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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.

Commentary
From the Ashes of Hamas-Israel War, Can Economics Drive Peace?
The economic costs of the violence in Gaza threaten Israel's economic future. For the Palestinians, the costs may be so large that they undermine the possibility of an independent Palestinian state. But the magnitude of these economic losses may, paradoxically, forge a new pathway toward peace once the fighting stops.
Nov 28, 2023
Report
National Identity and the Origins of the War in Ukraine
From the 1990s to the 2022 invasion, Russia's manipulation of Ukraine was based on a post-Soviet Russian identity that was hostile to the European project. Meanwhile, Ukraine formed a national identity that was at odds with Russia's, and it grew stronger and more resistant to Russian influence.
Nov 29, 2023

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Commentary
America's Indo-Pacific Alliances Are Astonishingly Strong
As 2023 draws to a close, U.S. alliances and partnerships in the Indo-Pacific are just about the deepest and most robust they have been in all their history. The United States will likely continue to bolster and expand its network to complicate and deter future actions that China and North Korea might take to threaten, undermine, or otherwise undo the Indo-Pacific order.
Dec 8, 2023
Commentary
Resilient Reconstruction in Ukraine
Kyiv may be prudent to invest in resilience as it rebuilds energy and other utilities, transport, economic and health infrastructure, and housing. Doing so could put Ukraine in a stronger position during the war and give it a jump start on peacetime rebuilding.
Dec 7, 2023
Commentary
The Nuclear Shadows of the Ukraine War as Seen Through a Chinese Lens
China-U.S. relations are once again on an upward trajectory after the meeting between presidents Joe Biden and Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the APEC summit. But the good news should not obscure lingering bilateral tensions with respect to nuclear weapons.
Dec 6, 2023
Report
Disrupting the Chinese Military in Competition and Low-Intensity Conflict
There are certain tasks required for China's military to execute key competition and low-intensity conflict missions. Those tasks have potential vulnerabilities that the United States could leverage to disrupt China's strategic goals and constrain its ability to harm U.S. interests.
Dec 5, 2023
Report
Strategic Disruption by Special Operations Forces: A Concept for Proactive Campaigning Short of Traditional War
RAND researchers develop a new concept for strategic disruption by special operations forces, exploring how disruptive campaigns can frustrate an adversary’s preferred strategy and enable friendly gains across multiple instruments of national power.
Dec 5, 2023
Report
China's Global Energy Interconnection Initiative
China aims to build a worldwide power grid that addresses the growing demand for electricity while supporting the transition to net zero. Could the potential global security implications of a super grid governed by China outweigh its benefits?
Dec 5, 2023
Commentary
North Korea's Satellite Launch: Part of a Bigger Problem for Kim Jong-un?
On November 21, North Korea made its third attempt of 2023 to launch a reconnaissance satellite despite this launch violating multiple U.N. Security Council resolutions and despite the urging of many other countries. It may well have been a desperate move by North Korea's leader, Kim Jong-un.
Dec 4, 2023
Commentary
Can NATO Supercharge Military Greening?
NATO has taken significant steps to reduce environmental impacts of military activities and has set voluntary emissions reduction targets for its member states. By leveraging its existing standardization processes to encompass a wider range of equipment, supplies, and practices, NATO can solidify its role as the preeminent military leader on climate.
Dec 1, 2023
Multimedia
Preventing Domestic Violent Extremism: Insights from RAND Research
RAND researchers Pauline Moore, Todd Helmus, and Alexandra Evans discuss the complex challenges of countering domestic violent extremism in the United States. Their research offers insights into trends, key actors in the extremist community, and factors that lead to joining or leaving extremist groups.
Nov 30, 2023
Commentary
One More Chance for COP Reform
The 28th U.N.-sponsored Conference of the Parties (COP) on climate change looks set to be a replay of earlier COPs. The consistent shortfall in achieving climate goals has meant that the parties to COP discuss the same items year after year. Perhaps it is time for COP to take a new look at its own decisionmaking process?
Nov 30, 2023
Report
Defense Planning Implications of Climate Change for U.S. Central Command
This report examines how U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) planners could use operations, activities, and investments in the coming decades to address security threats related to stressors from climate change in the CENTCOM area of responsibility.
Nov 29, 2023
Research Brief
What Climate-Related Conflict Could Mean for U.S. Central Command
Climate change will hit the Middle East and Central Asia especially hard, with effects on both personal well-being and regional stability. It will likely create increased demand for stabilization operations, non-combatant evacuation operations, and humanitarian assistance and disaster relief.
Nov 29, 2023
Report
Mischief, Malevolence, or Indifference? How Competitors and Adversaries Could Exploit Climate-Related Conflict in the U.S. Central Command Area of Responsibility
This report presents an analysis of how U.S. competitors and adversaries — China, Russia, and Iran — could attempt to exploit climate-related conflict in the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility in future decades.
Nov 29, 2023
Testimony
Enhancing Security in a Changing Arctic
Security in the Arctic requires continuous effort to maintain, particularly in periods of transition—from climate change to demographic shifts to economic opportunities and risks to geopolitical dynamics. As an Arctic nation, it is the United States’ responsibility to take steps toward enhancing regional security.
Nov 29, 2023
Report
U.S.-Japan Alliance Conference: The U.S.-Japan Alliance in an Era of Strategic Competition
These proceedings present insights that experts of Europe, Japan, Taiwan, and U.S. security policies presented at RAND Corporation–hosted virtual conferences that explored relevant issues on the U.S.-Japan alliance regarding strategic competition.
Nov 29, 2023
Research Brief
How Could the United States Gain Greater Access to Asia During a Conflict?
Ensuring access to the territories of Indo-Pacific allies and partners in the event of a future conflict with China is a critical concern. How are Japan, the Philippines, Singapore, Indonesia, and India likely to make access decisions? And can the United States influence their decisions?
Nov 28, 2023
Report
Improving Conflict-Phase Access: Identifying U.S. Policy Levers
This report explores how U.S. allies and partners in the Indo-Pacific are likely to respond to military access requests in the event of a conflict with China and what policy levers the United States might use in peacetime to affect those responses.
Nov 28, 2023
Commentary
Deterrence of North Korean Limited Nuclear Attacks
No single action is likely to deter North Korean nuclear weapon use. But a combination of efforts may convince Kim Jong-un that any use of nuclear weapons for coercion would be very dangerous to his future, and could be a powerful approach to deterring North Korea.
Nov 27, 2023

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RAND Topic:
International Affairs

Research conducted by

Researcher Spotlight

William Courtney

Adjunct Senior Fellow

William Courtney is an adjunct senior fellow at the nonprofit, nonpartisan RAND Corporation, and was executive director of the RAND Business Leaders Forum. He cochairs the international advisory council of the America250 Foundation, the nonprofit executive arm of the U.S. Semiquincentennial…
Beth Grill

Senior Policy Researcher

Beth Grill is a senior policy researcher at RAND and a professor of policy analysis at the Pardee RAND Graduate School. Specializing in national security policy,her research focuses on security cooperation, partner nation assessment, special operations, global health engagement, and strategic…

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