Skip to page content

Rights of Civilians

Multimedia
Press Briefing on U.S. Department of Defense Civilian Casualty Policies and Procedures
Researchers from the RAND Corporation brief the press on an independent RAND assessment of U.S. Department of Defense standards, processes, procedures, and policies relating to civilian casualties resulting from U.S. military operations.
Mar 8, 2022
Blog
Problems in U.S. Schools, Conflict with Russia, Opioid Trafficking: RAND Weekly Recap
This weekly recap focuses on what America's school district leaders are worried about, how to break the cycle of conflict with Russia, a new report on synthetic opioid trafficking, and more.
Feb 11, 2022
Commentary
Trying to Forestall the Next Civilian Casualty Horror
After civilians are injured or killed, the U.S. Defense Department isn't doing enough to learn from its own failures. The Pentagon needs to devote resources and senior leader attention to an issue that has historically lacked both. Civilian protection should become the singular priority for a critical mass of people across the organization.
Feb 3, 2022
News Release
Pentagon Processes on Civilian Casualties Inconsistent, in Need of Reform
Lessons from U.S. military strikes that caused civilian casualties are not shared across the Department of Defense (DoD) in a way that meaningfully reduces future civilian casualties.
Jan 27, 2022
Report
Pentagon Processes on Civilian Casualties Inconsistent, in Need of Reform
The Department of Defense has committed to civilian-harm policies and processes, but inconsistencies remain. The Pentagon is not adequately organized or resourced to sufficiently assess, reduce, and respond to civilian-harm incidents. Reform will require institutional, not just operational, changes.
Jan 27, 2022
Journal Article
Tracking the Relocation of Rohingya Refugees in Bangladesh: A Nighttime Lighting Approach
This report uses nighttime lighting data to track the relocation of Rohingya refugees from the Cox's Bazaar region of Bangladesh to Bhasan Char, a 'floating island' in the Bay of Bengal built to house roughly 100,000 refugees.
Jan 14, 2022
Essay
China's Disappeared Uyghurs: What Satellite Images Reveal
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.
Apr 29, 2021
Commentary
Upcoming Summit an Opportunity for Japan to Reconsider Whether to Join Rest of G-7 in Sanctioning China Over Genocide
Japan has been lukewarm in its response to global condemnation of China's crimes against humanity against the Uyghurs and other Muslim minority groups in Xinjiang. What options might President Biden have to encourage Japan to reconsider its position as he hosts his first in-person summit meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga?
Apr 15, 2021
Journal Article
Explaining Variation in the Growth and Decline of Detention Facilities Across Xinjiang
This report, the final in our series, explores trends in the growth and decline of nighttime lighting over detention facilities across Xinjiang.
Feb 26, 2021
Journal Article
Have Any of Xinjiang's Detention Facilities Closed?
This report, the second in a three-part series, employs a novel empirical approach to systematically assess the current operating status of known detention facilities in Xinjiang using nighttime lighting.
Feb 26, 2021
Journal Article
Investigating the Growth of Detention Facilities in Xinjiang Using Nighttime Lighting
This first report introduces our methodological approach and uses nighttime lighting data to investigate the rapid, coordinated growth of detention facilities in Xinjiang over the last decade.
Feb 26, 2021
Commentary
McCain's Heroism
John McCain's heroism will forever punctuate America's memory of the Vietnam War, reminding us both of the horrors of war and the human potential to transcend them. His heroism also stands out because of how it empowered him as a congressman and senator to do things others could not.
Aug 27, 2018
Report
The moral component of cross-domain conflict
The study considers the body of work on morality and armed conflict in the future operating environment and provides insights on the ways in which new ways of fighting may challenge traditional moral principles.
Oct 20, 2016
News Release
U.S. Rules for Targeted Killing Using Drones Need Clarifying
Current U.S. policies on using drones for targeted killing are characterized by ambiguities in interpretations of international law and too many generalities, despite recent efforts by the Obama administration to clarify the policies.
Sep 8, 2016
Report
Clarifying the Rules for Using Drones in Targeted Killing
U.S. international legal policies involving the use of drones in targeted killing need more clarity, specificity, and consistency. Policymakers must define an approach that protects civilians and human rights, while allowing latitude to fight terrorism.
Sep 8, 2016
Report
The Continued Evolution of U.S. Law of Armed Conflict Implementation: Implications for the U.S. Military
RAND researchers examine potential strategic, technological, and normative trends that may affect the future evolution of U.S. policies that implement the Law of Armed Conflict, and assess the resulting implications for the U.S. military.
Nov 9, 2015
Commentary
The U.S. Military: Between a Rock and a Repulsive Place
There is a reasonable argument that the best route to address pedophilia and other human rights violations by Afghan forces is to remain engaged, and to make U.S. support conditioned upon remediation and accountability, as the Leahy law requires.
Sep 29, 2015
Commentary
Why the Senate Intelligence Committee and the CIA May Both Be Right
Given that many questions of fact regarding the CIA's program of enhanced interrogation techniques can probably never be conclusively answered, the real issue comes down to a value judgment: whether inflicting physical pain on prisoners is an acceptable means of reducing the risk of terrorist attacks.
Dec 12, 2014
Commentary
The Future of Blackwater and Other Guns for Hire
The story of how private military security companies came to play a pivotal role in wartime operations is an important one, and Ann Hagedorn, a former reporter for the Journal, was right to take it on.
Oct 28, 2014
Commentary
What Pussy Riot Teaches Us
The global attention drawn by Pussy Riot shows what is possible in an interconnected world, writes Olga Oliker. Opposition movements in Russia and elsewhere may take note and think about how to better harness such possibilities in the future.
Aug 20, 2012

1
2
Next

RAND Topic:
International Humanitarian Law

Research conducted by