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RAND's international affairs research comprises a range of cross-cutting issues, including global economies and trade, space and maritime security, diplomacy, global health and education, nation building, and regional security and stability. RAND also analyzes the policies and effectiveness of international organizations such as the UN, NATO, European Union, and ASEAN.

Research Brief

Ways the United States Could Overextend and Unbalance Russia

Apr 24, 2019

Despite its vulnerabilities and anxieties, Russia remains a formidable opponent in a few key domains. What non-violent, cost-imposing measures could the United States pursue to stress Russia's economy, its military, and the regime's political standing at home and abroad?
Commentary

How Trump Reset U.S.–North Korea Relations

Jul 2, 2019

The meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un at the DMZ may lead to follow-on talks. But the success of future negotiations depends on Kim actually taking action to denuclearize.

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Commentary

Why U.S. Negotiators Face a Tough Task After the Trump-Kim DMZ Meeting

Denuclearization talks between the United States and North Korea may be under time constraints tied to America's next presidential election. This further complicates the task facing U.S. negotiators, who seek to reach a deal that endures beyond 2020.

Jul 15, 2019
Commentary

Beijing Won't Allow Its Hong Kong Integration Experiment to Fail

Recent events in Hong Kong have posed the stiffest challenge yet to Beijing's sovereignty. If sustained, they could push China to react to protect its national interests.

Jul 3, 2019
Research Brief

Research Brief

The Battle for Baghdad: Institutionalizing Army Lessons for Urban Combat

This brief recounts the U.S. Army's efforts in the Iraq War, especially in Baghdad, and offers lessons learned and recommendations to enable leaders and soldiers to be better prepared in future conflicts.

Jul 3, 2019
Report

Report

Africa's Role in Nation-Building: An Examination of African-Led Peace Operations

What have the peacekeeping missions undertaken by African institutions in Burundi, the Central African Republic, Darfur, the Comoros, Somalia, and the Lake Chad Basin achieved?

Jun 28, 2019
Research Brief

Research Brief

How African Institutions Help Keep the Peace

African-led missions are often the peacekeepers of last resort, taking on tasks rejected by others. Two of the six African operations examined helped set a relatively peaceful trajectory. Three of the missions contributed to improving security.

Jun 28, 2019
Announcement

RAND Corporation Announces Korea Policy Chair

Political scientist Ji-Young Lee will be the inaugural holder of the Korea Policy Chair at RAND in September. She will manage a research agenda on Korea's international security relations, mentor Korea studies scholars, and build partnerships with Korean research institutes.

Jun 27, 2019
Report

NATO's Amphibious Forces: Command and Control of a Multibrigade Alliance Task Force

RAND researchers facilitated three wargaming events to explore command and control of NATO's amphibious forces in major combat operations. The authors note results and implications for future force development.

Jun 27, 2019
Report

How the United States Can Compete in the Gray Zone

America is entering a period of intensifying strategic competition with rivals like Russia and China. U.S. officials expect this to play out below the threshold of armed conflict, in the gray zone between peace and war. What policy options does the United States have to respond to gray zone threats?

Jun 27, 2019
Report

Report

A U.S. Option Playbook for Contingency Planning to Reclaim Scarborough Shoal

In this paper, the author proposes a graduated menu of response options for the United States to consider in the event that China undertakes irreversible actions to alter the status quo of Scarborough Shoal.

Jun 27, 2019
Commentary

What Should the United States Do About Venezuela?

If it becomes evident that Maduro isn't about to fall, then the Trump administration should revisit its sanctions and rescind those that weigh most heavily on the Venezuelan people, while targeting and isolating the regime.

Jun 24, 2019
Commentary

One Country, Two Systems, Lots of Problems

The enormous protests in Hong Kong since spring have led to fresh fears about the viability of China's "one country, two systems" policy. It's an idea that Macau and Hong Kong officially subscribe to and Taiwan fiercely resists—but one increasingly questioned from all sides.

Jun 21, 2019
Commentary

A Post-2020 U.S. Return to the Iran Nuclear Deal?

Now that the United States is out of the Iran nuclear deal, signing back on will not be as simple or as practical as some may hope. Too much has happened since it was first inked in 2015. With the political landscape in Tehran and Washington still taking shape, those who want to return to some kind of deal should start planning.

Jun 20, 2019
Report

Cyberspace as a Military Domain: Lessons for NATO

In 2016, NATO identified cyberspace as a new operational domain. What steps has the alliance taken since then to bolster its cyber capabilities? And what are the greatest challenges that still lie ahead?

Jun 20, 2019
Commentary

The Costs of Confrontation with Iran Are Mounting

Even if the United States and Iran avoid a direct military clash, recent escalation and the U.S. maximum pressure campaign are exacting long-term costs for U.S. interests and regional stability in ways that may be difficult if not impossible to reverse.

Jun 17, 2019
Commentary

One Year After Singapore: The North Korea Problem Is Bigger Than Nukes

After two summits between the United States and North Korea, and little to show in the way of deliverables on dismantlement, hopes that a third summit may yield a denuclearization deal seem a bit unrealistic. Essentially, there has been no indication of intent on Kim's part to denuclearize. But the North Korea problem is much greater than nukes.

Jun 17, 2019
Commentary

Can Washington and Moscow Agree to Limit Political Interference?

After his meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in May, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that Russia had proposed a mutual non-interference pledge. The concept of elaborating norms of non-interference on a mutual basis might be the best way to stabilize U.S.-Russian relations and prevent the damaging episodes of recent years from happening again.

Jun 13, 2019
Report

Lessons Learned from the Battle for Baghdad

A review of the U.S. Army's efforts in the Iraq War, especially in Baghdad, offers insights and recommendations that could help leaders avoid the same mistakes in future conflicts. One important lesson is that DoD war plans need to include actions to ensure long-term stability.

Jun 12, 2019
Commentary

Downplaying North Korea's Missile Tests Carries Risks

North Korea test-fired short-range ballistic missiles for the first time in 18 months. President Trump is downplaying the tests, refusing to call them a violation of U.N. Security Council resolutions. But if North Korea starts testing longer-range missiles, it could become harder for Washington to return to talks, risking the end of diplomacy with Pyongyang altogether.

Jun 5, 2019
Commentary

Modi Fans Nationalist Flames, Cruises to Victory in Indian Elections

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 2019 victory was a much greater achievement than his equally unexpected victory five years ago. Recognizing his weak position on economic and social issues, Modi shifted his campaign to a nationalist plank, and his party won overwhelmingly even in states where it lost elections just six months prior.

Jun 3, 2019

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RAND Topic:
International Affairs

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