October 2017

commentary
Abe's Victory and Constitutional Revision
After Japan's election, observers immediately began speculating about its impact on constitutional reform. While parties in favor of constitutional revision have secured enough seats to pass the legislative hurdle needed to revise Japan's basic law, the road ahead is much more complicated.
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Oct 31, 2017
Foreign Affairs
Jeffrey W. Hornung, Kenneth M. McElwain

International Economic Relations

commentary
Killing Iran's Economy Won't Help the U.S.
Iran's economy is likely to be damaged by any new U.S. sanctions, with foreign investment having already slowed in response to President Trump's rhetoric. The biggest losers will not be the Iranian regime but the Iranian people, whose striving the U.S. has long hoped would bring about a less antagonistic Iran.
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Oct 31, 2017
Bourse and Bazaar
Alireza Nader
Health and Wellness Promotion

commentary
Candy Out of Sight, Out of Mind
CVS is cutting back on candy at the cash register, making junk food less visible and "healthier" snacks easier to find. Any move that nudges consumers toward healthier choices should be applauded, but CVS could take the lead as a retailer and do away with junk food displays by the cash register altogether.
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Oct 31, 2017
U.S. News & World Report
Deborah A. Cohen
Global Security

commentary
Military Power Cannot Close the Defense Strategy Gap
As defense debates heat up this season, most of the noise will be around how to use defense investments. But it’s time to consider the radical notion that the best answer to strategic insolvency isn’t budgetary. It’s not even military. It is geopolitical and diplomatic.
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Oct 30, 2017
War on the Rocks
Michael J. Mazarr @MMazarr
National Security Organizations

commentary
Reauthorizing DHS: Contemplating Major DHS Organizational Realignments
As Congress considers DHS reauthorization, having clear organizational realignment principles could help assess the degree to which expectations will be met. Those principles could examine whether mission effectiveness would improve and whether implemented changes would introduce new issues.
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Oct 30, 2017
The National Interest
Daniel M. Gerstein @Daniel_Gerstein
Security Cooperation

commentary
The Real Questions We Should Be Asking About Niger
In the wake of the deaths of four U.S. servicemen in Niger, Americans are embroiled in a pointless political squabble. The focus should be on developing a greater understanding of the risks and benefits of U.S. counterterrorism operations abroad.
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Oct 30, 2017
CNN
Philip Mudd, Andrew Liepman
Nuclear Sciences

announcement
RAND Is Accepting Applications for Stanton Nuclear Security Fellowships
RAND is accepting applications for up to three Stanton Nuclear Security Fellows. The application deadline is January 15, 2018. The program was created to stimulate the development of the next generation of thought leaders on nuclear security.
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Oct 30, 2017
Military Caregivers

essay
Military Caregivers Share the Costs of War
Millions of veterans and service members receive care from family and friends who need support as well. Military caregivers sacrifice their time, their jobs, and even their health to provide a service worth billions of dollars to the United States.
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Oct 30, 2017
Program Evaluation

commentary
Tracking Global Trends in Open Peer Review
Open peer review is happening in a variety of forms, but it still accounts for a small percentage of reviews carried out, and it is not clear whether open peer review is increasing in usage. In the future, as the Publons dataset grows, it will be worth exploring the data in more detail.
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Oct 27, 2017
Publons
Sarah Parks, Salil Gunashekar
Terrorism Financing

q&a
Oil, Extortion Still Paying Off for ISIS
ISIS's oil revenues declined from a peak of $40 million per month in 2015 to $4 million per month as of early October 2017. Despite the massive reduction, it's still a substantial amount of money for a group whose expenditures decrease with the size of the population and territory it controls and decreased recruitment.
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Oct 27, 2017
The Cipher Brief
Health Care Reform

blog
Beyond the Headlines: RAND's Christine Eibner Discusses Health Care Reform
The issue of how to improve health care in the United States is complicated. At a RAND event, senior economist and Paul O'Neill Alcoa Chair in Policy Analysis Christine Eibner discussed modifications to the Affordable Care Act and the long-term outlook for health care reform.
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Oct 27, 2017
Preschool

commentary
In Britain's Approach to Free Child Care, Lessons for the U.S.
If public school in America is free for kindergarten through high school, why not extend the same guarantee for the earliest years, when the potential impact is greatest? The United States can learn from Britain's experience in this area.
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Oct 27, 2017
USA Today
Barbara Janta
International Diplomacy

commentary
Despite Tillerson, U.S. Won't Abandon Pakistan for India
There is no new U.S. policy towards Pakistan and there won't be one soon. As long as the U.S. has troops in neighboring Afghanistan, it will be reliant on Pakistan for logistical support, transit, and Islamabad's influence with both the Taliban and its affiliated Haqqani Network.
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Oct 27, 2017
The Indian Express
Jonah Blank
Security Cooperation

q&a
General Robert Brown on the U.S. Army's Role in Asia
Gen. Robert B. Brown, Commanding General of U.S. Army Pacific (USARPAC), offers his perspective of key defense and security issues facing USARPAC in the Indo-Pacific region today. He discusses what the Army's role would be in any potential application of U.S. military power, as well as its peacetime role in strengthening U.S. alliances.
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Oct 25, 2017
Pacific Council on International Policy
Derek Grossman @DerekJGrossman
Security Cooperation

commentary
U.S. Helping Niger Halt Spread of Terror in Region
Niger is at the epicenter of the war on terror, with local and regional violent groups based there and entering the country from nearly every side. U.S. troops are there to train Niger's security services and not to fight. They are also assisting French forces who are fighting there.
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Oct 25, 2017
The Hill
Michael Shurkin
Suicide

commentary
Checklist of Best Practices Developed to Guide Development of Suicide Prevention Campaigns
Is your crisis line’s suicide-prevention communications effort working well enough? What should you be doing differently? Some help is available through a checklist published earlier this year.
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Oct 25, 2017
Lifeline Network
Rajeev Ramchand @RRamchand, Joie D. Acosta