December 2015

HIV and AIDS

commentary
Charlie Sheen and the Enduring Stigma Attached to HIV
HIV-related stigma and discrimination remains pervasive despite strides that have been made in fighting the disease. Charlie Sheen reported paying more than $10 million in bribes to keep his HIV status secret before going public recently to put an end to the extortion.
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Dec 29, 2015
KevinMD.com
Sarah MacCarthy

Biological Weapons and Warfare

commentary
The U.S. Needs to Exercise Leadership at the Biological Weapons Convention
The world is one rogue microbiologist away from a potentially devastating biological attack. In this new, evolving environment, the United States should establish its goals and objectives and build coalitions to help meet them.
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Dec 28, 2015
U.S. News & World Report
Daniel M. Gerstein @Daniel_Gerstein
Intelligence Collection

commentary
Following Online Footprints to Catch Terrorists
Millions of people leave behind online footprints each day, giving law enforcement and intelligence experts the chance to construct a profile of who is more likely to commit violence in the name of a murderous ideology.
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Dec 28, 2015
Newsweek
Isaac R. Porche III, Colin P. Clarke
Public Health Preparedness

commentary
Wildfires Getting More Destructive
The potential for smoke to harm air quality and cause health problems was especially acute in 2015 because a record number of wildfires broke out in the United States. Pre-wildfire season preparedness could go a long way toward protecting public health.
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Dec 28, 2015
Orange County Register
Jaime Madrigano
Terrorism Threat Assessment

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How Terrorist Threats Against LA and New York Schools Exposed Weaknesses
The handling of terrorist threats on Los Angeles and New York City schools calls into question the ability of national and local government to coordinate a terrorist crisis involving two or more cities.
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Dec 23, 2015
The Hill
Brian Michael Jenkins @BrianMJenkins, Richard Daddario
commentary
Is Cross-Disciplinary Working the Way Forward to Improve Evaluation?
Working within a single discipline might help identify how to make an existing system work better, but a cross-disciplinary conversation might help determine how to make better systems.
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Dec 23, 2015
The RAND Blog
Tom Ling
Operational Readiness

commentary
Ground Combat
The U.S. Army needs to pay attention to state-sponsored irregular forces, whose numbers are growing. Such groups represent the type of adversary U.S. ground forces are likely to face.
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Dec 23, 2015
The Cipher Brief
David E. Johnson
Military Strategy

commentary
Struggle in the Gray Zone and World Order
Recent experience suggests that the targets of gray zone campaigns recognize them for what they are — aggressive efforts to overturn the status quo. Gray zone aggression often prompts exactly the sort of reactions it's meant to avoid.
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Dec 22, 2015
War on the Rocks
Michael J. Mazarr @MMazarr
Petroleum

commentary
What Will Happen After the Oil Export Ban Is Repealed?
Without the crude oil export ban, producers could sell their product abroad without discounting it, and the Gulf Coast refineries could specialize in the heavier oil for which they are optimized. On the whole, the global refining industry would likely enjoy efficiency gains.
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Dec 22, 2015
The RAND Blog
Keith Crane, Nathaniel Lutovsky
Educational Program Evaluation

commentary
Hawaii Reading Scores Improved After 'Preschool to Third Grade' Initiative
Hawaii's “preschool to third-grade” initiative significantly improved third-grade reading scores. The P-3 approach is a promising education reform that should be considered by those seeking to improve early education performance.
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Dec 21, 2015
Honolulu Star-Advertiser
Gail L. Zellman, M. Rebecca Kilburn
Veterans Health Care

commentary
Book Review: 'Women at War'
Today, women represent approximately 15 percent of the U.S. military but research on their specific physical and psychological health issues has remained relatively sparse. A new book, Women at War, attempts to change that.
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Dec 21, 2015
Army Magazine
Kayla M. Williams @KWilliams101
Robust Decision Making

commentary
Paris Gets the (Decision) Science Right
The framework for the Paris negotiations is in sync with what science tells us about how to make effective public policy decisions. This alone makes them historic and may provide a model for both local and global action on more than climate alone.
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Dec 18, 2015
The RAND Blog
Steven W. Popper
Syria

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A Realistic Peace Plan for Syria Needs to Begin with an Immediate Cease-Fire
To reach peace in Syria, the International Syria Support Group should concentrate on securing an immediate cease-fire and arranging for its enforcement, followed by further negotiations on the shape of a reconstituted Syrian state.
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Dec 18, 2015
Washington Post
Philip Gordon, James Dobbins @Jim_Dobbins, et al.
International Humanitarian Assistance

commentary
A New Approach to Managing Aid Agencies
The current approach to managing aid agencies is confused due to two opposing forces: a results-based approach to management and an emphasis on the need to achieve systemic changes and transform underlying constraints.
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Dec 18, 2015
The RAND Blog
Tom Ling
Terrorism Threat Assessment

commentary
How Terrorists Get Here
Of 134 jihadist-inspired terrorists who have carried out or plotted attacks in the United States since 9/11, 96 were U.S. citizens and 19 others were legal permanent residents. While some level of comfort may be drawn from the fact that terrorists are not pouring into the country, there is no basis for complacency.
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Dec 18, 2015
The Hill
Brian Michael Jenkins @BrianMJenkins
Migration

commentary
What Are the Facts About EU Migration to the UK?
Discussions about European migration taking place during the EU Summit this week could benefit from the facts: that the actual number of EU migrants in the UK is considerably smaller than popular perception, and those that are in the UK have higher employment levels than UK nationals.
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Dec 18, 2015
The RAND Blog
Barbara Janta