RAND: Commentary by RAND Staff 2008-09-03T07:50:30Z Copyright (c) 2007-2008, The RAND Corporation Bricolage RAND Corporation urn:uuid:380E7B92-30B6-11DC-A368-64E9D44B69C5 Too Soon to Judge the Surge urn:uuid:E5B5E4DC-75E9-11DD-89C3-58C038788F35 2008-08-29T09:45:00Z 2008-08-29T09:45:00Z Most of the units involved in the surge have been withdrawn from Iraq, and troop levels are about what they were before the surge was announced. And if General Petraeus recommends, further troop cuts may be adopted this fall. The key question is whether levels of violence will remain low once those troops are gone. Georgia: Breakdown of Vision the West Had for a New Europe urn:uuid:6D2230BE-75E6-11DD-8BB8-58C038788F35 2008-08-28T09:18:00Z 2008-08-28T09:18:00Z Since the Russian Federation sent tanks, troops, and planes slicing into Georgia, commentators have reached for a variety of historic parallels.... None of these supposed parallels catches the current situation. Kosovo and South Ossetia More Different Than Similar urn:uuid:BA8CF5E4-7395-11DD-B7A4-58C038788F35 2008-08-25T10:37:00Z 2008-08-25T10:37:00Z The Russian government has long highlighted the similarities between Kosovo and South Ossetia.... The two situations, however, while similar on some points, are fundamentally different where it matters: in their implications for the future of international relations, writes Olga Oliker. Change Choices, Not Conversation urn:uuid:843E9704-738B-11DD-9FFA-58C038788F35 2008-08-24T09:23:00Z 2008-08-24T09:23:00Z Too often we talk only about the ongoing challenges facing education, health care, transportation and economic development across the Gulf South — Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama.... We need to determine new ways to work together across state lines to focus on solutions that will benefit the entire region, writes Melissa Flournoy. Turkey's Second Chance urn:uuid:1A00B896-72B3-11DD-9E58-58C038788F35 2008-08-24T07:34:00Z 2008-08-24T07:34:00Z The recent decision by the Turkish Constitutional Court not to close the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) helped Turkey - and especially Prime Minister Tayyip Recep Erdogan - narrowly dodge a dangerous political bullet, writes F. Stephen Larrabee. Stop the 'War' on Terror: Calling It a 'War' Is a Boon to Terrorist Recruiters urn:uuid:BF1C7782-63DD-11DD-ABDD-DAEA38788F35 2008-08-06T10:32:00Z 2008-08-06T10:32:00Z Military might against Al Qaeda and other terrorist groups isn't working – and no wonder. After studying the record of 648 terrorist groups between 1968 and 2006, we've found that military force has rarely been effective in defeating this enemy, write Seth Jones and Martin C. Libicki. Dressed To Kill: Why the Number of Female Suicide Bombers is Rising in Iraq urn:uuid:11A2A1DC-5FDA-11DD-8DB1-DAEA38788F35 2008-07-30T07:50:00Z 2008-07-30T07:50:00Z Muslim female suicide bombers are on the rise.... But for those of us who have studied the phenomenon, the assaults should not come as a surprise, writes Farhana Ali. Colonel Cardinal's Iceberg Theory urn:uuid:72BE9020-5E5E-11DD-9345-59C038788F35 2008-07-29T10:38:00Z 2008-07-29T10:38:00Z As we continue to pour invaluable resources into our sixth year in Iraq, and the U.S. public and politicians wonder what we should do next, now may be a good time to revisit the overarching theory of our campaign plan in the Pacific: Colonel Cardinal's Iceberg Theory, writes Dick Hoffmann. Turkey's Broadening Crisis urn:uuid:E38BF5F4-5CBA-11DD-A58F-59C038788F35 2008-07-25T08:35:00Z 2008-07-25T08:35:00Z Turkey is facing a domestic political crisis that not only threatens the country's internal stability but could weaken its ties to the West and exacerbate instability in the Middle East, writes F. Stephen Larrabee. How to Save Karzai urn:uuid:57212FFC-5A90-11DD-B740-59C038788F35 