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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

Afghanistan Was Lost Long Ago

Aug 30, 2021

The United States failed to build a lasting state in Afghanistan. Although the mission was not doomed from the start, early miscalculations and critical mistakes made success unlikely.
Commentary

Biden's Indo-Pacific Policy Blueprint Emerges

Aug 23, 2021

The Biden administration has yet to detail its goals in the Indo-Pacific region and how it plans to achieve them. But following recent virtual engagements and U.S. visits to the region, at least three key points have crystallized.

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Journal Article

Rules of Origin and Trade Preference Utilization Among Least Developed Countries

This article assesses how the utilization of trade agreements responds to rules of origin revisions that allow for more foreign content in exported products.

Mar 23, 2021
Blog

Game Theory to Help the Vaccine Rollout, Abraham Accords, Telehealth: RAND Weekly Recap

This weekly recap focuses on how game theory can help the COVID-19 vaccine rollout, potential economic benefits of the Abraham Accords, telemedicine use during the pandemic, and more.

Mar 19, 2021
Report

The Abraham Accords Could Have Wide-Reaching Economic Benefits

The Abraham Accords between Israel and Muslim nations represent a possible new chapter in the region's development—away from conflict and toward a shared vision of economic prosperity. Israel's partners could gain 150,000 new jobs. And that could grow to 4 million new jobs over a decade if other nations join.

Mar 18, 2021
Commentary

Reevaluating U.S. Partnerships in the Middle East Under the Biden Administration

U.S. partnerships in the Middle East are in particular need of modernization, and the Biden administration could seize the opportunity to reevaluate its relations with traditional partners. A good start could be to elevate regional stability as the United States' primary interest in the Middle East and to pursue this aim with tools that extend beyond military cooperation.

Mar 17, 2021
Commentary

The Biden Administration's Afghanistan Challenge

American efforts to speed up plodding Afghan peace talks seem unlikely to produce results fast enough to facilitate a withdrawal of remaining American and NATO forces by May 1. But the initiative could prove beneficial if it impels the two Afghan sides to at least begin engaging on the principles upon which an expanded government should operate.

Mar 16, 2021
Commentary

Vietnam Must Be Pleased with the Biden Administration—for the Most Part

After four years of steadily strengthening U.S.-Vietnam security relations under the Trump administration, the presidential transition to Joe Biden naturally carries some measure of uncertainty for Hanoi. Early signs from the Biden administration, however, are extremely positive for Vietnam.

Mar 16, 2021
Commentary

Biden's China Reset Is Already on the Ropes

The prospects of a U.S.-China reset are rapidly fading, and both sides bear some measure of responsibility. Beijing has refused to change its own assertive behavior. And all signs thus far point to a Biden administration that plans to take an exceptionally hard line against China.

Mar 15, 2021
Commentary

Domestic Violence Support Staff Need More Help

During the first wave of COVID-19 lockdowns, European Union states had a 60 percent increase in emergency calls about intimate-partner violence. Amid a protracted second wave that has led to further lockdowns, it may not be too late to provide the funding and legislative changes necessary to ensure domestic violence service providers can offer crucial support.

Mar 15, 2021
Commentary

Book Review: 'Liberalism, the Blob, and American Foreign Policy: Evidence and Methodology' by Robert Jervis

Robert Jervis' “Liberalism, the Blob, and American Foreign Policy: Evidence and Methodology” is a thoughtful review of two books written by prominent international relations theorists John J. Mearsheimer and Stephen M. Walt. Jervis focuses his critique primarily on methodology and argues that the actual historical record is more complicated than either Mearsheimer or Walt suggests.

Mar 12, 2021
Commentary

Getting Out of Forever Wars: What Are Biden's Options in Afghanistan?

U.S. counterterrorism strategy has long been driven by the assumption that security at home depends on fighting terrorists abroad. How will that square with the president's pledge to end forever wars? Is it possible to get out of warfighting without shutting down vital counterterrorist operations?

Mar 12, 2021
Commentary

Could the Bioweapons Treaty Be Another Tool for Addressing Pandemics?

What might governments do to reduce the risk of future large-scale biological attacks or naturally occurring pandemics? Perhaps now is the right time to revisit the 46-year-old Biological Weapons Convention treaty and make it a better tool against future biological threats.

Mar 12, 2021
Journal Article

Commentary: Securing the Least Bad Outcome: The Options Facing Biden on Afghanistan

President Biden must decide whether to withdraw the remaining 2,500 U.S. troops from Afghanistan to meet a May 1 deadline. The consequences of the decision will decide the fate of Afghanistan and signal the U.S.' broader strategic intentions.

Mar 12, 2021
Journal Article

Technocultural Pluralism: A "Clash of Civilizations" in Technology?

This paper argues that future frictions and conflicts are more likely to stem from the interaction of technology cultures rather than just political or economic frictions.

Mar 10, 2021
Journal Article

The Childcare Gap in EU Member States

This policy memo focuses on the childcare gap as a concept, as well as on how the concept has been operationalised in existing literature.

Mar 9, 2021
Journal Article

The Covid-19 Pandemic and Intimate Partner Violence Against Women in the EU

This study offers a preliminary overview of the measures undertaken across the EU to support victims of violence during the Covid-19 outbreak.

Mar 9, 2021
Commentary

Pathways to Peace in Yemen: National Reconciliation or a 'Phased' Approach?

Any pathway to an enduring peace in Yemen could take decades to recover from the economic, political, and social costs of this civil war. A phased approach could require patience from the Yemeni people and a robust and enduring commitment from the international community. But war has brought Yemen to this point, and there are few remaining options.

Mar 5, 2021
Blog

Vaccine Hesitancy, Sexual Misconduct in the U.S. Military, the Iran Nuclear Deal: RAND Weekly Recap

This weekly recap focuses on Black Americans’ vaccine hesitancy, sexual harassment and sexual assault in the U.S. military, rejoining the Iran nuclear deal, and more.

Mar 5, 2021
Commentary

What the UAE Weapons Deal Says About the United States and Its Alliances

Various U.S. administrations have long wanted U.S. allies to do more, but in many parts of the world the most logical partners are authoritarian states with different interests than those of the United States. The sale of military equipment to the United Arab Emirates provides just the latest example.

Mar 1, 2021
Commentary

Why Biden Can't Turn Back the Clock on the Iran Nuclear Deal

Enacted in 2016, the Iran nuclear deal was predicated on a geopolitical context that no longer exists. Addressing Iran's nuclear program today may require a different solution.

Mar 1, 2021
Blog

Teachers Quit Due to Stress, Peace in Yemen, America's Middle Class: RAND Weekly Recap

This weekly recap focuses on how stress leads teachers to quit their jobs, U.S. strategy in the Middle East, America's shrinking middle class, and more.

Feb 26, 2021

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