News Archive - Latin America and Africa in the News

RAND researchers often write commentaries for publications on a variety of topics. This page lists commentaries and op-eds about or related to Latin America and Africa. For a complete list of commentaries and op-eds by RAND staff, visit the RAND Newsroom.

  • Yemen protesters

    Expect Regime Change in Libya, Yemen

    Apr 25, 2011

    The countries in a possible "second wave" of Arab revolutions have dim prospects for consolidated democracies. Other than tribes, Libya essentially has no civil society, and it has a long-isolated educated class. Yemen has civil society organizations but fewer well-educated individuals, writes Julie Taylor.

  • Blog

    Time to Arm Libyan Rebels: Here's How

    Apr 13, 2011

    The long-term objective of a train-and-equip program for the Libyan revolutionary government would be to create a professional military force in a post-Qaddafi Libya that could support democratic institutions free of extremist elements, writes Angel Rabasa.

  • Blog

    Industry Insights: What's So Hard About Stopping Piracy?

    Apr 11, 2011

    Containing persistent maritime disorder might be more fruitful and could lay the foundations for a successful transition to better use of the sea once the societal factors—an even longer term problem—have been resolved, writes Laurence Smallman.

  • Blog

    Kowtowing to Pirates' Ransoms Fuels Maritime Piracy

    Apr 11, 2011

    Instead of fanning piracy, international businesses need to heed policy. Ransoms in the short term can only lead to more problems in the long term, writes Laurence Smallman.

  • Blog

    The Allies in Libya: A New Paradigm for Intervention?

    Apr 10, 2011

    What has been happening in North Africa this year, in what seems to be the leading edge of a great wind of change sweeping the Arab world, will require the Europeans (along with the U.S. and others) to be deeply and durably engaged there — economically, politically and in humanitarian terms, writes Robert E. Hunter.

  • Blog

    Obama's Calculated Gamble on Libya Strategy

    Apr 4, 2011

    Pushing the European allies, especially Britain and France, to take more responsibility in managing crises would reduce the costs and burdens on the United States while providing an incentive for the Europeans to take defense more seriously, writes F. Stephen Larrabee.

  • Blog

    Arm the Libyan Rebels to Fight Gadhafi

    Mar 24, 2011

    What the United States did in Bosnia might hold the key for an effective response to the crisis in Libya, writes Angel Rabasa.

  • An Afghan National Interpreter and U.S. Army soldier talk with an Afghan boy during a patrol at a bazaar in the Zabul province of Afghanistan June 29, 2010

    What Intervention Looks Like

    Mar 16, 2011

    The question, then, is whether stopping the fighting—which could also require forcibly removing Qaddafi—is worth the price of deep military engagement and responsibility for Libya's postwar future, writes Robert E. Hunter.

  • Blog

    Five Myths about the Muslim Brotherhood

    Mar 6, 2011

    Much of what we know—or think we know—about the Muslim Brotherhood's ambitions, beliefs and history is clouded by misperceptions, writes Lorenzo Vidino.

  • Blog

    Can You Hear Libya Now?

    Mar 5, 2011

    The U.S. and its allies could help Libyans communicate with the outside world by deploying cellphone base stations on aircraft or tethered balloons, write Dan Gonzales and Sarah Harting.

  • Blog

    Stormy Seas off Somalia: Pirate Activity Will Increase in 2011

    Feb 28, 2011

    Only by addressing the poverty and lack of central authority in Somalia can the international community lower maritime crime and violence off the Horn of Africa, writes Peter Chalk.

  • Blog

    Libya's Terra Incognita: Who and What Will Follow Qaddafi?

    Feb 28, 2011

    The new, post-Qaddafi era is likely to be marked by the emergence of long-suppressed domestic groups jostling for supremacy in what is sure to be a chaotic political scene, writes Frederic Wehrey.

  • Julie Taylor Discusses Post-Mubarak Egypt and Middle East

    Feb 11, 2011

    Senior political scientist Julie Taylor spoke with RAND media relations director Jeffrey Hiday about the resignation of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and the effects it could have on other Middle East countries and U.S. relations with the region.

  • Blog

    The Domino Effect of Arab Unrest

    Feb 1, 2011

    There is no clear political party or leader ready to step in if the regime in Egypt falls. However, this protest is not without leadership; it is spearheaded by a large network of Egyptian human rights groups and other citizens, writes Julie Taylor.

  • Periodical

    A Year After the Earthquake in Haiti, the Key to Stability Is to Build the State

    Jan 6, 2011

    It has been a year since the devastating earthquake. The question now is how to use international aid and assistance wisely. This RAND Review cover story describes actions that could yield positive outcomes in Haiti in three to five years.