May 2012

commentary

Helping Kids Cope with the Effects of Violence and Trauma

The impact of violence and trauma on children has led RAND and its partners to focus not only on studying the problem, but working collaboratively to find interventions that help address a significant public health need.

Lisa H. Jaycox

commentary

Okinawa Remains an Intractable Thorn for US and Japan

The relocation of the Marines is a first step toward a more sustainable US military presence in the Asia-Pacific. Yet policymakers in Washington and Tokyo should not expect this move to eliminate an enduring source of tension in US-Japanese relations, write Stacie L. Pettyjohn and Alan J. Vick.

Stacie L. Pettyjohn, Alan J. Vick

commentary

DoD Renewable Fuels Investment Premature

Technological development challenges suggest that it is highly unlikely that advanced approaches for producing hydrotreated renewable oils suitable for military applications will constitute an important fraction of the commercial fuel market until well beyond the next decade, writes Keith Crane.

Keith Crane

commentary

Three Challenges Still Await NATO

Three challenges still await NATO: containing fallout from France's new policy, re-opening the Pakistan supply lines, and the need for Russian cooperation, writes Christopher S. Chivvis.

Christopher S. Chivvis

commentary

Medical Records Immune to Tornado in Joplin, Mo.

Across the country, electronic medical records, designed first and foremost to make health care delivery safer and more efficient, are proving valuable when disaster strikes, write Mahshid Abir and Art Kellermann.

Mahshid Abir, Arthur L. Kellermann

commentary

What's on the Menu? A Status Quo That Needs to Change

If we want to make progress on the now-global obesity epidemic, we must challenge the status quo and make unhealthy food the new tobacco, writes Helen Wu.

Helen Wu

commentary

Iran's Buying Time—and That's Fine

Khamenei faces a critical choice in the months ahead: make a compromise to lessen tensions with the United States and the international community, or maintain a status quo that may set in motion the demise of his regime, writes Alireza Nader.

Alireza Nader

blog

Attempts by States to Save Money by Locking Medicaid Enrollees out of the ED Are Likely to Backfire

In a recent article in the New England Journal of Medicine, we argue that attempts by states to save money by seeking to lock Medicaid enrollees out of the emergency department are likely to backfire. We argue that a better solution is to reverse what for many years has been a trend of shrinking access to primary care for Medicaid beneficiaries.

Robin M. Weinick

blog

Webcast: Getting to Outcomes in Underage Drinking Prevention

In honor of National Underage Drinking Prevention Day, there will be a live, interactive webcast today (May 21) about successful approaches and resources to prevent underage drinking. The issue of underage drinking may sometimes be overshadowed by other forms of substance use, but it remains a steady and significant problem in the United States.

commentary

Emergency Departments, Medicaid Costs, and Access to Primary Care—Understanding the Link

The fact that many ED (emergency department) visits could be managed in primary care settings does not mean that such care is available, write Arthur L. Kellermann and Robin M. Weinick.

Arthur L. Kellermann, Robin M. Weinick

commentary

Putin's NATO Dis: Cold Winds from Moscow

The decision by President Putin not to attend the NATO summit and the G-8 summit is a blow to the Obama administration's hopes of building closer ties to Russia and underscores that the effort to

F. Stephen Larrabee

commentary

NATO's Shrinking Resources

At a time when the European Union faces mounting economic and political challenges, maintaining a strong, vibrant Atlantic alliance is more important than ever, write F. Stephen Larrabee and Peter A. Wilson.

F. Stephen Larrabee, Peter A. Wilson

commentary

Questions After the First U.S. Bank Takeover by a Chinese State-Controlled Company

In considering foreign application to acquire U.S. companies, the United States needs to consider both risks as well as benefits in both defense and economic dimensions, write Charles Wolf, Jr., Brian Chow, Gregory Jones, and Scott Harold.

Charles Wolf, Jr., Brian G. Chow, et al.

blog

Posttraumatic Stress Disorder: A Significant Public Health Problem

In recognition of National Mental Health Month, May 2012, we spotlight posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and RAND's work to advance understanding and treatment of this condition, which affects many more people than is commonly thought.

David M. Adamson

commentary

Should Boeing Fear the PRC's Aerospace Industry? Not in This Decade but Maybe Later

The Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China will probably begin producing its first large commercial aircraft later this decade. But the C919 is unlikely to be technologically or commercially competitive when it arrives, writes Chad J. R. Ohlandt.

Chad J. R. Ohlandt