Ukraine Needs Help Surviving Airstrikes, Not Just Killing Tanks

Much of the Western discussion about helping Ukraine in the face of overwhelming Russian military advantage centers on relatively short-range weapons and tactics meant to enmesh an invasion force in the “next Afghanistan” or a “near certainty of hell”: for example, providing more Javelin anti-tank weapons, Stinger anti-aircraft missiles, and weaponized drones; or training Ukrainian… Continue reading Ukraine Needs Help Surviving Airstrikes, Not Just Killing Tanks

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U.S.-Russia Diplomacy, Citizen Science, America’s Blood Supply: RAND Weekly Recap

This week, we discuss U.S.-Russia diplomacy in the context of the Ukraine crisis; how citizen science can help communities become safer and stronger; protecting the U.S. blood supply from future shocks; how the pandemic affected military recruitment and retention; U.S. capacity-building efforts in Africa; and new “visual essays” that show why people might join—and later… Continue reading U.S.-Russia Diplomacy, Citizen Science, America’s Blood Supply: RAND Weekly Recap

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U.S. Military Aid to Ukraine: A Silver Bullet?

With Russian forces massed on Ukraine’s borders, the policy discussion in Washington increasingly has focused on what the United States can do to help its Ukrainian partners defend their country. Just this week, the Biden administration has approved deliveries of U.S.-made Stinger shoulder-launched anti-aircraft missiles to Kyiv, in addition to upping provision of other military… Continue reading U.S. Military Aid to Ukraine: A Silver Bullet?

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American Deterrence’s Missing Half

After much hemming and hawing, Congress in December finally passed a $768 billion defense authorization bill, some $25 billion over what the Biden administration had requested. For defense hawks, this is good news. With China becoming increasingly belligerent towards Taiwan, Russia poised to invade Ukraine, and Iran stiff-arming nuclear negotiations, the United States faces intensifying… Continue reading American Deterrence’s Missing Half

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The Premier Who Helped Change U.S.-Japan Relations

A Japanese politician who played an important part in the history of U.S.-Japan relations died recently, and chances are you’ve never heard of him. Kaifu Toshiki was Japan’s prime minister from 1989 to 1991, a critical time in U.S.-Japan relations as the world was transitioning from the Cold War to the fog that lay beyond.… Continue reading The Premier Who Helped Change U.S.-Japan Relations

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Shaping China’s Ambitions

As the United States gets its arms around the challenge of a long-term rivalry with China, several powerful but dubious claims are putting down roots in the collective thinking of the U.S. national security community. Some are well on the way to becoming unquestioned articles of faith, and like similar pieces of conventional wisdom that… Continue reading Shaping China’s Ambitions

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To Help Climate Migrants, We Must First Recognize Them

Thousands of families were forced from their homes due to the recent Colorado wildfires. They add to the growing number of people—21.5 million since 2010—displaced by extreme weather. In the coming decades this trend will almost certainly accelerate, as some 200 million—possibly as many as 1 billion people—are displaced by the middle of the century.… Continue reading To Help Climate Migrants, We Must First Recognize Them

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Why Did Nobody See It Coming? How Scenarios Can Help Us Prepare for the Future in an Uncertain World

Several months after the collapse of Lehman Brothers and the start of the global financial crisis in 2008, it was reported that Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II, caught economists at the London School of Economics off guard with a simple question: “Why did nobody see it coming?” As the world began to grapple with the… Continue reading Why Did Nobody See It Coming? How Scenarios Can Help Us Prepare for the Future in an Uncertain World

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Preventing Civilian Casualties, Drinking During the Pandemic, Vaccination Equity: RAND Weekly Recap

This week, we discuss what the Pentagon can do better to prevent civilian casualties; how secondary school principals were doing one year into the pandemic; examining Americans’ drinking habits in the COVID-19 era; strategies to promote vaccination equity; how a deeply divided American public could affect U.S. deterrence; and a sound sculpture inspired by a… Continue reading Preventing Civilian Casualties, Drinking During the Pandemic, Vaccination Equity: RAND Weekly Recap

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