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Experts Guide

RAND has more than 300 research professionals available for comment to policymakers, journalists, and public officials. Our expertise spans a wide range of public policy issues that impact people around the world including security, health, education, sustainability, growth, and development.

To request an interview, contact the Office of Media Relations at (703) 414-4795 or by email at media@rand.org.

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  • A French soldier in a U.S. Air Force C-17 Globemaster III en route to Mali to fight off extremists that have taken control of much of Northern Mali, January 20, 2013

    Commentary

    What a 1963 Novel Tells Us About the French Army, Mission Command, and the Romance of the Indochina War

    The novel La 317e Section (The 317th Platoon) informs and reflects an operating style rooted in the French Army's collective memory of the colonial wars. Colonial operations tended to be low-budget, small-footprint missions that placed junior officers in positions of considerable authority and responsibility. Service promised quick glory but was also more dangerous.

    Sep 20, 2017

  • Media Advisory

    Media Advisory

    RAND Experts to Discuss Stabilization and Security Efforts in Mosul and Beyond

    Shelly Culbertson, a senior policy researcher with a focus on international development and the Middle East, and Linda Robinson, a senior policy researcher whose work centers on U.S. strategy to counter the Islamic State and special operations forces, will discuss what might be done to stabilize Mosul and Iraq and prevent a slide back into violence after ISIS is defeated.

    Sep 20, 2017

  • Supporters of Lebanon's Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah listen to him via a screen during a rally marking the 11th anniversary of the end of Hezbollah's 2006 war with Israel, in Khiam, Lebanon, August 13, 2017

    Commentary

    How Hezbollah Came to Dominate Information Warfare

    Hezbollah's information warfare portfolio includes newspapers, social media outlets, television programming, and a major internet presence. Its websites reflect the group's diverse agenda and aim to be multi-generational in their approach, offering information about social services as well as a video game to engage youth.

    Sep 19, 2017

  • Belgian army Special Forces during a military exercise organised by the European Defence Agency at Florennes airbase, Belgium, November 30, 2016

    Commentary

    The Lack of Clarity Over Medical Support for Light Footprint Operations and How It Could Be Solved

    Early identification and planning for medical support for EU-led military operations are vital to saving lives, treating injuries and keeping personnel healthy. Common standards would ensure high-quality and consistent medical support regardless of which country is providing it.

    Sep 19, 2017

  • German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Russian President Vladimir Putin and French President Emmanuel Macron meet during the G20 leaders summit in Hamburg, Germany July 8, 2017

    Commentary

    Europe's Hour Is Here

    Since World War II, the United States and the United Kingdom have played disproportionate roles, enhancing European security. Now continental Europe will have to assume more of the burden in advancing Western values and interests with an unpredictable and at times unruly Russia.

    Sep 16, 2017

  • People on a bus commuting to work

    Blog

    Exploring the Challenges Facing American Workers

    A panel of experts at RAND discussed changes in the U.S. economy and findings from a survey which asked more than 3,000 Americans about issues they face in the workplace. Frequent hostility, rising inequality, slow wage growth, and changes in the demand for certain skills are some of the issues affecting workers.

    Sep 15, 2017

  • Man pointing to a document

    Commentary

    Funders Using Bibliometrics Should Keep It Simple

    Avoiding information overload is crucial for research grant decisions. The right guidance and training to panel members can help them make the most of bibliometrics as an evaluation tool to assist their decisions on research funding.

    Sep 15, 2017

  • Woman using smartphone and laptop with icon graphic cyber security network of connected devices and personal data security

    Commentary

    How to Help Small Businesses Deal with Cyber Threats

    Small businesses are especially vulnerable to cyber threats. What can be done to allow small businesses the security to continue to prosper, while enhancing America's cybersecurity workforce and making the economy more secure?

    Sep 15, 2017

  • Security forces deploy to secure the area after an overnight raid on a restaurant in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, August 14, 2017

    Commentary

    Sahel Governments Need More Security Assistance

    Developments in the Sahel are cause for alarm. Despite the presence of an active French counterterrorism force and a UN peacekeeping mission, al Qaeda groups are thriving. The region would benefit from approaches that combine police and military operations with economic development and improved governance.

    Sep 14, 2017

  • News Release

    News Release

    Repealing or Replacing Affordable Care Act Would Result in More Uninsured Veterans, Increase Stress on VA Health System

    Proposals to repeal or replace the federal Affordable Care Act would likely increase the demand for service in the Veterans Affairs medical system, while also increasing the number of veterans who have no insurance coverage at all.

    Sep 14, 2017

  • Large indoor marijuana legal recreational commercial growing operation

    Testimony

    Considering Cannabis Legalization in Canada

    If Canada legalizes marijuana, policymakers will face complex choices. The effects of these choices will be hard to predict. Those considering alternatives to prohibition should be cautious and build flexibility into the regulations they propose.

