RAND International

RAND International is dedicated to supporting RAND’s vision to be the world’s most trusted source for policy research and analysis.

RAND has decades of experience bringing independent, rigorous, and interdisciplinary methods to bear on the world’s most pressing issues across the globe, including fragile and conflict-affected regions.

Through its centers and internationally focused research conducted by our research divisions, RAND International helps connect RAND’s capacity and expertise to meet research and analysis needs and provide effective policy solutions worldwide. RAND’s subsidiaries in Europe and Australia extend RAND’s reach in meeting our mission to improve policy and decision making through objective research and analysis.

Learn More About Our Global Research

International Research and Analysis on Social and Economic Policy
Providing analytic rigor and systematic data collection to global research and evaluations, in the pursuit of accessible and actionable recommendations to address a wide range of social and economic policy challenges.
International Research and Analysis on Security Policy
Understanding the political, military, and economic aspects of global challenges, drawing on the best available qualitative data, quantitative data, and methodological tools.

International Contacts

Vice President, International: Contact: Krishna Kumar
International Research and Analysis; 1776 Main Street
Santa Monica, CA 90407-2138; Phone: (310) 393-0411, ext. 7589
Director, International Programs: Contact: Robin Meili; 1776 Main Street
Santa Monica, CA 90407-2138; Phone: (310) 393-0411, ext. 7190
Center for Global Risk and Security: King Mallory, Director
Center for Global Risk and Security; 1200 South Hayes Street
Arlington, VA 22202-5050; Phone: (703) 413-1100, ext. 5263
Center for Middle East Public Policy: Robin Meili, Acting Director
Center for Middle East Public Policy; 1776 Main Street
Santa Monica, CA 90401-3208; Phone: (310) 393-0411, ext. 7190
Center for Russia and Eurasia: Robin Meili, Acting Director
Center for Russia and Eurasia; 1776 Main Street
Santa Monica, CA 90401-3208; Phone: (310) 393-0411, ext. 7190
Center for Asia Pacific Policy: Rafiq Dossani, Director
Center for Asia Pacific Policy; 1776 Main Street
Santa Monica, CA 90407-2138; Phone: (310) 393-0411, ext. 7275
RAND Europe: Hans Pung, Director
RAND Europe; Westbrook Centre
Milton Road
Cambridge
CB4 1YG
United Kingdom; Phone: +44 (1223) 353 329

Explore Our Work by Region

Asia

RAND Centers

The RAND Center for Asia Pacific Policy
The RAND Center for Asia Pacific Policy improves policy by providing decisionmakers and the public with rigorous, objective, cutting-edge research on critical policy challenges facing Asia and U.S.-Asia relations.

Recent Work

Commentary
India Can Bridge the U.S.-Russia Divide over Ukraine
No country is as well positioned as India to mediate between Russia and the United States, and bring the Ukraine conflict to an end. Even limited success in ending the war will bolster India's credentials as an emerging great power, capable of accomplishing remarkable things that others cannot.
Essay
The Time to Prevent Shortfalls in Critical Materials Is Now
China's domination of the rare earth market is a matter of economic and national security concern. Existing plans to diversify the market and help the United States break its reliance on China likely don't go far enough or fast enough, and the clock is running.
Blog
Opioids in America, Silicon Valley Bank, Semiconductors: RAND Weekly Recap
This weekly recap focuses on addressing America's illicit opioids problem, Silicon Valley Bank’s demise, Taiwan’s semiconductor dominance, and more.
Commentary
North Korea Is Forcing U.S. Military Counters
If the U.S. military shoots down a North Korean ICBM fired in the direction of the United States and its territories, North Korea will regard it as an act of war. Even in the realm of North Korean rhetoric, this is extreme.
Report
What Taiwan's Dominance in Semiconductor Production Means for the U.S.
Semiconductors have become an integral part of nearly every industry. Production of the highest-end semiconductors exists almost entirely in Taiwan. If China were to unify with Taiwan, there are no good short-term options for responding to the disruption that would cause to the global semiconductor supply chain.
Blog
U.S. Cooperation with China and Russia, Artificial Intelligence, War in Ukraine: RAND Weekly Recap
This weekly recap focuses on U.S. security cooperation with China and Russia, artificial intelligence, consequences of Russia's war in Ukraine, and more.

