Policy Currents | The newsletter for policy people
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** June 20, 2024
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Russia and China: What Might Future Military Cooperation Look Like?
Moscow views its partnership with China as imperative for maintaining the claim that Russia is a great power. Beijing sees the China-Russia relationship as an effective counterweight to U.S. power. Given these perceived mutual benefits--and the two countries' recent coordination--what are the prospects for future Russia-China military cooperation?
A new RAND report finds that, as Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine illustrates, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping are committed to sustaining their mutual support even in difficult situations. However, both leaders have limits on military cooperation. For instance, the likely costs of direct military confrontation with the United States make it unlikely that either country would be willing to enter a combined military operation.
Although the possibility of a combined operation remains uncertain at best, other forms of strategic and military cooperation between Russia and China could intensify.
The authors conclude that U.S. efforts to break apart the China-Russia relationship are unlikely to succeed. In fact, such efforts may end up motivating Xi and Putin--and potentially their successors--to strengthen the partnership. The most effective way for Washington to counter China-Russia cooperation is by ensuring the health of its own alliances and pursuing ever greater cooperation among its most important allies and partners.
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Most Outpatient Mental Health Clinics Don't Offer Medication for Opioid Use Disorder
Only one-third of outpatient community mental health facilities offer medication treatment for opioid use disorder. That's according to a new RAND study that surveyed 450 clinics in 20 states with the highest opioid-related overdose deaths. The clinics that did not offer medication treatment said they referred patients to other clinics for such care. In fact, many clinics reported sending patients to sites within the same treatment system. These findings suggest that more efforts are needed to increase access to medication treatment for opioid use disorder, which is effective but underused.
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The Effects of Restricting Abortion Care: A Case Study in North Carolina
With the Supreme Court's 2022 decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, abortion access is now determined state by state, and states have the authority to ban abortion at any point in pregnancy. But how exactly have state and local policies changed because of this ruling? And how have these changes influenced providers' practices? A new RAND report offers insights into these questions by examining abortion laws and policies in one state: North Carolina. The authors look at how a 2023 bill--which bans abortion care after the twelfth week of pregnancy in most cases--impacts patients, health care providers, and staff who work at facilities or organizations that support abortion care.
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** RAND Recommends
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- What might cool off North Korea's nuclear program? Balloons carrying K-pop. RAND's Bruce Bennett explains in the Los Angeles Times.
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- Chalkbeat covered our recent report on the state of the American teacher. The key takeaway: With an average lower base pay and more working hours, teachers report worse well-being than other working adults.
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- "The outlook for peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait is darkening," RAND's Derek Grossman writes in Nikkei Asia. Since the inauguration of new Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te, China has ramped up its threatening rhetoric and activities.
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Policy Lab: How to Reach Policy Decisionmakers
Friday, June 21, 2024 (Online)
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** Learn the Tools of Defense Policy Analysis
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Applications are open for Pardee RAND Graduate School's new Master of National Security Policy degree program. Full-time and part-time schedules are available at our campuses campuses in Santa Monica, CA, and Arlington, VA.
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