October 2023

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Japan's Play for Today: Too Much? Just Right? Or Never Enough?

Japan is pushing ahead on a broad array of initiatives meant to strengthen the Self-Defense Forces' deterrent power across multiple domains. But there are bound to be limits in manpower, resources, capacity, or capabilities that will place limits on what the end point of Japan's buildup ultimately looks like.

Jeffrey W. Hornung

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Nations Must Collaborate on AI and Biotech—or Be Left Behind

As two revolutionary technologies—machine learning and gene editing—converge, forward-looking policy is necessary to both mitigate risks and leverage opportunities.

Sana Zakaria @drsana_zak, Timothy Marler

commentary

Lies, Misinformation Play Key Role in Israel-Hamas Fight

At the strategic level, the war in Gaza is about perception, telling a story about who is the victim and who is the aggressor. Lies, mistruths, and disinformation will play a key and continuing role in this fight.

Todd C. Helmus @Helmus, William Marcellino

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Fixing the Problem of Innovation in the Health and Care System

The National Health System has an innovation problem. The problem is not that the system lacks an appetite for innovation; rather, it is that successive efforts to create an enabling environment for innovation have been met with only limited success. But why?

Tom Ling, Robert J. Romanelli

blog

Israel-Hamas War, AI and Gene Editing, Social Media Regulation: RAND Weekly Recap

This weekly recap focuses on the Israel-Hamas war, the convergence of machine learning and gene editing, regulating social media while protecting free speech, and more.

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Lessons from the Chinese Conquest of Taiwan

As Chinese political and military leaders envision conquering Taiwan, their predecessors' earlier seizure of the island is likely to inform their thoughts. Deriving lessons from the prior conquest of Taiwan can contribute to anticipation of possible threats and effective responses to them.

Scott Savitz

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India-Canada Spat Is No-Win Situation for the U.S.

For the United States, the ongoing diplomatic row between Canada and India is very uncomfortable because Washington has no interest in choosing sides. The best-case scenario for the Biden administration is that Canada and India resolve their differences privately and expeditiously, without any need for U.S. mediation.

Derek Grossman @DerekJGrossman

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AUKUS as Big Science?

AUKUS—the trilateral security pact between Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States—framed as a multinational quest for discovery rather than a security pact made sensible by deterrence logics, could be a political boon, both diplomatically and domestically.

Marigold Black

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What North Korea Is Learning from the Hamas-Israel War

South Korea and the United States should rein in North Korean nuclear weapon production and prepare to respond to escalated North Korean coercion. While Kim Jong-un probably won't resort to a Hamas-style attack, he certainly shares Hamas' goal of cultivating U.S. reluctance to get involved militarily in the region.

Bruce W. Bennett @bwbennett

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The Four Questions the U.S. Military Should Be Asking About Operation Swords of Iron

The war in Gaza, much like previous Israeli wars, will likely yield a host of lessons for American military planners. It's not too early to identify the right questions to be asking as the conflict unfolds.

Raphael S. Cohen, Gian Gentile

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Sparing Civilian Lives in Gaza

How do you protect innocent civilians while conducting effective urban military operations against an enemy who is integrated into the civilian population and entrenched in a location's infrastructure? Despite the ferocity of the Hamas attack and the Israeli response, the moral obligation to reduce civilian harm cannot be ignored.

Karen M. Sudkamp

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Protecting Free Speech Compels Some Form of Social Media Regulation

Given the profound challenges posed by social media, corrective measures need to go beyond “deplatforming” bad apples. But how can the United States make such a structural change without compromising the democratic tradition of free speech?

Luke J. Matthews, Heather J. Williams @HeatherJWill, et al.

commentary

The Lithuanian Success Story

The horrors of the past have motivated Lithuanians to build a successful new independent country. Lithuania is a success story, an advertisement for democracy and market economics during a dark period in Eastern Europe.

John Tefft

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Isn't It Obvious? Why Making the Case for Big Research Infrastructure Is Important

Large-scale research infrastructure is enormously expensive. Is the real impact and value of major investment in research facilities worth the cost?

Tamara Strabel, Billy Bryan

blog

Risks of AI, Israel Faces Hard Choices, China 'Doesn't Get It': RAND Weekly Recap

This weekly recap focuses on the risks of artificial intelligence, tough choices facing the Israeli government, China's blunders on the international stage, and more.