February 2020

Philippines

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If U.S. Forces Have to Leave the Philippines, Then What?
If the United States were to lose access to bases in the Philippines, the effects would ripple outward. Maintaining alliances in the Indo-Pacific in all their manifestations is critical—and the details matter.
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Feb 28, 2020
Foreign Policy Research Institute
Caroline Baxter

Russia

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Russian Subversion, Truth Decay, Supervised Drug Consumption Sites: RAND Weekly Recap
This weekly recap focuses on responding to Russian subversion, how the media can help fight Truth Decay, the first supervised drug consumption site in the United States, artificial intelligence, and more.
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Feb 28, 2020
Afghanistan

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The First Step on a Long Path to Peace in Afghanistan
It has taken 10 years to reach the brink of a first substantial step in toward peace in Afghanistan. Much could still go wrong. Can the Taliban and the Afghan government come together to jointly govern the country?
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Feb 27, 2020
The Hill
James Dobbins @Jim_Dobbins
Residential Housing

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Supportive Housing Can Help Keep People with Mental Illness Out of Jail
Hundreds of thousands of people with serious mental illnesses cycle in and out of American jails every year. In Los Angeles, some of them are getting diverted into a supportive housing program where they can get the treatment they need. And the results are promising.
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Feb 27, 2020
Media Literacy

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Panel: How the Media Can Help Fight Truth Decay
Truth Decay is the diminishing role of facts and analysis in American public life. As part of this phenomenon, Americans are losing faith in once-trusted sources of information, including the news. How might media organizations address this?
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Feb 25, 2020
West Africa

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More Engagement in West Africa Could Blunt Looming Crisis
There is a very real possibility that the security crisis afflicting Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger will spread to the countries of the West African coastal region. Early action including security-sector support could be the key to staving off worst-case scenarios.
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Feb 25, 2020
RealClearWorld
Michael Shurkin
Artificial Intelligence

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National Security Commission on Artificial Intelligence Requests New Ideas; RAND Responds
The National Security Commission on Artificial Intelligence put out an open call for submissions about emerging technology's role in the global order. RAND researchers stepped up to the challenge and submitted a wide range of ideas.
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Feb 21, 2020
Artificial Intelligence

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How to Train Your AI Soldier Robots (and the Humans Who Command Them)
While AI-enabled robots will have human-like characteristics, they will likely develop distinct personalities of their own. The military will need an extensive training program to inform new doctrines and concepts to manage this powerful, but unprecedented, capability.
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Feb 21, 2020
War on the Rocks
Thomas Hamilton
United States

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Power and Legitimacy Go Hand in Hand
The United States has a truly distinct approach to power which has made all the difference in the post-war world. We abandon it at our peril.
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Feb 21, 2020
Lowy Institute's Interpreter
Michael J. Mazarr @MMazarr
Russia

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New START, Trump's Middle East Peace Plan, New Tobacco Products: RAND Weekly Recap
This weekly recap focuses on why the United States should extend the New START agreement, Trump's Middle East peace plan, new tobacco products, and more.
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Feb 21, 2020
Maternal Health

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Infectious Diseases, Zimbabwe, Students with Disabilities: RAND Weekly Recap
This weekly recap focuses on the U.S. response to infectious diseases, Zimbabwe after Mugabe, the support for students with disabilities, and more.
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Feb 14, 2020
International Diplomacy

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Where Does China's 'One Country, Two Systems' Stand in 2020?
Hong Kong and Macau live under “one country, two systems,” and China aspires to include Taiwan in the future as well. But President Tsai Ing-wen's landslide re-election in Taiwan on January 11 resoundingly demonstrates that the arrangement is dead on arrival there.
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Feb 13, 2020
The Diplomat
Derek Grossman @DerekJGrossman
Nuclear Deterrence

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Jumpstarting Arms Control Talks with Russia: A Low-Risk Gambit
In 2019, Russia proposed a moratorium on missile deployments in Europe. If the United States does not accept, it could increase the threat to NATO allies and provide Moscow with more bargaining chips in future arms negotiations.
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Feb 13, 2020
Defense One
Luke Griffith
International Diplomacy

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Peace with the Region Is Not a Peace Plan
Acceptance of Israel from the broader Arab world will not resolve the dilemma of how the Israelis and the Palestinians can agree to live on the same land together. A viable plan for the future, one that is about real peace and not a one-sided political gambit, must recognize these realities.
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Feb 13, 2020
Al-Monitor
Dalia Dassa Kaye
Nuclear Deterrence

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Stabilizing the Nuclear Cold War
Russia and the United States are still locked in a nuclear cold war. Thousands of nuclear weapons are deployed, some on high alert. Although the United States prudently withdrew from several past arms control treaties with Russia, it could be in America's interest to extend New START.
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Feb 13, 2020
Inkstick
William Courtney @courtneywmh, Bruce McClintock @BHMcClintock
Urban Planning

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Green Infrastructure in Los Angeles: An Olympian Feat
Los Angeles has an opportunity to reinvent itself by harnessing the collective spirit of Olympics development, climate activism, and Measure W funding. No single project can address all LA's environmental needs, but many diverse projects could provide an opportunity for synergies and to create a new “city feel,” the way palm trees, traffic, and movie-touting billboards do now.
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Feb 11, 2020
The RAND Blog
Noah Johnson, Karishma V. Patel, et al.