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  1. RAND
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  3. Blog
  4. >Blog posts from 2009
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The RAND Blog

2009

  • Visitors look at a painting by Saudi artist Hana Hajar in Riyadh, October 5, 2009, as part of celebrations to mark Jerusalem's tenure as the Arab League's "Capital of Arab Culture" for 2009
    Counterterrorism

    commentary

    Fighting Terror the Cold War Way

    With much talk about how to “win hearts and minds” in the Muslim world, it's surprising that few are looking back to a global contest of ideas that the U.S. and its allies categorically won: the Cold War, write Todd C. Helmus and Dalia Dassa Kaye.

    Read More »

    Oct 14, 2009

    ForeignPolicy.com

    Todd C. Helmus @Helmus, Dalia Dassa Kaye

  • Terrorism Threat Assessment

    commentary

    How a Decade of Terror Changed America

    Two foiled airliner bombings bracket a decade that changed the world's understanding of terrorism as a new form of global warfare and has had profound ramifications we are still coming to grips with in the U.S., writes Brian Michael Jenkins.

    Read More »

    Dec 30, 2009

    AOL News

    Brian Michael Jenkins @BrianMJenkins

  • Nuclear Disarmament

    commentary

    Punish Iran's Rulers, Not Its People

    Time is running out for the U.S. to persuade Iran to halt its nuclear program. As the potential for a diplomatic solution wanes, the administration must consider what steps might dissuade Tehran from continuing its nuclear program without punishing the Iranian people, writes Alireza Nader..

    Read More »

    Dec 14, 2009

    Foreign Policy

    Alireza Nader

  • Afghanistan

    commentary

    Ends, Ways, and Means—the Debate We Still Need on Afghanistan

    When President Obama explained his decision to send 30,000 additional U.S. troops to Afghanistan to support General Stanley McChrystal's new counterinsurgency campaign, he left a key question unanswered: Will this be enough to achieve U.S. strategic ends in Afghanistan? writes David E. Johnson.

    Read More »

    Dec 9, 2009

    RAND.org

    David E. Johnson

  • Security Cooperation

    commentary

    Take the War to Pakistan

    The United States and Pakistan must target Taliban leaders in Baluchistan. There are several ways to do it, and none requires military forces, writes Seth G. Jones.

    Read More »

    Dec 4, 2009

    New York Times

    Seth G. Jones

  • Military Force Deployment

    commentary

    Afghanistan: A Marathon, Not a Prize Fight

    President Obama's decision to send 30,000 additional troops to Afghanistan reflects a nation deeply divided on the war. There are compelling arguments on both sides, writes Brian Michael Jenkins.

    Read More »

    Dec 1, 2009

    RAND.org

    Brian Michael Jenkins @BrianMJenkins

  • Afghanistan

    commentary

    A False Promise of 'Counterinsurgency'

    If the additional troops President Obama has ordered sent to Afghanistan are intended to pursue a "population-centric counterinsurgency" campaign, as described in news reports about General McChrystal's thinking, then this decision is regrettable, writes Celeste Ward Gventer.

    Read More »

    Dec 1, 2009

    NYTimes.com

    Celeste Gventer

  • Terrorism Threat Assessment

    commentary

    A Year After Mumbai, Lashkar's Threat Has Only Grown

    One year ago, 10 gunmen from a Pakistani militant group Lashkar-e-Taiba laid siege to Mumbai. Lashkar's main enemy is India, but it has also waged a peripheral jihad against the United States and its allies since shortly after 9/11, writes Stephen Tankel.

    Read More »

    Nov 25, 2009

    RAND.org

    Stephen Tankel

  • Afghanistan

    commentary

    When Generals and Ambassadors Feud

    In 2007 in Iraq, Gen. David Petraeus and Amb. Ryan Crocker set a model for civil-military collaboration: They never let daylight show between their positions. General McChrystal and Ambassador Karl Eikenberry have diverged from this model, writes James Dobbins.

    Read More »

    Nov 13, 2009

    Foreign Policy

    James Dobbins

  • Globalization

    commentary

    The Fall of the Wall: A World Restored?

    The fall of the Berlin Wall retains its status as an epoch-making event inmodern world history, even as it passes from recent into truly historical memory, writes Christopher Chivvis.

    Read More »

    Nov 10, 2009

    CNN.com

    Christopher S. Chivvis

  • Afghanistan

    commentary

    Our Man in Kabul

    The last thing Karzai, NATO, and the United States can afford is the emergence of a renewed northern alliance, writes James Dobbins.

    Read More »

    Nov 4, 2009

    Foreign Affairs

    James Dobbins

  • Nation Building

    commentary

    Karzai's Second Term a Test for International Community

    Afghan President Hamid Karzai begins his second term with his country on the brink of chaos. To establish control, two major elements of reform are necessary, writes Terrence Kelly.

    Read More »

    Nov 2, 2009

    RAND.org

    Terrence K. Kelly

  • Alcohol

    commentary

    Price of Intoxication: The Case for a Minimum Price for Alcohol

    If ever there was a scheme that might reduce excessive alcohol consumption while causing minimal social and economic disruption, a minimum price on alcohol may be it, writes Lila Rabinovich.

    Read More »

    Oct 30, 2009

    RAND.org

    Lila Rabinovich

  • North Atlantic Treaty Organization

    commentary

    Keeping Our Allies on Our Side in Afghanistan

    'There is only one thing worse than fighting with allies," observed Winston Churchill in 1945, "and that is fighting without them." It's a truth worth recalling as the Obama administration nears crucial decisions on Afghanistan, write Leo Michel and Robert Hunter.

    Read More »

    Oct 27, 2009

    Los Angeles Times

    Leo Michel, Robert E. Hunter

  • International Diplomacy

    commentary

    Biden's Task in Eastern Europe: Reassurance

    After the decision to cancel missile defense plans in Poland and the Czech Republic, the US needs to do more than damage control to soothe ties there, write F. Stephen Larrabee and Christopher Chivvis.

    Read More »

    Oct 20, 2009

    The Christian Science Monitor

    F. Stephen Larrabee, Christopher S. Chivvis

  • commentary

    Prime Numbers: Doped

    The illicit drug trade is the ultimate value-added chain. As cocaine and heroin make their perilous journeys from the fields of Colombia and Afghanistan to markets in U.S. and European cities, each border crossed and each trafficker involved adds dollars to a price, write Beau Kilmer And Peter Reuter.

    Read More »

    Oct 19, 2009

    Foreign Policy

    Beau Kilmer @BeauKilmer, Peter Reuter

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