2008-07-15T14:25:00Z 2008-07-15T14:25:00Z The United States and other NATO countries should stop undermining Hamid Karzai now, shore up support for him as the democratically elected president of Afghanistan, and help him show progress, writes Seth G. Jones. U.S. Science is Holding its Own: Despite Cries of Alarm, We Remain the Global Leader in Innovation urn:uuid:6D645B10-4E8B-11DD-B654-E4D638788F35 2008-07-09T07:20:00Z 2008-07-09T07:20:00Z Since the end of the Cold War, many observers have feared the United States is losing its leadership in science and technology, but RAND research shows that the U.S. has more than kept pace with its peers by several measures, write Titus Galama and James Hosek. The North Korean Human Rights Standoff urn:uuid:CCB44F9A-4944-11DD-A819-84DB38788F35 2008-07-03T14:12:00Z 2008-07-03T14:12:00Z A hold on the nomination of veteran diplomat Kathleen Stephens to the post of Ambassador to South Korea is unfortunate and could ultimately prove self-defeating, writes Chaibong Hahm. Dealing with Iran: The Case for Talking urn:uuid:537C967C-4797-11DD-AD86-55E038788F35 2008-06-30T10:57:00Z 2008-06-30T10:57:00Z Opponents of war with Iran who take their stand on the grounds that Washington should talk to Tehran first are in danger of finding themselves trapped within a broadening national consensus that could lead to an unwinnable war, writes James Dobbins. China's Responsibility to Protect urn:uuid:2192AFFC-3D6A-11DD-BC9B-E1BD38788F35 2008-06-17T12:09:00Z 2008-06-17T12:09:00Z Of all countries remiss in their responsibility to protect human rights, China bears special scrutiny because of its influence with the Myanmar and Sudanese regimes, writes David C. Gompert. Hezbollah's Armory Up for Debate urn:uuid:652A5BFA-3970-11DD-8316-E1BD38788F35 2008-06-12T10:44:00Z 2008-06-12T10:44:00Z Hezbollah's recent flexing of its muscles in Lebanon may well lead to an unintended effect -- the long-overdue disarming of the militant group, write Theodore Karasik and Ghassan Schbley. A Chance in Lebanon; No Place for Tyrants urn:uuid:1B842DEE-3648-11DD-8822-E1BD38788F35 2008-06-06T10:17:00Z 2008-06-06T10:17:00Z Hezbollah's recent flexing of its muscles in Lebanon may well lead to an unintended effect: the long-overdue disarming of the militant group, write Theodore W. Karasik and Ghassan Schbley. Lean Thinking Comes to the Battlefield urn:uuid:B25C6C8A-51E7-11DD-80E6-0CC138788F35 2008-06-05T13:58:00Z 2008-06-05T13:58:00Z The 1991 Gulf War represented the pinnacle of the U.S. industrial approach to warfare: overwhelming mass. Subsequently, the U.S. military began the shift to a new support paradigm, adapting the lean, best practices of contemporary business, write Eric Peltz and Rick Eden. Invisible Wounds of War urn:uuid:CBF047AE-3D63-11DD-BBA4-E1BD38788F35 2008-06-01T11:22:00Z 2008-06-01T11:22:00Z According to a recent RAND Corporation study about these "Invisible Wounds of War," 18.5 percent of Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom veterans are suffering from PTSD or depression and need appropriate treatment, and 19.5 percent report experiencing a TBI during deployment, writes Kayla Williams. Russian Soccer Diplomacy urn:uuid:542F9B72-2E75-11DD-83B9-E1BD38788F35 2008-05-29T11:21:00Z 2008-05-29T11:21:00Z Despite its authoritarian political system, Russia is in many ways increasingly open. Its people are part of a consumer society that models its consumption habits after Western Europe, says Lowell Schwartz. Give Them Sabbaticals urn:uuid:D198F3B0-1C46-11DD-B135-E1BD38788F35 2008-05-07T08:03:00Z 2008-05-07T08:03:00Z In academia and, increasingly, corporate America, sabbaticals are a time-honored way to step aside from the daily grind and intellectually reboot. The U.S. Army should embrace something similar, writes Laura Miller.