The RAND Blog

February 2009

Counterterrorism

commentary
Power to the People: Rebooting Conventional Diplomacy
The story of how President Obama engineered a grass-roots campaign, mobilizing formerly disengaged U.S. citizens with new media and new technologies, has reached almost mythological proportions. Less well known is the story of similar grass-roots efforts emerging in local communities around the world, write Cherl Benard and Edward O'Connell.
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Feb 27, 2009
The Huffington Post
Cheryl Benard, Edward O'Connell
Afghanistan

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In Afghanistan, It's Deadly at the Top
Rather than perpetuating a love-hate-kill relationship with their leaders, Afghans need to develop respect for the laws and institutions of their new democracy, writes Cheryl Benard.
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Feb 23, 2009
Los Angeles Times
Cheryl Benard
Security Cooperation

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A Trans-Atlantic Moment
The election of Barack Obama provides an important opportunity to revitalize the trans-Atlantic security partnership. This partnership has served both sides well in the past. But after eight years of deep ideological differences during the Bush administration, it is badly frayed and in need of new leadership and new vision, write F. Stephen Larrabee and Julian Lindley-French.
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Feb 22, 2009
The Washington Times
F. Stephen Larrabee, Julian Lindley-French
International Diplomacy

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Obama's Foreign Policy Team and U.S.-Korean Relations
The concrete contours of President Obama's foreign policy team have finally begun to emerge. What is intriguing is how many assignments are being given to those who have worked on the Korean peninsula, writes Chaibong Hahm.
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Feb 16, 2009
Joangang Ilbo
Chaibong Hahm
Afghanistan

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Going the Distance
Afghanistan has a reputation as a graveyard of empires, based as much on lore as on reality.... Yes, the situation is serious, but it's far from doomed. We can still turn things around if we strive for a better understanding of the Afghan insurgency and work to exploit its many weaknesses, writes Seth G. Jones.
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Feb 15, 2009
The Washington Post
Seth G. Jones
Israel

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What the Israeli Right Owes to Hamas
This week's Israeli election results spotlight two notable trends. First, the Hamas attacks that prompted Israel's war in Gaza, and the war's aftermath, have moved the Israeli political center further toward the right. Second, where you stand depends in large part on where you live, writes Claude Berrebi.
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Feb 13, 2009
Foreign Policy
Claude Berrebi
Mexico

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Could Mexico Fail?
The lawlessness along the mexicanborder has gone way beyond alocal crime wave: there has beena dramatic increase in armed robberies, not by lone gunmen but by heavily armed gangs. Kidnappings and homicides are way up—and not just murders but beheadings.... It is starting to look like a terrorist campaign, writes Brian Michael Jenkins.
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Feb 13, 2009
Homeland Security Today
Brian Michael Jenkins @BrianMJenkins
Arms Proliferation and Control

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Asia's Nonproliferation Laggards: China, India, Pakistan, Indonesia and Malaysia
The proliferation of weapons of mass destruction ranks as one of the biggest challenges facing the Obama administration. Luckily, Mr. Obama has a tool to combat this threat, in the form of the Proliferation Security Initiative.... The trick now will be to convince key Asian countries to participate, writes Charles Wolf Jr.
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Feb 9, 2009
Wall Street Journal Asia
Charles Wolf, Jr.

Ensuring that Government Use of Technology Serves the Public

Advancing Trustworthy Artificial Intelligence

Six Different Ways: Ukraine Lessons for Japanese Defense Planners

Teacher Well-Being, Russian PMCs, AI Conspiracy Theories: RAND Weekly Recap

Ukraine is running out of ammo. The West doesn’t have enough.

The Policy Currents Podcast

Helping Coastal Communities Plan for Climate Change

Managing Escalation in Crisis and War

Measuring Wellbeing to Help Communities Thrive

Assessing and Articulating the Wider Benefits of Research

February 2009

Power to the People: Rebooting Conventional Diplomacy

In Afghanistan, It's Deadly at the Top

A Trans-Atlantic Moment

Obama's Foreign Policy Team and U.S.-Korean Relations

Going the Distance

What the Israeli Right Owes to Hamas

Could Mexico Fail?

Asia's Nonproliferation Laggards: China, India, Pakistan, Indonesia and Malaysia

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