The recent decision by the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) to disarm and disband has important lessons for any country facing a seemingly intractable insurgency. On May 12, the group stated that following its 12th Congress it will “dissolve the PKK’s organizational structure and end the armed struggle method.” The organisation has said that it will… Continue reading Disbanding the PKK: Political Engagement as the Key to Ending Insurgencies
Category: Intel
We’ll Be Arguing for Years Whether Large Language Models Can Make New Scientific Discoveries
When OpenAI released its newest AI models o3 and o4-mini in April, its president Greg Brockman made an intriguing claim: “These are the first models where top scientists tell us they produce legitimately good and useful novel ideas.” If AI can indeed make scientific discoveries, that would not only have practical impacts for society but… Continue reading We’ll Be Arguing for Years Whether Large Language Models Can Make New Scientific Discoveries
Reimagining School Meals to Improve Health for All Children
Some may think free school meals are a welfare issue, but they are so much more. Free school meals are a major investment in our country’s future. Nutrition and healthy diets are important parts of children’s health. Obesity is one preventable diet-related disease that continues to affect too many children in the United States. The… Continue reading Reimagining School Meals to Improve Health for All Children
The Wagner Group Is Leaving Mali. But Russian Mercenaries Aren’t Going Anywhere
The June 6 announcement by the infamous Wagner Group private military company that it will end its three-and-a-half-year-long deployment in Mali is an important development in Russia’s evolving mercenary landscape. Even as one Russian mercenary group is leaving, the country’s presence in Africa is not going anywhere. The Kremlin seized control of Wagner’s operations, most… Continue reading The Wagner Group Is Leaving Mali. But Russian Mercenaries Aren’t Going Anywhere
As U.S.-China Trade Talks Continue, Europe Needs a Plan to Navigate Uncertainty
U.S. and Chinese officials convened in London on 9 June for the first meeting of the economic and trade consultation mechanism—a channel of communication agreed upon during their first negotiation in Geneva this past May. The framework agreed in London on the one hand offers temporary relief to businesses and markets, and time for both… Continue reading As U.S.-China Trade Talks Continue, Europe Needs a Plan to Navigate Uncertainty
The Israel-Iran Conflict: Q&A with RAND Experts
Last week’s Israeli attack on Iran’s nuclear program and military assets and Iran’s responding missile strikes represent a significant escalation in the long-standing tensions between the two nations. While covert operations and proxy conflicts have defined much of their rivalry in recent years, this overt military strike signals a dramatic shift in the nature of… Continue reading The Israel-Iran Conflict: Q&A with RAND Experts
My Post-Pandemic Potty Mouth: A Psychologist’s Perspective
The realization hit me somewhere around mile three of my usual run with my running partner. As the miles ticked by and our conversation flowed, I noticed that nearly every story I told was punctuated with curse words. My running partner, in contrast, kept her language clean. Her stories were just as animated, her frustrations… Continue reading My Post-Pandemic Potty Mouth: A Psychologist’s Perspective
Death by Nemawashi
Seppuku, also called hara-kiri, is an incredibly painful way to die. A ritualistic Japanese way to kill oneself in feudal times involved cutting open one’s abdomen for the purpose of disembowelment. There also is a metaphorically painful way important decisions can die, one that involves sacrificing national interests due to slow decisionmaking. It is called… Continue reading Death by Nemawashi
Protecting Europe’s Critical Undersea Infrastructure Depends on Coordination and Collaboration
On 21 May, the Polish navy intercepted a mysterious vessel in the Baltic Sea performing suspicious manoeuvres near a power cable which connects Poland and Sweden. The vessel was part of Russia’s ‘shadow fleet,’ an ageing collection of poorly maintained oil tankers and other vessels, often with opaque ownership and improper insurance, which enable the… Continue reading Protecting Europe’s Critical Undersea Infrastructure Depends on Coordination and Collaboration
A Swarm at Sea: Supplying Troops with On-Demand Autonomous Watercraft
In any drawn-out military confrontation, the U.S. must support its ground forces with food, fuel, ammunition and weapons. In a conflict with China over Taiwan, however, that material will be coming from as far away as the Philippines and Japan. That means relying on the large, mostly unarmed, civilian-crewed ships, such as those operated by… Continue reading A Swarm at Sea: Supplying Troops with On-Demand Autonomous Watercraft