December 2013

Terrorist Bombings

commentary
Why Did Terrorists Attack Volgograd?
The Volgograd attacks have brought renewed world attention to the unresolved conflict in the turbulent Caucasus. The bombings no doubt have rattled Russian nerves. While Umarov's reputation among extremists will rise, President Putin's reputation as defender of Russia is at stake.
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Dec 31, 2013
U.S. News & World Report
Brian Michael Jenkins @BrianMJenkins

Affordable Care Act

blog
RAND Health Reform Opinion Study Update: Positive Opinion on the ACA Continues to Rise
The latest data from the RAND Health Reform Opinion Study indicates that positive opinion of the ACA continues to increase. The overall favorable rating is now as high as it was in late September, prior to the opening of the health insurance exchanges.
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Dec 30, 2013
Katherine Grace Carman
Wildfires

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Investing in Firefighting
While the U.S. Forest Service has not completely agreed with RAND's proposal to transition to a fleet dominated by water-dropping scooper aircraft for fighting fires, they have leased one CL-415 scooper aircraft. It might be more cost-effective for the USFS to simply purchase it outright.
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Dec 30, 2013
The Orange County Register
Edward G. Keating, Andrew R. Morral @AndrewMorral, et al.
Obesity

commentary
Five Myths About Obesity
The obesity epidemic is among the most critical health issues facing the United States. Although it has generated a lot of attention and calls for solutions, it also has served up a super-sized portion of myths and misunderstandings.
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Dec 27, 2013
The Washington Post
Deborah A. Cohen
International Diplomacy

commentary
China, the United States, and Great Power Diplomacy
The United States doesn't care about a few islands half a world away, but it should care about how China throws its weight around, how it relates to its neighbors, and what it thinks it can get away with.
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Dec 27, 2013
Foreign Policy
Paul D. Miller
Iran

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A 'Nixon to China' Moment with Iran?
The current negotiations with Iran designed to eliminate its nuclear weapons capability seem to lack a broader strategic objective: stabilizing the Middle East with a regional balance of power. What does the China experience tell us about prospects for a strategic breakthrough with Iran?
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Dec 24, 2013
U.S. News & World Report
Richard H. Solomon
Fighter Aircraft

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Do Joint Fighter Programs Save Money?
Joint aircraft programs have not historically saved overall life cycle cost. On average, such programs experienced substantially higher cost growth in acquisition (research, development, test, evaluation, and procurement) than single-service programs.
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Dec 24, 2013
The RAND Blog
Mark A. Lorell
Ukraine

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Preserving Ukraine's European Choice
The United States and the EU have a strong stake in keeping open a European option for Ukraine. A reorientation of Ukrainian policy back toward Russia would shift the strategic balance in Europe and have a negative impact on the prospects for democratic change on Europe's eastern periphery.
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Dec 24, 2013
The RAND Blog and GlobalSecurity.org
F. Stephen Larrabee
Afghanistan

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Presidential Candidates Need Multiethnic Consensus
While many policymakers and analysts focus on who will be the next president of Afghanistan, the more important question may be whether the country's Pashtun, Uzbek, Tajik, Hazara, and other major constituencies will support the 2014 election's outcome.
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Dec 23, 2013
Council on Foreign Relations
Seth G. Jones
Affordable Care Act

blog
RAND Health Reform Opinion Study Update: Positive Opinion on ACA Grows, Negative Opinion Stabilizes
Last week we introduced the RAND Health Reform Opinion Study, a new way to measure public opinion of the Affordable Care Act. Negative opinion about the ACA seems to be stabilizing, while positive opinion is increasing. Those undecided about the ACA are decreasing.
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Dec 23, 2013
Katherine Grace Carman
Syria

commentary
Should the United States End Assistance to Syria's Rebels?
The American investment in Syria thus far can be accurately described as timid and minimal. The United States can do more to assist the rebels without directly using American military power or sliding into a strategy of escalation.
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Dec 23, 2013
The RAND Blog and GlobalSecurity.org
Brian Michael Jenkins @BrianMJenkins
Russia

commentary
Putin's Pardons
Few, if any, think that the amnesties just announced are a sea change in Russian domestic policy. Some speculate that they are an effort to dampen criticism of Russian human rights abuses, especially the anti-gay law, as Russia gears up for the Sochi Olympics this February.
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Dec 23, 2013
The RAND Blog and GlobalSecurity.org
Olga Oliker
Diet and Eating Habits

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'Tis the Season to Be Wary
During the holiday season, a time when overindulgence is a tradition for many, food marketing creates especially serious challenges for people trying to limit their intake and make careful decisions about healthier eating.
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Dec 23, 2013
The RAND Blog
Deborah A. Cohen
Ukraine

commentary
Ukraine's Murky Future
While some see Ukraine choosing between European-style democracy and economic, political, and cultural backwardness in Russia's shadow, the fact is that Ukraine faces a difficult and murky path in any direction. The country is in dire financial straits, needing billions in loans to avoid bankruptcy.
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Dec 19, 2013
U.S. News & World Report
Olga Oliker
Affordable Care Act

commentary
A New Way to Measure Public Opinion of Health Reform
Whether the public will begin to settle on an overall positive or negative perception of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) is very much an open question. But understanding how opinion of the law evolves over time could offer valuable insight into Americans' appetite both for the ACA and for health reform more broadly.
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Dec 18, 2013
The RAND Blog
Katherine Grace Carman
European Union

commentary
A Long-Term View for the EU: The Health of Nations
By shifting the strategic focus beyond growth and jobs, the successor of the current Europe 2020 Strategy should aim to invest in human capital and avoid sluggish productivity growth achieved at the expense of social inclusion, public health, education and skills, security or freedom.
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Dec 18, 2013
The RAND Blog
Stijn Hoorens @StijnHoorens