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October 2015

commentary

How Will China Respond to Future U.S. Freedom of Navigation Operations?
On October 27, the USS Lassen carried out the first freedom of navigation patrol to challenge China's territorial claims in the South China Sea. In assessing China's potential response to follow-on operations, the extremes of either complete inaction or a military attack can be ruled out.
Oct 29, 2015

commentary

Sniping: Homeless Youths' High-Risk Smoking Practice
Any intervention to help homeless youth quit smoking must also address 'sniping.' This high-risk activity involves scavenging cigarette butts and filters to make a 'new' cigarette.
Oct 29, 2015
commentary

Partisans Without Parties
It is tempting to describe Egypt's parliamentary elections as history repeating itself. Yet today's Egypt is not Mubarak's Egypt. Rather, it is a state transitioning from single-party rule to a new system whose pecking order is still being hashed out.
Oct 29, 2015
commentary

Bringing FARC in from the Cold
The announcement of a preliminary peace accord by the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) and the Colombian government is not receiving public support. Most Colombians manifest a strong desire for peace but they reject the possibility that crimes committed in the name of revolution should receive amnesty.
Oct 28, 2015
essay

Warriors in the Civilian Workforce: Helping Veterans Transition
Americans who served during the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq continue to face higher jobless rates than nonveterans. A growing body of RAND research has sought to identify what can help get more of them back on the job.
Oct 28, 2015
commentary

When Public Trust in Corporations Is Shaken
The Volkswagen scandal comes at a time when the public's trust in both the automotive industry and tech companies is at risk. The level of public trust in an individual organization could end up burnishing — or infecting — an entire industry or new technology.
Oct 28, 2015
announcement

RAND Named One of 50 Greatest Places to Work by Washingtonian
Washingtonian's biannual feature honors organizations that are recognized — by their employees — for excellent pay and benefits, challenging and interesting work, work/life balance, opportunities to learn and grow, commitment to charity and community, and the recognition and respect given to staff.
Oct 26, 2015
q&a

Helping the Most Vulnerable: Q&A with Rajeev Ramchand
Rajeev Ramchand discusses drug abuse, suicide, and how research can make a difference for society's most vulnerable.
Oct 26, 2015
commentary

How to Overcome the Risks of Artificial Intelligence
The warnings and promises of artificial intelligence aren't new, but advances in technology make them more pressing.
Oct 22, 2015
commentary

The Shared Savings Model: An Innovative Way to Attack Rapidly Rising College Costs
The challenge facing policymakers is how to lessen the college cost pressure felt by families while incentivizing institutions to innovate to reduce cost and improve quality. What if cost savings from increased productivity were quantified and a portion returned to institutions?
Oct 22, 2015
commentary

Benghazi: Questions Unasked and Opportunities Missed
Instead of asking whether a video precipitated the attack or whether Ambassador Stevens should have been in Benghazi on that fateful night, the right question to ask is under what conditions the United States should have a diplomatic presence in high-risk areas.
Oct 22, 2015
commentary

Five Options for the U.S. in Syria
How should the United States respond to Russia's intervention in Syria's civil war? Here are five options intended to encourage rational thinking based upon realistic presumptions, not media or campaign-driven hype.
Oct 21, 2015
essay

Opioid Rising: How to Stop the World's Growing Heroin Crisis
RAND research offers strategies to save thousands of lives around the world from opioids, such as heroin and prescription painkillers.
Oct 20, 2015
q&a

Social Engineering Explained: The Human Element in Cyberattacks
The human element is the most unpredictable factor in cybersecurity. A social engineer aims to make people do what they want or give the social engineer information, often without the person considering the negative consequences.
Oct 20, 2015
commentary

If We Keep Cutting Defense Spending, We Must Do Less
The United States is underinvesting in defense and other instruments of national influence just when they are most needed. Improving defenses needn't require Cold War levels of expenditure but Americans should look realistically at the demands being placed on their forces and generate the revenues to meet those demands.
Oct 19, 2015
commentary

A Good Move in Cameroon
President Obama's decision to deploy 300 soldiers to Cameroon to help combat the Nigerian Islamist group Boko Haram is welcome news. The U.S. is stepping in at the right time, in the right way, by providing intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance support that will greatly enhance Cameroon's and others' chances.
Oct 18, 2015

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