Finland's flag is raised at NATO headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, April 4, 2023. Photo by EyePress News/Reuters

Finland Joins NATO. Is Sweden Next?

Last year, following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Finland and Sweden applied to join NATO. On Tuesday, Finland formally became an ally. According to RAND Europe's Charlotte Kleberg and James Black, Finland's experience assessing Russian capabilities and intentions makes it key to defending what is now the alliance's longest land border with Russia. As for Sweden, a long-term delay in its membership could leave NATO's northern flank more vulnerable to attack. Read more »

Photo by skynesher/Getty Images

With a Shorter School Week, Students Lose More Than Just a Day

In 2019, more than 1,600 U.S. schools operated on a four-day schedule—and that number may be rising. Recent RAND research shows that students in four-day districts fell behind a little every year. These small changes accumulate. Our researchers estimate that, after eight years, the damage to student achievement could equal that caused by the pandemic. District leaders must consider whether the benefits of a shorter school week outweigh the drawbacks. Read more »

Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy at the Friends of Ireland Caucus St. Patrick's Day luncheon in Washington, D.C., March 17, 2023. Photo by Yuri Gripas/Sipa USA/Reuters

McCarthy-Tsai Meeting Does Taiwan No Favors

When then–House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Taiwan last year, China responded with nearby military exercises and missile launches. Yesterday, Speaker Kevin McCarthy met with Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen in California, opting not to make the trip overseas. According to RAND's Derek Grossman, the decision to remain stateside may not deter Chinese aggression. In fact, he says, it could do the opposite if Beijing concludes “acting assertively against Taiwan, as it did after the Pelosi visit, bears fruit.” Read more »

Jars containing rare earth minerals produced by Lynas Corp from its Mount Weld operations near Laverton, Australia, August 23, 2019. Photo by Melanie Burton/Reuters

It's Time to Prevent Shortfalls in Critical Materials

Despite their name, rare earth elements are everywhere—from cellphones and cars to satellites and missiles. This makes China's near-total domination of the rare earth market both an economic and national security concern. In a recent study, RAND researchers looked at how the United States might break its reliance on China for these critical but hard-to-source materials. What's most important, they concluded, is for U.S. policymakers to act quickly; investments made today could take a decade or more to yield results. Read more »

U.S. Army soldiers leave their base to patrol the area in Zormat, Afghanistan, October 4, 2004. Photo by Reuters

America's Dangerous Short War Obsession

Americans have long fixated on the idea of the short, decisive war. Unfortunately, truly quick wars in U.S. history have been few and far between. And there's little reason to expect concise conflicts in the future, say RAND experts. As a matter of defense planning, the United States should assume that any war it fights will be protracted. “The only thing worse than fighting a long war may be thinking it's possible to avoid one,” they say. Read more »