Gabrielle Tarini

@gabbytarini on Twitter

Associate Policy Researcher

Washington Office

Education

M.P.P. in international and global affairs, Harvard University; B.A. in international studies, Boston College

One Page Bio

Overview

Gabrielle Tarini is an associate policy researcher at the RAND Corporation. Her research focuses on regional security issues in Europe and Asia, security cooperation, the NATO alliance, special operations forces, and civilian protection issues. She has experience working at the Department of Defense as a Rosenthal Fellow in the Office of the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Security Cooperation. She received her Master in Public Policy from the Harvard Kennedy School, where she was a teaching assistant for a former Secretary of Defense and a researcher at the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs. Prior graduate school, she was a research associate at the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies, where she conducted research on nuclear policy issues. She received her BA in International Relations from Boston College.

Research Focus

Honors & Awards

Gold Medal Award, Mission & Impact, RAND Corporation
Harold W. Rosenthal Fellowship in International Relations, U.S. Department of Defense

Commentary

Ukraine

How to Reform and Reconstruct Ukraine After the War
Hostilities in Ukraine are ongoing, but it is not too early to consider post-war reconstruction. Indeed, the United States and Europe have already begun planning what will probably be the most ambitious post-war rebuilding effort in modern history.
Jun 21, 2023
Defense News
United States Department of Defense

Trying to Forestall the Next Civilian Casualty Horror
After civilians are injured or killed, the U.S. Defense Department isn't doing enough to learn from its own failures. The Pentagon needs to devote resources and senior leader attention to an issue that has historically lacked both. Civilian protection should become the singular priority for a critical mass of people across the organization.
Feb 3, 2022
Foreign Policy
International Diplomacy

The Lost Generation in American Foreign Policy
Throughout the 55 years following World War II, successive U.S. administrations racked up major foreign policy successes at an average rate of about once a year. Since 2001, the pace of foreign policy achievement has fallen to once every four years. The result has been a lost generation in American foreign policy.
Sep 15, 2020
The Hill

Publications

Report
Reconstructing Ukraine: Creating a Freer, More Prosperous, and Secure Future
The authors of this analysis draw on lessons from relevant historical examples of post-war and post–natural disaster reconstruction to provide insights on how to organize, finance, and provide security for Ukraine's reform and reconstruction.
Jun 14, 2023
Report
Future U.S. Peacetime Policy Toward Russia: Exploring the Benefits and Costs of a Less-Hardline Approach
Using four historical case studies, the authors found that limited less-hardline approaches can lead to durable but narrow gains. However, issues left unaddressed by these approaches may still undermine the relationship over the long term.
May 17, 2023
Research Brief
What Should Future U.S. Policy Toward Russia Be in Peacetime? Evaluating Trade-Offs of a Less-Hardline Approach
Using four historical case studies, the authors found that limited less-hardline approaches can lead to durable but narrow gains. However, issues left unaddressed by these approaches may still undermine the relationship over the long term.
May 17, 2023
Report
Can the United States Deter Threats from Uncertain Origins? Examining the Cases of Havana Syndrome, SolarWinds, and the Chinese Mafia
This report examines how to deter a national security threat when the threat, the underlying method, and the actor behind the threat are not understood with certainty.
May 11, 2023
Report
Adaptive Engagement for Undergoverned Spaces: Concepts, Challenges, and Prospects for New Approaches
This report is a compendium of expert insights regarding opportunities for investing in science and technology to increase U.S. ability to engage in long-term competition in undergoverned spaces.
Jul 13, 2022
Report
Understanding Civilian Harm in Raqqa and Its Implications for Future Conflicts
In this report, RAND researchers study the causes of civilian harm in the 2017 battle for Raqqa, Syria, and provide insights into how the U.S. Department of Defense can reduce civilian harm in future operations.
Mar 31, 2022
Multimedia
Press Briefing on U.S. Department of Defense Civilian Casualty Policies and Procedures
Researchers from the RAND Corporation brief the press on an independent RAND assessment of U.S. Department of Defense standards, processes, procedures, and policies relating to civilian casualties resulting from U.S. military operations.
Mar 8, 2022
Report
U.S. Department of Defense Civilian Casualty Policies and Procedures: An Independent Assessment
In this report, researchers from the RAND Corporation and CNA conduct an independent assessment of U.S. Department of Defense standards, processes, procedures, and policies relating to civilian casualties resulting from U.S. military operations.
Jan 27, 2022
Report
Competition and Governance in African Security Sectors: Integrating U.S. Strategic Objectives
This report examines U.S. institutional capacity-building programs for the security sectors of African partner governments and their potential role in strategic competition.
Jan 18, 2022
Research Brief
The Role of U.S. Airpower in Defeating ISIS
The United States used airpower in Syria and Iraq to halt ISIS's momentum and help defeat the organization, without committing a large number of ground forces.
Feb 12, 2021
Report
The Air War Against the Islamic State: The Role of Airpower in Operation Inherent Resolve
Airpower played a pivotal role in the U.S.-led fight against the Islamic State from 2014 to 2019 and contributed to the success of Operation Inherent Resolve, but airpower alone would not have been likely to defeat the militant organization.
Feb 5, 2021
Journal Article
Future Threats and Some Considerations for the Next U.S. National Defense Strategy
In this article, the authors offer a U.S. perspective on the evolution of threats from the recent past, and posit several considerations for the next National Defense Strategy.
Jan 26, 2021
Report
Unlocking NATO's Amphibious Potential: Lessons from the Past, Insights for the Future
Researchers analyze the past, present, and future employment of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization's amphibious forces, highlight ongoing initiatives, and identify several efforts that should be pursued to advance its amphibious capabilities.
Nov 9, 2020
Report
The Lost Generation in American Foreign Policy: How American Influence Has Declined, and What Can Be Done About It
The authors trace the decline of U.S. international influence over the past two decades, explore reasons for this decline, and suggest ways in which it might be reversed.
Sep 8, 2020

Multimedia

40:11

Press Briefing on U.S. Department of Defense Civilian Casualty Policies and Procedures
Mar 8, 2022