From the RAND Blog

Below, you'll find the most recent commentary from RAND experts on topics related to Asia. For a complete list of all commentaries by RAND staff, visit The RAND Blog.

  • Secretary of Defense Leon E. Panetta passes and reviews members of the Indian military during an honors ceremony in Delhi, India

    Commentary

    America and India: Growing Partners in Afghanistan

    Aug 10, 2012

    A comprehensive Indian military training effort in Afghanistan would balance Pakistan's own involvement in the country, build upon a decade of American achievements in fighting the Taliban and al-Qaeda, and contribute to peace and security in the region, write Larry Hanauer and Peter Chalk.

  • Gen. David Petraeus, commander of ISAF and commander of USFOR-A, visited Afghan National Civil Order Police (ANCOP) headquarters in Kabul, Afghanistan, December 14, 2010

    Blog

    Building an Afghanistan Security Force: What the US Experience in Iraq (and the Soviet Experience in Afghanistan) Can Teach Us

    Jul 18, 2012

    The United States and its partners should work with the Afghans to define what sort of police development can be realistically envisioned for Afghanistan, and devote resources and assistance to developing that into the future.

  • North Korean soldiers

    Blog

    North Korean Defense Chief's Retirement Has Hallmarks of Purge

    Jul 17, 2012

    It is notable that North Korea's Politburo made the Ri announcement, suggesting a rise in power of the party relative to the military. The choice of Ri's successor is also curious, writes Bruce Bennett.

  • U.S. Secretary of Defense Leon E. Panetta meets with Indian Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh, in Delhi, India, June 5, 2012

    Blog

    Indian Military Assistance Is Needed in Afghanistan

    Jul 11, 2012

    In the long run, a more robust Indian military role in Afghanistan represents one of the best ways to advance New Delhi's strategic interests while fostering Kabul's continued security and economic development after US and NATO forces begin to withdraw in 2014, write Larry Hanauer and Peter Chalk.

  • A Filipino worker cleans the statue of late U.S. General Douglas MacArthur October 7, 1994 for the celebration of the 50th anniversary of the landing of U.S. and allied troops on Leyte island in the Japanese-occupied Philippines during World War II

    Announcement

    John Gordon Receives Arthur Goodzeit Book Award for 'Fighting for MacArthur'

    Jun 8, 2012

    John Gordon won the 2011 Arthur Goodzeit Book Award for Fighting for MacArthur: The Navy and Marine Corps' Desperate Defense of the Philippines, a World War II history. The award was presented by the New York Military Affairs Symposium.

  • Multimedia

    Multimedia

    John Gordon Discusses Fighting for MacArthur

    Jun 8, 2012

    John Gordon, RAND Senior Policy Analyst, discusses his book Fighting for MacArthur with the editor of Leatherneck Magazine, Colonel Walt Ford, USMC (Ret).

  • A wargames board game

    Commentary

    Anatomy of a War Game

    Jun 6, 2012

    War games are especially important as countries prepare to counter adversaries who use asymmetric strategies or weapons, forcing military planners to deal with unfamiliar threats, writes Bruce Bennett.

  • A homeless Chinese man with his daughter sleeping on steps

    Commentary

    The Inequality Debate: The United States versus China

    Jun 4, 2012

    The inequality debate should focus more on the sources and reasons for inequality, and less on how much inequality there is, or how much it has changed, writes Charles Wolf, Jr.