Policy Currents | The newsletter for policy people
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** Jan. 16, 2025
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Rethinking How We Fight Wildfires
As bad as the Los Angeles wildfires have been, they could have been even worse.
It was "sheer luck," says RAND's Jay Balagna, that agencies outside Los Angeles County weren't fighting fires in their own backyards and had capacity to help. Support has been coming from nearby Orange County, neighboring states like Nevada and Arizona, and as far away as Quebec.
North American wildland firefighting systems rely on this sort of mutual aid. Balagna, a former firefighter, acknowledges the benefits of this approach. But the current system is already strained and risks breaking down in a world of greater and more frequent fires, he says.
Fires are now a year-round problem that demands a stable, localized firefighting workforce. This may require exploring such options as perpetual National Guard activations with a focus on firefighting. It might even mean implementing voluntary local or national service models that leverage Americans' desire to help. Sharing community resources should continue and be expanded as well.
Whatever the new system looks like, Balagna concludes, change is imperative: "If the usual response didn't work in L.A., it won't work anywhere."
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Think Twice Before Committing European Troops to Postwar Ukraine
Deploying a European force to Ukraine has been proposed as one way to ensure security after the war ends. But the idea of putting European boots on the ground is problematic, RAND's Samuel Charap argues. One reason is that if Russia violated a cease-fire and attacked these European forces, then Washington would face overwhelming pressure to intervene. And if the United States decided to stay on the sidelines, then it would be disastrous for NATO's credibility. "Leaders on both sides of the Atlantic should think twice before they potentially put the alliance in such an untenable position," Charap says.
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How to Build Urban Water Security
Secure, affordable, and equitably delivered water supplies are central to human health, well-being, and economic development. But many cities have had to confront near-catastrophic risks to their water supplies. In fact, one-quarter of the world's 500 largest cities experience water stress. A new RAND study assesses urban water policies around the globe--from Cape Town to Las Vegas--to identify five ways that cities can act now to build water security in the future. These include investing and planning ahead of a crisis, strengthening collaboration between different levels of government, and embracing innovative solutions such as desalination.
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** RAND Recommends
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- RAND's Charles Ries discusses the prospect of reconstruction in Gaza following news of the provisional cease-fire between Israel and Hamas. (Conversation starts at 15:30.)
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- In case you missed it, RAND researchers pulled together a list of resources for those affected by the Los Angeles wildfires.
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- RAND's Josh Chang discusses the growing nuclear threats from China, Russia, and North Korea--and why the United States should take steps to establish a new nuclear theater architecture in the Indo-Pacific.
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** Events
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Admissions Webinar: Master of National Security Policy Faculty Panel
Thursday, January 23, 2025 (Online)
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Policy Lab: AI and Homeland Security
Thursday, January 30, 2025 (Online)
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