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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.

Report

Russia and China: Superspreaders of Malign and Subversive Information on COVID-19

Apr 29, 2021

Both Russia and China targeted Americans with malign and subversive information campaigns related to the pandemic. What can these campaigns teach us about future information operations from Moscow and Beijing?
Essay

China's Disappeared Uyghurs: What Satellite Images Reveal

Apr 29, 2021

At least one million Uyghurs and other ethnic minorities have vanished into a sprawling network of camps and prisons in China's far west. Satellite images show brightly lit compounds, wall after wall of barbed wire, and a sudden rush to build what appear to be fortified preschools.

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Periodical

RAND Review: May-June 2021

The cover story highlights the value of invention, analyzing the economic and social impacts of winners of the Lemelson-MIT Prize. A second feature focuses on human rights abuses against ethnic Uyghurs in China and what we know from satellite images.

May 6, 2021
Commentary

China Has Lost the Philippines Despite Duterte's Best Efforts

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has time and again underscored his anti-U.S. and pro-Chinese orientation. Duterte now recognizes, in spite of his continued rhetoric to the contrary, that China is no friend.

May 6, 2021
Commentary

Biden's North Korea Policy Review Is Sparse on Details. Here's One Interpretation

The Biden administration recently completed its North Korea policy review. Details have been sparse, but based on prior U.S. dealings with the Kims, some informed guesses about Washington's approach towards Pyongyang under the new administration can be had. Here's one.

May 6, 2021
Commentary

Australian and U.S. Military Health Professionals Can Help Address Pacific Island Needs

Australia and the United States can combine their military health capabilities to help improve the long-term health security of Pacific island countries. These partnerships should be carefully planned and focus on enduring engagement.

May 5, 2021
Journal Article

Tracking Chinese Perceptions of Vietnam's Relations with China and the United States

This article sheds light on trends in Chinese assessments of U.S.-Vietnam relations and security cooperation to discern patterns in the security dynamics between the three countries.

May 4, 2021
Commentary

America Could Do More to Get the World Vaccinated

After waging its own withering battle with COVID-19, the United States appears to be coming to grips with the pandemic and its economy is recovering. Now could be the time for America to play a greater role in global vaccination, both out of generosity and self-interest.

May 4, 2021
Report

Defence Mobilisation Planning Comparative Study: An Examination of Overseas Planning

Against the 2020 Defence Strategic Update, the authors use evidence from several countries to highlight the merits of a 'total defence' approach to mobilisation planning for Australia with the goal of meeting contemporary threats.

May 3, 2021
Commentary

Biden Should Consider Downsides of Stressing National Values in Indo-Pacific

The Biden administration has argued that the United States must strengthen its Indo-Pacific alliances and partnerships to compete more successfully with China. Will Washington prioritize national interests or national values?

May 3, 2021
Blog

COVID-19 Disinformation, Biden's Address, Leaving Afghanistan: RAND Weekly Recap

This weekly recap focuses on Russian and Chinese campaigns to spread malign and subversive information on COVID-19, President Biden's address to Congress, the planned U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, and more.

Apr 30, 2021
Commentary

Nuclear Ban Treaty Offers Rare Chance for Japan

As the only country to suffer the horrors of wartime atomic bombings, one would assume Japan would eagerly sign any treaty to ban such weapons. Why hasn't Japan signed the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, which took effect in January 2021?

Apr 30, 2021
Report

What if France Ended Operation Barkhane? Findings of the RAND Webinar on Operation Barkhane

RAND hosted a webinar on “What if France Ended Operation Barkhane?” which discussed the consequences of ending Operation Barkhane, focusing on regional security, the terrorist threat and future relations between terrorist groups and local actors.

Apr 29, 2021
Blog

Biden's First Address to Congress: Insights from RAND

President Joe Biden addressed a joint session of Congress, summarizing his administration's early COVID-19 response and outlining plans that aim to loosen the pandemic's year-long grip on a weary nation. The speech reflected the fact that the United States faces policy challenges across a wide range of domains.

Apr 29, 2021
Commentary

The Biden-Putin Summit: Do the Risks Outweigh the Potential Rewards?

President Biden has proposed that the United States and Russia hold a summit in the coming months. If that happens, major gains may be out of reach at first. Some progress might be possible, but the risks may be greater than at most previous summits.

Apr 27, 2021
Report

Responsible Space Behavior for the New Space Era

The early space domain was dominated by two superpowers. Today, the world has more than 60 spacefaring nations, multiple commercial space operators, and a global economy that is inextricably linked to space. Now is the time to develop responsible space norms.

Apr 26, 2021
Commentary

To Lose a War

The result of a U.S. troop withdrawal from Afghanistan will be a blow to American credibility and a weakening of deterrence and the value of American reassurance elsewhere. It will also result in an increased terrorist threat emanating from the Afghan region, and the distinct possibility of a necessary return there one day under worse conditions.

Apr 26, 2021
Commentary

Suga-Biden Summit: Rekindling Confidence in the U.S.-Japan Alliance

The April summit between U.S. President Joe Biden and Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga signaled a deepening in the U.S.-Japan alliance. It highlighted important new areas of cooperation and a concrete agenda for U.S.-Japan relations.

Apr 26, 2021
Blog

Summer Learning, America's Middle Class, Waking Up After the Pandemic: RAND Weekly Recap

This weekly recap focuses on how to make summer learning count, U.S. deterrence in the ‘gray zone,’ why so many Americans are stuck outside the middle class, and more.

Apr 23, 2021
Journal Article

Delivering the Promise of Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction in Fragile and Conflict-Affected Contexts (FCAC): A Case Study of the NGO GOAL's Response to the Syria Conflict

This paper offers a case study of international NGO GOAL's programming that responds to the protracted crisis in Syria, with critical discussion on SFDRR and how to adapt humanitarian relief and disaster resilience.

Apr 22, 2021
Multimedia

The Need for Space Norms

RAND senior political scientist Stephen Flanagan discusses the increasing level of space activity and the need for space norms to provide guidance for how nations should conduct space operations.

Apr 20, 2021

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