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.

  • Senior members of the People's Liberation Army met the U.S. Pacific Command aircrews when they delivered relief supplies to the earthquake-stricken Sichuan province in May 2008

    Blog

    China's Defense Spending Mystery

    Mar 12, 2013

    China's decision to expand defense spending also carries clues about the Party's need to keep the military happy, the new leadership's confidence and new President Xi Jinping's ability to put his own stamp on policy from the start, writes Scott Harold.

  • Afghan Border Police and U.S. Army Soldiers hike to an observation point along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border

    Blog

    What Went Wrong in Afghanistan? Allowing a Sanctuary in Pakistan

    Mar 1, 2013

    Ten years after the United States helped overthrow the Taliban regime, it is remarkable that successive U.S. administrations have refused to target the Taliban safe haven in Baluchistan, writes Seth Jones.

  • Washington soldiers train with Thai military in counter-insurgency exchange

    Blog

    Is Asia's Forgotten Revolt About to Explode?

    Feb 25, 2013

    This is why teachers are so often the targets of attack. In the rebels’ view, schools aren’t neutral places for children to receive an education. They are seen as government-run indoctrination centers, propagating an exclusionary history and an alien language, writes Jonah Blank.

  • U.S. President Barack Obama shakes hands with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, February 22, 2013

    Blog

    What to Expect from Obama and Abe's U.S.-Japan Summit

    Feb 22, 2013

    To make this meeting successful, Washington and Tokyo will need to gain greater clarity on three broad areas: security, trade, and common values, writes Scott Harold.

  • North Korean soldiers attend a rally celebrating the country's third nuclear test at the Kim Il-Sung square in Pyongyang, February 14, 2013

    Blog

    North Korea's Third Nuclear Test: A Sign of Weakness, Not Strength

    Feb 15, 2013

    The ROK and the United States should take actions to deter subsequent North Korean provocations while punishing the country for its nuclear weapon test. Such actions could convince it that the ROK/U.S. are serious and able to impose high costs, writes Bruce Bennett.

  • President Barack Obama's State of the Union address on Capitol Hill in Washington, February 12, 2013

    Blog

    The State of the Union 2013

    Feb 13, 2013

    The 2013 SOTU address will be remembered for its impassioned call for greater gun control just two months after Sandy Hook. But President Obama's second-term agenda can be characterized by its sheer breadth, reflecting the broad range of policy challenges facing the U.S. today.

  • Artist's rendering of Knowledge City, Guangzhou, China

    Commentary

    RAND Extends Global Reach of Innovation

    Feb 5, 2013

    Stimulating innovation is important to the economic growth of all countries, regardless of their stages of development. President and CEO Michael Rich discusses how RAND is helping foster technological innovation in China, Europe, and the Middle East.

  • U.S. Army Captain talks with the Nurgaram district sub-governor in Nuristan, Afghanistan

    Commentary

    Book Review: 'The Outpost: An Untold Story of American Valor' by Jake Tapper

    Jan 12, 2013

    Tapper spends too much time providing tactical details of battles and too little offering a nuanced, thoughtful explanation of why the U.S. Army struggled so much in Nuristan, writes Seth G. Jones.