Policy Currents | The newsletter for policy people
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** March 28, 2024
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How to Secure Soft Targets and Crowded Places
A 2019 poll showed that one-third of U.S. adults were so afraid of mass shootings that they avoided certain places and events. Such widespread fear is not surprising: Even though attacks at shopping malls, concerts, nightclubs, and other public gatherings remain relatively rare, they still result in significant loss of life.
A new RAND report looks at how to improve the security of public locations and gatherings--or what security experts call soft targets and crowded places. The authors highlight conditions that a would-be attacker must fulfill to successfully execute a high-fatality attack. These steps are called the attack chain. Then, they identify effective ways to interrupt that chain.
These include seeking ways to deter or dissuade would-be attackers in the first place, bolstering site security, improving responses to attacks, and increasing public awareness about the warning signs of a possible attack, as well as what to do in the event that one occurs.
The report stresses the importance of a layered approach to security. This can help improve the chances that a shooting, stabbing, or other type of attack will be stopped or mitigated at any point in the attack chain, potentially reducing casualties and saving lives.
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Israel-Hamas War: Lost Lessons from the War on Terror
RAND's Karen Sudkamp, a former U.S. intelligence officer, has been following the Israel-Hamas war closely. The invasion of Gaza has proceeded, she says, "as if combating a terrorist group in an urban environment was a novel experience." To start, Israel has never had a firm strategy or clear objective. Further, Israel has not maintained public accountability for its military operations. Israel has also failed to cooperate with allies and trusted aid organizations to create safe zones for civilians. All this suggests that the hard-gained lessons from 20 years of global counterterrorism conflicts have been wasted, Sudkamp says.
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Countering Antisemitism in the U.S.
Over the last two decades, there has been a rise in antisemitic attitudes, discourse, and violence in the United States. In fact, 2022 saw the highest total of antisemitic incidents in more than 40 years. In May 2023, the Biden administration responded to this troubling trend by publishing a strategy to counter antisemitism in America. A new RAND paper outlines what is (and isn't) in the White House strategy, reviews the unique challenges of combating antisemitism, and considers how policy analysis could help address the problem. "The matter is pressing, and time is short," the authors write.
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** RAND Recommends
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- On Washington Journal, RAND's Beau Kilmer discussed the impact of legalizing cannabis across many U.S. states and recent efforts by the White House to reclassify the drug.
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- Using AI tools to counter AI creations, such as deepfakes, could be a flawed approach, RAND's Christopher Doss told BBC. "It's just going to set up a kind of arms race between those who are trying to detect it, and those who are trying to evade detection," he said.
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- Katja Fedina and James Black of RAND Europe explain how Sweden's accession benefits NATO.
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** Events
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Policy Lab: How Can New Technologies Help Mitigate the Effects of Climate Change?
Wednesday, April 24, 2024 (Online)
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