  Seth G. Jones

  Testimony presented before the House Homeland Security Committee, Subcommittee on Counterterrorism and Intelligence on May 3, 2011.

• The Muslim Brotherhood in the West: Characteristics, Aims and Policy Considerations

  Lorenzo Vidino

  Testimony presented before the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, subcommittee on Terrorism, HUMINT, Analysis, and Counterintelligence on April 13, 2011.

• The J-20 Episode and Civil-Military Relations in China

  Andrew Scobell

  Written testimony submitted to the U.S. China Economic and Security Review Commission on March 10, 2011.

• Joint Anti-Access Operations: China's "System-of-Systems" Approach

  Cortez A. Cooper III

  Testimony presented before the U.S. China Economic and Security Review Commission on January 27, 2011.

• Anti-Access Measures in Chinese Defense Strategy

  Roger Cliff

  Testimony presented before the U.S. China Economic and Security Review Commission on January 27, 2011.

2010 and prior

Briefs

• China Belt and Road Initiative: How revival of the silk road could impact world trade 2018

  By using both qualitative and quantitative analysis, this study found improving transportation multimodal connectivity has a positive impact on multilateral trade across countries and regions along China Belt and Road Initiative.

• Data and Family Planning: An Evaluation of Two Programs of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation 2018

  This brief summarizes an evaluation of two programs to help monitor progress toward a global goal to increase modern contraceptive use by 2020. Both programs can improve promotion of country-driven agendas for data collection, use, and ownership.

• Reforming Security Sector Assistance for Africa 2018

  U.S. security-sector assistance has a mixed record in Africa. RAND experts offer recommendations to promote the success of such assistance in Africa. The recommendations focus on strategies, programs, and their assessment, monitoring, and evaluation.

• Domestic Factors Could Accelerate the Evolution of China's Nuclear Posture 2017

  This brief discusses how domestic factors could influence China's evolving nuclear deterrent.

• Exploring America's Role in a Turbulent World: Strategic Rethink 2017

  This brief outlines the Strategic Rethink project and describes research documented in the final volume of the project, focusing on three different strategic orientations to satisfy the greatest number of U.S. interests and objectives.