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.

  • RAND researchers Jessie Riposo, Abbie Tingstad, Susan A. Resetar, and Jordan R. Fischbach.

    Climate Change and Implications for Disasters in the United States: Examples from the Arctic, Caribbean, Northeast, and Gulf States

    Jun 10, 2022

    Climate change is contributing to more frequent and more severe disasters. In this video, three climate researchers from the RAND Corporation discuss climate change and risks for disasters in the United States. They focus on several regions: the Arctic, the Caribbean, the Northeast, and the Gulf states.

  • An overview of five case studies in the field of early childhood development

    Apr 7, 2022

    This Lessons Map is a matrix that describes common themes and elements across five case studies for achieving impact at scale in the field of early childhood development, despite the different contexts of the case studies.

  • The West's Response to Russia, the State of the Union, Outer Space: RAND Weekly Recap

    Mar 4, 2022

    This weekly recap focuses on how to prevent Russia's war on Ukraine from becoming a war with NATO, insights from RAND on the State of the Union, the future of outer space, and more.

  • Wind turbines surrounded by fog in Costa Rica, photo by OGphoto/Getty Images

    A Green Costa Rican COVID-19 Recovery

    Feb 24, 2022

    Before COVID-19 hit, Costa Rica had been taking a leading role in addressing the effects of climate change by investing in decarbonization. Pardee RAND students, faculty, and alumni consider whether these same investments could also accelerate Costa Rica's pandemic economic recovery and help address historical inequities.

  • Illustrated graph shows how Costa Rica could reach net-zero emissions by 2050 under its National Decarbonization Plan. Achieving net-zero emissions is estimated to create a net economic benefit of $40.9 billion, visualization by Gabrielle Mérite

    Visualizing Costa Rica's Carbon-Neutral Future

    Feb 23, 2022

    The latest product of RAND Art + Data illustrates research findings by Pardee RAND alumni and students David Groves, James Syme, Edmundo Molina-Perez, and Carlos Calvo Hernandez, who analyzed the potential outcomes of Costa Rica's National Decarbonization Plan.

  • Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi and Russian President Vladimir Putin shake hands at the Russia-Africa Summit in Sochi, Russia, October 24, 2019, photo by Sergei Chirikov/Pool/Reuters

    Russia's Growing Presence in Africa

    Jan 31, 2022

    Knowing where Russia is involved in Africa and where it is likely to become engaged in the future can help U.S. Air Forces Africa refine its regional strategy. A geostrategic assessment shows Russian activity in commercial, diplomatic, military, and paramilitary domains.

  • U.S.-Russia Diplomacy, Citizen Science, America's Blood Supply: RAND Weekly Recap

    Jan 21, 2022

    This weekly recap focuses on U.S.-Russia diplomacy in the context of the Ukraine crisis, the value of citizen science, strengthening the America's blood supply, and more.

  • U.S. Navy Boatswain's Mate 2nd Class Daniel Mendoza (center) observes Sierra Leonean service members as they plot a navigational course during a training session in Freetown, Sierra Leone, August 18, 2010, photo by MC1 Jeffery Tilghman Williams/U.S. Navy

    U.S. Security Governance and Competition Objectives in Africa

    Jan 18, 2022

    Institutional capacity-building (ICB) efforts have been critical to achieving U.S. security objectives in Africa. But as U.S. policy shifts from counterterrorism to strategic competition, could ICB programs also help the United States gain influence in Africa?

  • Jacqueline Burns, bottom right, with Ambassador Donald Booth, at an Internally Displaced Person camp in Darfur, Sudan, in 2016, over a map of Sudan, photo courtesy of Jacqueline Burns; images by oxygen and JeanUrsula/Getty Images; design by Chara Williams/RAND Corporation

    Helping People Affected by Conflict: Q&A with Jacqueline Burns

    Dec 22, 2021

    From the Air Force to Africa to RAND, Jacqueline Burns resolved to help people whose lives have been torn apart by conflict or disaster. As a senior policy analyst she wants to be a part of finding better solutions to the complex questions of peace and security.

  • People walk on flooded land beside the Padma River as the flood situation worsens in Munshiganj district, on the outskirts of Dhaka, Bangladesh, July 25, 2020, photo by Mohammad Ponir Hossain/Reuters

    Addressing Climate Migration

    Dec 7, 2021

    As the effects of climate change increase in scope and severity, more people will relocate to preserve or enhance their lives and livelihoods. A review of how six countries are managing climate mobility provides options for policymakers considering the needs of climate migrants and their host communities.

  • Military parade after the 2021 coup d'état in Kaloum, Guinea, September 6, 2021, photo by Aboubacarkhoraa/CC BY 4.0 International

    Are Military Coups Back in Style in Africa?

    Dec 1, 2021

    There have been five coups in sub-Saharan Africa since August 2020. On a continent that was recently lauded for its democratic advancement, this backsliding suggests the military coup may be dangerously back in fashion. Why are more coups happening now?

  • Russian President Vladimir Putin shakes hands with Central African Republic President Faustin-Archange Touadéra at the Russia-Africa Summit in Sochi, Russia, October 23, 2019., photo by Mikhail Metzel/Kremlin via Reuters

    What Does Africa Need Most Now: Russian Arms Sales or Good Vaccines?

    Nov 17, 2021

    Why is Russia's main export to Africa advanced conventional weapons at a time when other needs are so great? African leaders might think twice about aggressive Russian arms pitches and engagement of mercenaries, and prioritize measures to stem the COVID-19 pandemic and encourage economic growth.

  • Attendees of the RAND African First Ladies Fellowship forum on September 26, 2012, photo by Diane Bondareff/AP Images

    Leadership Forum Empowers First Ladies Around the World

    Nov 4, 2021

    In many countries, the role of first lady doesn't come with a job description or even a staff. The Global First Ladies Alliance, born at the Pardee RAND Graduate School, helps first ladies lead, often with the assistance of America's own first ladies.

  • Nuclear Deterrence, COVID-19 and Infant Deaths, Criminal Justice Reform: RAND Weekly Recap

    Oct 22, 2021

    This weekly recap focuses on why the United States doesn’t need more nuclear weapons, increased infant deaths during the pandemic, preventing veteran suicide, and more.

  • Elementary school children arrive at school by bus, photo by monkeybusinessimages/Getty Images

    Educating Newcomers: K-12 Public School for Undocumented and Asylum-Seeking Children

    Oct 5, 2021

    In recent years, record numbers of undocumented and asylum-seeking families and children from Mexico and Northern Triangle countries crossed the U.S. southwest border in search of safety and opportunity. In a new RAND report, researchers estimate how many of these undocumented and asylum-seeking children are now in primary and secondary schools in the United States.