Europe and Russia

RAND Centers

Center for Russia and Eurasia
The RAND Center for Russia and Eurasia (CRE) brings together experts from across RAND to shed light on the foreign policies, domestic developments, and economic relationships of the countries that succeeded the Soviet Union.
RAND Europe Improves Policy and Decision Making in Europe and Around the World
RAND Europe is a not-for-profit research institute dedicated to helping improve policy and decision making through research and analysis. With offices in the UK and Belgium, its research portfolio complements RAND's and also includes choice modeling, evaluation, workplace wellbeing, and much more.

Recent Work

Report
Understanding the Russian General Staff
The Russian General Staff is unlike any single organization in the U.S. military or government. Understanding its role and capacity to influence national security decisionmaking is important. Two case studies—Russia's 2014 war in Ukraine and 2015 intervention in Syria—observe the responsibilities and authorities of the General Staff in practice.
Commentary
India Can Bridge the U.S.-Russia Divide over Ukraine
No country is as well positioned as India to mediate between Russia and the United States, and bring the Ukraine conflict to an end. Even limited success in ending the war will bolster India's credentials as an emerging great power, capable of accomplishing remarkable things that others cannot.
Blog
Opioids in America, Silicon Valley Bank, Semiconductors: RAND Weekly Recap
This weekly recap focuses on addressing America's illicit opioids problem, Silicon Valley Bank’s demise, Taiwan’s semiconductor dominance, and more.
Blog
U.S. Cooperation with China and Russia, Artificial Intelligence, War in Ukraine: RAND Weekly Recap
This weekly recap focuses on U.S. security cooperation with China and Russia, artificial intelligence, consequences of Russia's war in Ukraine, and more.
Commentary
What Will Putin Do Next?
Vladimir Putin faces no elections, no party or state institutions that threaten his rule, no domestic political opposition. He is not moved by humanitarian crises or overly concerned about international condemnation. The longer the war drags on, the more risks Putin might be willing to take to meet his objectives. What might he do next?
Report
Proxy Warfare in Strategic Competition
Why do external states provide military support to parties to a civil war? A quantitative analysis and case studies of China, Iran, and Russia examine the causes and likely future trends in proxy wars.

The Middle East

RAND Centers

The RAND Center for Middle East Public Policy
The RAND Center for Middle East Public Policy (CMEPP) brings together analytic excellence and regional expertise from across the RAND Corporation to address the most critical political, social, and economic challenges facing the Middle East today.

Recent Work

Report
Understanding the Russian General Staff
The Russian General Staff is unlike any single organization in the U.S. military or government. Understanding its role and capacity to influence national security decisionmaking is important. Two case studies—Russia's 2014 war in Ukraine and 2015 intervention in Syria—observe the responsibilities and authorities of the General Staff in practice.
Q&A
Twenty Years After the Iraq War, a Q&A with RAND Experts
On the 20th anniversary of the war in Iraq, RAND experts discussed what the war means for the people of Iraq and the veterans who fought there, what lessons the U.S. military learned (or did not learn), and what effect it has had on the balance of power in the Middle East and the global reputation of the United States.
Report
Proxy Warfare in Strategic Competition
Why do external states provide military support to parties to a civil war? A quantitative analysis and case studies of China, Iran, and Russia examine the causes and likely future trends in proxy wars.
Blog
A Look Back at the War in Afghanistan, National Secuirty Risks, Hospice Care: RAND Weekly Recap
This weekly recap focuses on why the United States “stayed the unfavorable course” in Afghanistan, the Ohio train derailment, state data on gun deaths, and more.
Journal Article
Moroccan Parents' Views of their Role in Child Cognitive Development
The majority of Moroccan parents do not see themselves as having an impact on their child's brain development until after the first year, compared to 10% of U.S. parents. Researchers examine policy implications and interventions to change Moroccan parents' knowledge and beliefs to motivate early learning activities.
Report
The Bureaucratic Inertia of U.S. Afghanistan Policy
The U.S. policy goal of preventing Afghanistan from becoming a haven for terrorists remained constant for 20 years even as the dynamics of the war and the will of the policymaking community changed and there was no apparent hope of military victory. Why?

Australia

RAND Centers

RAND Australia
With 70 years of worldwide research in defence, national security, health care, education, transport, employment, innovation, energy, and the environment behind it, RAND Australia is ideally positioned to help improve policy and decisionmaking in Australia.

