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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
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.
Oct 21, 2023
Commentary
Looking Beyond the War: Planning for Ukraine's Reconstruction
More certain than the outcome of the war is the need for an extensive post-war reconstruction of Ukraine. It is likely to be the largest post-war rebuilding effort since the one in Europe after World War Two. The United States and its allies and partners have an intense interest in the success of reconstruction.
Sep 18, 2023

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Report
Vanishing Trade Space: Assessing the Prospects for Great Power Cooperation in an Era of Competition — A Project Overview
To what extent can the United States still cooperate with China and Russia even in this era of strategic competition? This report, the first of a four-part series, presents the overarching findings of a study that explored this question.
Feb 20, 2023
Report
Assessing the Prospects for Great Power Cooperation in the Indo-Pacific
This report, part of a four-part series, describes the potential for U.S. cooperation with China or Russia in the Indo-Pacific across seven issues, including securing a free and open Indo-Pacific and the denuclearization of North Korea.
Feb 20, 2023
Report
Assessing the Prospects for Great Power Cooperation in Europe and the Middle East
This report, part of a four-part series, describes the potential for U.S. cooperation with China or Russia in Europe and the Middle East across seven issue areas.
Feb 20, 2023
Report
Assessing the Prospects for Great Power Cooperation in the Global Commons
This report, part of a four-part series, describes the potential for U.S. cooperation with China or Russia on global commons issues, including freedom of access to space, countering violent extremist organizations, and promoting global stability.
Feb 20, 2023
Research Brief
Prospects for U.S.-China and U.S.-Russia Security Cooperation
In a world now dominated by U.S. strategic competition with Russia and China, the obstacles to cooperation—particularly the absence of trust—are growing. Cooperation will be rare and narrowly focused, often limited to making strategic competition “safer.”
Feb 20, 2023
Commentary
One Year After Russia's Invasion of Ukraine: Experts React
We asked nearly 30 RAND experts to highlight takeaways from the first year of Russia's all-out war—and share what they're watching as the conflict in Ukraine grinds on. Here's what they said.
Feb 20, 2023
Commentary
Great Power Competition Is on the Arctic Agenda
Despite its military problems in Ukraine, Russia remains a formidable potential adversary in the Arctic. And there is a growing realization that China is not going away in the Arctic, bringing both of the United States' strategic competitors into Alaska's backyard. Can great power politics be checked at the door of the Far North?
Feb 16, 2023
Commentary
Preparing for the Next India-China Border Crisis
Mounting tensions between India and China due to Chinese encroachment on their disputed border affect the United States and its Indo-Pacific strategy. Washington should assist New Delhi in deterring further Chinese attempts to nibble away at Indian territory and be ready to respond quickly in case events spiral out of control.
Feb 15, 2023
Commentary
Support to Ukraine Continues to Be for America First
Why should the United States spend tens of billions of dollars on a war half a world away? Because it's in America's economic and strategic interests.
Feb 15, 2023
Journal Article
Study to Support an Evaluation of the European Union Agency for Law Enforcement Training (CEPOL): Final Report
This is the final report of the study to support the European Commission's evaluation of the European Union Agency for Law Enforcement Training (CEPOL).
Feb 14, 2023
Report
Russia's Evolution Toward a Unified Strategic Operation: The Influence of Geography and Conventional Capacity
In this report, RAND researchers examine the reasons behind Russia's evolution toward a unified strategic operation, as well as the capabilities that would be necessary to execute key conventional offensive tasks in such an operation.
Feb 13, 2023
Commentary
A Political Assessment of Putin's War on Ukraine
Putin's war in Ukraine is already redefining the entire international order. If the United States acts now, it may be able to influence the shape of the post-war geopolitical terrain.
Feb 13, 2023
Blog
State of the Union, Mental Health First Aid, China's Spy Balloon: RAND Weekly Recap
This weekly recap focuses on President Biden's State of the Union address, the benefits of mental health first aid training, insights on China’s spy balloon, and more.
Feb 10, 2023
Commentary
How the Dutch Approached Brexit
The impact of Brexit on the Netherlands is significant. The Dutch government would have preferred the UK to stay in the EU. But despite all this, the Netherlands approached Brexit with relative clarity of purpose and the administration of the program brought a satisfactory outcome.
Feb 9, 2023
Commentary
U.S. Cannot Count on South Korea's Yoon to Line Up Against China
South Korean president Yoon Suk-yeol wants South Korea to become a global pivotal state that plays a valuable role in the international community. Turning this into reality will inevitably mean striking a balance between the United States and China.
Feb 9, 2023
Dissertation
Sustaining Global Leadership
Studies the strategic behavior of leading historical powers that faced rising challengers abroad and fiscal constraints at home and concludes with takeaways from case studies and discusses potential implications for American public policy.
Feb 8, 2023
Blog
State of the Union 2023: Insights from RAND
In his second State of the Union address, President Joe Biden covered a wide range of issues facing the United States at home and abroad, including police violence, gun policy, Russia's war in Ukraine, and U.S. competition with China.
Feb 8, 2023
Commentary
Japan's Long-Awaited Return to Geopolitics
In very short order, Japan moved to change decades of strategic thinking and embark on a new approach to security. The stark reality of geopolitics and the realization that what was once hypothetical is now possible were likely enough to convince Japan that the time for a new approach to its security is now.
Feb 6, 2023
Blog
The War in Ukraine, Software Supply Chain Risk, 'Hacking Equity': RAND Weekly Recap
This weekly recap focuses on lessons about defense strategy from the war in Ukraine, U.S.-France cooperation in the Indo-Pacific, software supply chain risk, and more.
Feb 3, 2023
Multimedia
RAND Experts Discuss the First Year of the Russia-Ukraine War
In this Call with the Experts podcast, RAND researchers discuss the first year of the Russia-Ukraine war. This call was recorded on February 2, 2023.
Feb 2, 2023

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RAND Topic:
International Affairs

Research conducted by

Researcher Spotlight

Patrick S. Roberts

Senior Political Scientist

Patrick S. Roberts is a senior political scientist at RAND with a focus on public management and governance processes, and a professor of policy analysis at the Pardee RAND Graduate School. He has substantive expertise in homeland security, intelligence and national security, cybersecurity,…
Aaron C. Davenport

Associate Director, Infrastructure, Immigration, and Security Operations Program, RAND Homeland Security Research Division

Aaron C. Davenport is an associate director of the Infrastructure, Immigration, and Security Operations (IISO) Program, part of the RAND Homeland Security Research Division (HSRD), and a senior policy researcher. HSRD oversees the Homeland Security Operational Analysis Center (HSOAC), a…

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