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September 2014

commentary

Graphic Warning Labels on Cigarettes Are Scary, but Do They Work?
'Graphic warning labels' pair gruesome images with warnings about the dangers of smoking, covering anywhere from 30 to 80 percent of cigarette pack 'faces' (the front and back). Do they prevent people from starting to smoke or cause current smokers to quit?
Sep 30, 2014

commentary

Using Education to Stop the Prison Revolving Door
Providing education and vocational training to inmates is a cost-effective way to reduce recidivism rates, thus shrinking prison populations and easing the strain on prison budgets. Education is far less expensive than incarceration.
Sep 30, 2014
commentary

Why Iran Can't Walk Away from Nuclear Talks So Easily
If the public inflexibility of Iranian President Hassan Rouhani and his foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif isn't mere diplomatic posturing, they would be gambling not only with their own political futures, but the futures of 80 million Iranians as well.
Sep 26, 2014
commentary

An Inconvenient War
Congress has not addressed President Obama's plans to take other military steps against ISIS. Some members of Congress do not want to vote on the use of military force until after the upcoming elections. Among these are some who fear their vote could cost them votes.
Sep 25, 2014
commentary

War with ISIS: What Does Victory Look Like?
We should start the campaign with an achievable definition of victory and a reasonable expectation about what that will take. We want to degrade ISIS so its ability to attack us and our interests is minimized, and to aid allies — particularly Iraqis and Middle Eastern governments who are willing to commit even limited forces.
Sep 25, 2014
q&a

RAND Experts Discuss U.S. Airstrikes Against ISIS in Syria
The United States and five of its partner nations are conducting strikes against ISIS terrorists in Syria using fighters, bombers, remotely piloted aircraft, and Tomahawk Land Attack missiles. RAND experts discuss the bombings and possible ramifications.
Sep 24, 2014
commentary

Afghanistan's Best Bet
On Sunday, Ashraf Ghani was declared the victor in a contest to determine Afghanistan's next president. The process has been infuriating but the end product of this mess was the best possible outcome: best for Afghanistan, best for the region, and best for the United States.
Sep 24, 2014
commentary

Does France Have the Master Plan to Defeat ISIS?
In Mali, France stopped jihadists from taking over, ejected them from the country almost entirely, and struck a major blow to their ability to threaten France and the region. This success story provides important lessons for the U.S. debate about how to deal with ISIS.
Sep 24, 2014
commentary

The More Options, the Better
Preserving the ability of the United States to choose how it will respond to global events is essential. And maintaining options is critical to the calculus.
Sep 23, 2014
commentary

One Day in the Life of Russia
Russia faces major challenges, some self-inflicted. Freedoms vital to the creation of a modern civil society are declining. Dominant, state-controlled energy and aerospace companies are losing ground, weakening a strained economy. Russia's relationship with Europe, its most important economic partner and a cultural beacon, is fracturing.
Sep 23, 2014
commentary

From Glasgow to Kashmir
Scotland's vote could be a step toward disrupting the historical pattern of independence being won by force, not granted after a vote. This was the paradigm of the past, and it remains the paradigm of the present. But the vote in Scotland just might help set a new roadmap for the future.
Sep 22, 2014
commentary

Community-Driven Development: How the Poor Can Take Charge to Improve Their Housing
Public housing projects have been controversial for decades in countries around the world. But an informal settlement in Cape Town, South Africa, could serve as a guide for other countries experimenting with community-driven development, an alternative approach to public housing.
Sep 19, 2014
commentary

Probing the Barriers to Conducting Clinical Research in Sub-Saharan Africa
Developing clinical research in sub-Saharan Africa requires a more holistic approach that considers not only individuals and institutions concerned with clinical research but also the wider health and research systems in these countries.
Sep 19, 2014
commentary

What Does North Korea Want?
Currently, three U.S. citizens are being detained in North Korea. It is likely that North Korea wants someone like a former U.S. president to come to North Korea instead of U.S. Ambassador Bob King, whose visits were cancelled.
Sep 18, 2014
commentary

War Is Not the Word
Iraq, not the United States, is at war with ISIS. This distinction is important because it helps everyone understand each country's role.
Sep 18, 2014
commentary

Another Example of Obama's Light-Footprint Strategy
President Obama's campaign against ISIS militants marks a notable strategic shift in the conduct of warfare against terrorists and insurgents. It eschews the use of overwhelming force and embraces a light-footprint strategy that relies on precision strikes from U.S. aircraft, clandestine ground units, and local allies.
Sep 17, 2014

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