Recent Work

Blog
Opioids in America, Silicon Valley Bank, Semiconductors: RAND Weekly Recap
This weekly recap focuses on addressing America's illicit opioids problem, Silicon Valley Bank’s demise, Taiwan’s semiconductor dominance, and more.
Commentary
Is Australia's Defense Strategy Based on a Mistaken Assumption?
The concept of ”impactful projection“has become a topic of heightened interest in the Australian strategic discourse, as pundits wait on further information from the Defense Strategic Review. But is the concept underpinned by a fundamentally mistaken assumption?
Report
Evaluation of Learning Creates Australia's Learner's Journey Social Lab
As labour markets change and global economies become increasingly interconnected, students require opportunities to develop skills and competencies that are essential for success and life. Researchers evaluated 'The Learner's Journey', a social lab designed by Learning Creates Australia to explore ways to assess and accredit learning that better reflect the diverse knowledge sets, skills and dispositions of students.
Commentary
Strategic Advantage, Sovereignty and Australia's Geopolitical Identity
In Australia, which has experienced few national existential crises, there appears to be little understanding of or consideration given to all the nuanced contours of winning. Australia may need to critically assess its strategic traditions to develop a broader conceptualization of how to secure the safety and well-being of the nation and position itself advantageously.
Commentary
Russia's Invasion of Ukraine May Harden U.S. Indo-Pacific Allies
The effects of Russia's war against Ukraine stretch worldwide as countries watch Ukraine's unfolding tragedy to glean possible lessons for their own security. Understanding how Australia and Japan are perceiving the conflict could be critical for allied strategy in the Indo-Pacific region.
Report
Challenges of Deploying Ground-Based Intermediate-Range Missiles on Allied Lands
The United States has been hoping to develop and deploy ground-based intermediate-range missiles to the Indo-Pacific. But what is the likelihood of its treaty allies in the region—Australia, Japan, the Philippines, South Korea, and Thailand—hosting these systems? Are there alternatives to permanent basing?

South America

RAND Centers

Latin American Social Policy Research
RAND conducts research throughout Latin America and the Latin American population in the United States in the areas of aging, social determinants and consequences of health, saving for retirement, social security coverage, labor market dynamics, and migration.

Recent Work

Report
China's Role in the Global Development of Critical Resources
China's extensive foreign investments in energy infrastructure and critical minerals have raised concerns. Case studies in coal power, electricity transmission, and seabed mining examine China's behaviors and suggest ways to build capacity among host nations to minimize the potential effects of an overreliance on China.
Report
Opportunities for the Brazilian Navy to Employ Additional Unmanned Systems
The Brazilian Navy needs to have both the capabilities and capacity to meet a wide range of demands over vast and diverse geographic areas. What are some of the potential ways the Brazilian Navy could use unmanned systems to improve effectiveness and, potentially, reduce risks and costs?
Blog
Understanding Violent Extremism, 'Blockships,' VMT Fee: RAND Weekly Recap
This weekly recap focuses on firsthand accounts of violent extremism, lessons from the recent blockage in the Suez Canal, and if a federal Vehicle Miles Travel fee could replace the gas tax.
Commentary
Colombia's Trailblazing Model for Refugees
Colombia recently announced it will give temporary protection status to a million undocumented Venezuelan refugees, with permission to live and work in the country for 10 years. In doing so, it created a new model for managing its own refugee situation and perhaps others elsewhere.
Commentary
Curb Climate Change After COVID-19? Fast-Growing India and Brazil Are Key
India and Brazil are facing pressure to launch recoveries after the economic devastation caused by the pandemic. Will they backslide on their Paris climate agreement commitments, or will the expected return of the United States to the pact encourage them to build a more sustainable economic future?
Journal Article
A Heat Vulnerability Index Tested in Rio De Janeiro
Urban areas are often hotter than their rural surroundings, exacerbating heat waves and make it difficult to determine heat-related deaths. RAND researchers investigated how to construct and validate a heat vulnerability index for the city of Rio de Janeiro.

North America

RAND Centers

The RAND Center for Global Risk and Security
The RAND Center for Global Risk and Security (CGRS) conducts objective research on future security trends—analyzing anything that impacts the security of individuals, communities, nations, and the world at large.
RAND Gulf States Policy Institute
The RAND Gulf States Policy Institute was created in 2005 as a collaboration between RAND and local universities to support hurricane recovery and long-term economic development in Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama. Today, RAND Gulf States provides objective analysis to help answer the region's toughest questions related to a wide range of issues including coastal protection and restoration, health care, and workforce development.

