April 2016

commentary

Xi's Purge of the Military Prepares the Chinese Army for Confrontation

Xi Jinping is relying on an unprecedented anti-corruption campaign, echoing Mao Zedong's dictum that “the party commands the gun,” and implementing a sweeping reorganization of the PLA to ensure his personal dominance over the military and to strengthen its ability to deter or win future wars.

Derek Grossman @DerekJGrossman, Michael S. Chase

commentary

The Taliban's Persistent Threat

The United States and its NATO allies have been scaling back their military commitment in Afghanistan. The Taliban, in response, have been scaling up their operations, inflicting unprecedented heavy casualties on Afghan government forces and gaining increased control over much of the countryside.

James Dobbins

announcement

RAND Corporation Appoints Special Advisor on Israel with the Center for Middle East Public Policy

Shira Efron has been named a special advisor on Israel at the RAND Corporation Center for Middle East Public Policy, to continue to develop relationships with Israeli institutions and attract support for further Israel-related public policy research.

commentary

Police and Crime Commissioners: Why Should We Care?

Police and crime commissioners (PCCs) are elected officials in the UK who oversee local policing and crime. Although they have significant, growing powers that affect everyone, public awareness about PCCs is low.

Matthew Davies

commentary

Reimagining and Modernizing U.S. Airborne Forces for the 21st Century

Many of the challenges the U.S. will face in the coming years across the range of military operations could be deep inland and require rapid response. Airborne forcible entry — with reimagined and modernized airborne forces — would offer decisionmakers options in crises that they do not possess today.

David E. Johnson, John Gordon IV

commentary

A Risky Move in Brussels

In the last two years, NATO's relations with Russia have collapsed to their post-Cold War nadir. The decision to convene a meeting of the NATO-Russia Council in Brussels on April 20 has been met with an unusual amount of controversy and could prove to be a mistake.

Christopher S. Chivvis

commentary

Regulating Drone Airspace Using 'Smart Markets'

With commercially operated autonomous drones potentially on the horizon, a policy problem is likely to emerge: allocation of scarce airspace and preferred flight paths. 'Smart markets' could help.

David Manheim, John F. Raffensperger, et al.

announcement

RAND's Shelly Culbertson Publishes Book on Middle East After the Arab Spring

A new book by RAND's Shelly Culbertson mixes travel memoir, reporting, and analysis across six Middle Eastern countries, presenting diverse experiences of the Arab Spring.

commentary

At 40, a Pioneering Health Care Experiment Remains Relevant

The impact of RAND's Health Insurance Experiment has been wide-reaching. The study's conclusions encouraged the restructuring of private insurance and helped increase the stature of managed care in the United States.

Michael D. Rich @michaeldrich

commentary

NATO's Southern Exposure: The Real Threats to Europe—and the Alliance

If NATO fails to define a strategy for its southern challenges (terrorism and the ongoing influx of migrants), it could slip into strategic irrelevance.

Christopher S. Chivvis

commentary

Walls Won't Keep Us Safe

Experience along the U.S. southern border demonstrates that even with fortifications, a wall provides only modest capacity to stop illegal crossings. More emphasis should be placed on expanding border security beyond the physical dimension.

Daniel M. Gerstein @Daniel_Gerstein

commentary

Reframing the 'Free College' Debate

Framing the future of college as a debate about whether it should be free is a lost opportunity to discuss what's really wrong with higher education in America—and a missed chance to help young Americans regain lost competitiveness in the workforce.

Diana Gehlhaus

commentary

Taiwan Forced to Rethink Its Air Defense Strategy

Taiwan's defense problem is challenging, but it will spend a considerable sum on air defense capabilities in the coming years, and those investments could be made much more effective.

Michael J. Lostumbo

commentary

Why Research Funders Looking for Impact Need to Be 'DECISIVE'

Funding decisions in the UK direct the flow of billions of pounds of public and philanthropic funding but there is little evidence to suggest how to allocate grants to researchers to increase the chances that the work they support changes lives and improves society. New research helps inform funders' strategies.

Steven Wooding, Adam Kamenetzky

commentary

Anti-Muslim Rhetoric Is a National Security Threat

National security and counterterrorism experts agree that rhetoric that paints all Muslims as terrorists or terrorist sympathizers has a high chance of breeding future terrorists. And evidence suggests such language can hamper U.S. efforts to stop terrorists before they strike and to capture them after attacks.

Radha Iyengar Plumb