February 2015

commentary

Attempting to Understand the Paris Attacks

The investigation will eventually fill in some of the gaps in our knowledge of the events leading up to the attacks in Paris, but some questions will remain unanswered. Embedded in the unknowns are some of the chronic dilemmas faced by counterterrorist authorities everywhere.

Brian Michael Jenkins @BrianMJenkins, Jean-Francois Clair

essay

Enemies Among Us: What We Know About Homegrown Terrorists

Dozens of young Americans have attempted to join overseas jihadist groups in the past several years, raising special concern among counterterrorism officials that they might bring the fight home with them when they return.

commentary

Supermarkets Are the Problem

Thirty percent of all supermarket sales can be attributed to end-of-aisle displays, where retailers have placed more foods that increase the risk of obesity and chronic diseases. Relocating those foods to less conspicuous places would still allow those who want them to get them, but the decision to buy would be deliberate rather than impulsive.

Deborah A. Cohen

commentary

Future of Coastal Flooding

President Obama's executive order that directs federal agencies to plan and build for higher flood levels as they construct new projects in flood-prone regions will affect hundreds of billions of dollars of future public works projects. In an ideal world, planners would estimate the benefits and costs for each project, taking into account everything from the details of the local landscape to the potential for adaptive responses over time.

Debra Knopman, Robert J. Lempert @RobertLempert, et al.

commentary

Tackling Radicalization Before It Begins

Why not turn the question of violent extremism inside out and develop programs that reinforce non-radicalization? That is, rather than eliminating drivers, focus instead on strengthening the factors that inhibit violent extremism.

Kim Cragin

commentary

Ringing the Alarm Bell for Antimicrobial Resistance

The increase in the number of bacterial and viral infections that are resistant to antimicrobial drugs poses a growing global health threat.

Jirka Taylor, Marco Hafner

commentary

Last Week Tonight's Jeff the Diseased Lung Is No Joke

John Oliver's "Jeff the Diseased Lung," a cross between a warning label on cigarette packs in Australia and the Marlboro Man, has gone viral while research shows cigarettes are responsible for even more premature deaths than previously thought.

Jeffrey Wasserman

commentary

Putting UK Mental Health Services on the Road to Recovery

If mental health problems are the most significant barrier preventing people on benefits from taking up employment, then why not transform how the system supports them? Policymakers could redirect some of the resources available to the benefit system towards improving mental health outcomes, and put more evidence-based interventions in place. The savings to the benefit system should logically pay for this investment.

Christian Van Stolk

commentary

Armed Drone Myth 3: Global Proliferation Demands Blanket Restrictions on Sales

More than 70 countries have acquired drones of different classes and for different purposes. However, the number of countries actually developing

Lynn E. Davis, Michael J. McNerney, et al.

commentary

Managing Technology in an Unmanageable World

The need for purposeful and focused R&D in the U.S. has never been greater, but technology is advancing so quickly that the structures available to manage it have not kept pace. A comprehensive examination of the technological landscape is needed to help the government take a more holistic approach to investing in and regulating technologies.

Daniel M. Gerstein @Daniel_Gerstein

commentary

Somalia on the Mediterranean

Libya is as vulnerable to further inroads by ISIS now as Syria was a year ago. What can the United States and its allies do to stop the hemorrhaging? Many options have been debated, but none look very promising.

Christopher S. Chivvis

commentary

Armed Drone Myth 2: It's Counterproductive to Develop International Norms

The challenge in establishing international norms for armed drones will be to define rules that preserve the rights of countries to use them in legitimate ways against legitimate threats (senior al Qaeda or Islamic State terrorists) while constraining illegitimate uses (political dissidents).

Lynn E. Davis, Michael J. McNerney, et al.

announcement

New Research Consortium to Tackle Community Resilience in the Gulf Region

A new research group, the Consortium for Resilient Gulf Communities, will assess and address the public health, social, and economic impacts of the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico region.

commentary

Armed Drone Myth 1: They Will Transform How War Is Waged Globally

Long-range military drones are fundamentally misunderstood. Their champions wrongly contend they are revolutionizing warfare, while critics fear their spread would greatly increase the threat that China, terrorists, and others pose.

Lynn E. Davis, Michael J. McNerney, et al.

commentary

The Next European Flashpoints

The West's most pressing task is to help Ukraine defend itself and survive economic catastrophe. But the West also needs a broader strategy to discourage future Russian coercion of neighbors, help them protect themselves, and counter President Vladimir Putin's false narrative about Western intentions and lack of political will.

Ian Bond, Denis Corboy, et al.