Recent Work

Commentary
Should Mexico's Drug Cartels Be Designated Foreign Terrorist Organizations?
While the outcry over the kidnapping and murder of U.S. citizens by members of the Gulf Cartel in Mexico is understandable, stridency should not preclude strategic assessment. America's problem with drug trafficking is not the lack of statutes, but the magnitude of the problem.
Q&A
Twenty Years After the Iraq War, a Q&A with RAND Experts
On the 20th anniversary of the war in Iraq, RAND experts discussed what the war means for the people of Iraq and the veterans who fought there, what lessons the U.S. military learned (or did not learn), and what effect it has had on the balance of power in the Middle East and the global reputation of the United States.
Commentary
Venture Capital Gives America a Strategic Edge in the Age of Technology Wars
U.S. early-stage hardware startups are seriously disadvantaged by a persistent lack of financing. Congress authorized the U.S. Department of Defense to spend $75 million to invest in dual-use hardware startups. But the Pentagon has proven reticent to embrace a venture capital–style approach, even though research has demonstrated it is optimal for driving innovation.
Commentary
India Can Bridge the U.S.-Russia Divide over Ukraine
No country is as well positioned as India to mediate between Russia and the United States, and bring the Ukraine conflict to an end. Even limited success in ending the war will bolster India's credentials as an emerging great power, capable of accomplishing remarkable things that others cannot.
Essay
The Time to Prevent Shortfalls in Critical Materials Is Now
China's domination of the rare earth market is a matter of economic and national security concern. Existing plans to diversify the market and help the United States break its reliance on China likely don't go far enough or fast enough, and the clock is running.
Commentary
Improving Inclusion of Women Veterans
The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is formally changing its official mission statement to be more inclusive. This is a meaningful step forward in symbolically affirming the VA's dedication to serving all who served.

Africa

The Middle East and North Africa
RAND experts Brian Michael Jenkins and Dalia Dassa Kaye discuss current events in the Middle East and North Africa. Their discussion with RAND Media Relations Director Jeffrey Hiday includes how changes in Egypt, Iran, and Syria are reverberating within the region, and beyond, via terrorist networks including al Qaeda.

Recent Work

Report
Quantifying the link between COVID-19, conflict risk, and the global economy
While there is a growing consensus that the COVID-19 pandemic has adversely affected countries' economies and may exacerbate socio-political unrest, understanding the dynamics of this process remains challenging. RAND Europe research suggests that COVID-19 will significantly increase the risk of civil conflict in African countries. This effect may, in turn, have negative global economic repercussions via international trade losses.
Journal Article
Food Insecurity in Uganda During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Researchers used a longitudinal mixed-methods approach to evaluate the economic impact of COVID-19 on food security and ART-taking behaviors among people living with HIV in Kampala, Uganda.
Tool
Mapping Chinese and Russian Military and Security Exports to Africa
To map the spread of China's and Russia's influence in Africa, RAND researchers analyzed which African countries received weapons and private military contractors from China and Russia during 2018-2021.
Report
Implications of a Global People's Liberation Army: Historical Lessons for Responding to China's Long-Term Global Basing Ambitions
Overseas military access and basing is a critical component of China's global military ambitions. In this report, the authors examine three case studies among the United States' competitors to help anticipate what Chinese overseas access and basing might look like in the 2030s. They assess the risks posed by Chinese military expansion and recommend U.S. strategies to help shape the environment in which Chinese global ambitions will unfold.
Report
The People's Liberation Army's Search for Overseas Basing and Access: A Framework to Assess Potential Host Nations
The authors develop a framework of 17 indicators to assess valuable attributes of potential host nations from Beijing's perspective, focusing not only on the utility of host nations (desirability) but also on China's ability to secure access (feasibility). They recommend strategies for the U.S. government, the U.S. Department of Defense, and the U.S. Army to better understand China's overseas plans and to prioritize risks to U.S. forces.
Report
What Are China's Global Basing Ambitions?
China appears likely to seek military access and basing in its immediate vicinity and in the Middle East, but parts of Africa and the Indo-Pacific are also of interest. The United States should carefully prioritize where to resist Chinese access and basing and where to reinforce U.S. relationships.