    Sep 14, 2017

  • Russian President Vladimir Putin and Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko walk to watch the closing stage of the joint war games Zapad-2013 (West-2013) at the Gozhsky firing range in Grodno, September 26, 2013

    Commentary

    Joint Military Exercises Distract from Complex Russia-Belarus Relationship

    Analysts and military leaders have concerns that Russia will use the Zapad 2017 exercise in Belarus as a smokescreen to put personnel and equipment in place, and keep it there. But the deep ties and history of cooperation between the two states make the chances of that happening unlikely.

    Sep 13, 2017

  • A Chinese military plane H-6 bomber flies over the Pacific October 27, 2013

    Commentary

    Chinese Bomber Flights Around Taiwan: For What Purpose?

    Recent bomber flights near Taiwan represent the most concerted training regimen yet aimed at improving Chinese airpower. China seeks to enhance the PLA Air Force's capabilities and signal Beijing's will to defend its territorial claims against the U.S. and its regional allies and partners, especially Taiwan and Japan.

    Sep 13, 2017

  • News Release

    News Release

    Satellite Imagery Analysis Reveals Economic Decay Within Islamic State

    The Islamic State contributed to a 23 percent reduction in the GDP of cities under its control, based on novel applications of satellite-derived data. Over the course of its peak territorial control and decline through mid-2016, the economy of the Islamic State showed clear signs of decay across multiple sectors.

    Sep 13, 2017

  • Houses are seen partially submerged in flood waters caused by Tropical Storm Harvey in Northwest Houston, Texas, August 30, 2017

    Commentary

    Why Houstonians Didn't Buy Flood Insurance

    Thousands of Houston-area homeowners will face massive, uninsured losses due to flood damage. Few homeowners buy flood insurance unless they are required to, and it's only mandatory for homes with mortgages located in FEMA-defined high-risk flood zones. People tend to ignore low-probability risks.

    Sep 12, 2017

  • High school students asleep in their class

    Commentary

    The Early Bird Catches the Worm? Probably Not, Says Science on School Start Times

    School start times are becoming a hotly debated topic across the United States. Starting middle and high school at 8.30 a.m. would help the health of teenagers and the benefits would likely outweigh the economic cost after a reasonable time.

    Sep 12, 2017

  • A rescue boat evacuates people from the rising waters of Buffalo Bayou following Hurricane Harvey in a neighborhood west of Houston, Texas, August 30, 2017

    Commentary

    Rethinking Disaster Evacuation

    Before a storm hits, officials must decide whether to evacuate the public or advise them to shelter in place. Other, more targeted choices — such as sheltering in safer locations within a city — could be available if an analytic basis for making such judgments were fully developed.

    Sep 11, 2017

  • Announcement

    Announcement

    Mala Gaonkar and Michael E. Leiter Elected to RAND Board of Trustees

    The RAND Corporation Board of Trustees has elected two new members: Mala Gaonkar, an investment industry executive, and Michael E. Leiter, a lawyer and former director of the National Counterterrorism Center.

    Sep 11, 2017

  • North Korean leader Kim Jong Un inspects a long and medium-range ballistic rocket launch drill in this undated photo released by North Korea's Korean Central News Agency in Pyongyang on August 30, 2017

    Commentary

    Beyond Strategic Patience with North Korea: What Comes Next?

    North Korea says that nuclear weapons are essential to regime survival. The United States should figure out how to persuade the North Korean regime that it is less likely to survive by posing a nuclear threat than by cooperating with the international community.

    Sep 8, 2017

  • Chinese President Xi Jinping greets Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Mexico's President Enrique Pena Nieto before the Emerging Market and Developing Countries meeting during the BRICS Summit, in Xiamen, China, September 5, 2017

    Commentary

    What Were China's Objectives in the Doklam Dispute?

    The biggest Chinese concern in the Himalayas might be with the future of the 82-year-old Dalai Lama. China intends to select his successor. A high-profile scare on the Doklam Plateau may have been intended to send India an implicit message not to repeat its decision to shelter the Dalai Lama in 1959.

    Sep 8, 2017

    Upcoming Events

  • A stethoscope resting on a US flag

    Beyond the Headlines: What's Next for Health Care

    Sep 28, 2017

    Uncertainty following Congress’ failed attempts to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act is raising anxiety among both insurers and consumers. Join RAND senior economist Christine Eibner to discuss modifications to the ACA, as well as the long-term outlook for health care reform in the U.S. [Pittsburgh, PA]

  • A missile is carried by a military vehicle during a parade to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the signing of a truce in the 1950-1953 Korean War, at Kim Il-sung Square in Pyongyang July 27, 2013

    Escalating Tensions over North Korea

    Oct 11, 2017

    RAND's Bruce Bennett, a leading expert on North Korea, talks about his recent research on deterrence of North Korean provocations and preparation for the possibility of a North Korean collapse. [Washington, D.C.]

  • Coin jars labelled 'now' and 'future'

    RAND Behavioral Finance Forum 2017

    Oct 24, 2017

    The RAND Behavioral Finance Forum brings together academic, financial, and government leaders to share cutting-edge behavioral research in financial decisionmaking. The 2017 annual conference is on Tuesday, October 24, 2017, at The Pew Charitable Trusts in Washington, D.C.