The sudden ouster of the Assad regime late last year raises an important question: Can the 6 million people who became refugees during Syria’s 14-year civil war now go home? According to RAND's Shelly Culbertson and Louay Constant, there are many factors working against the return of Syrian refugees. For example, the conditions inside Syria remain unsettled, external military threats persist, and many refugees have no home or job to return to. As for the Syrians who do choose to return, past RAND research shows that homecomings are most sustainable when the international community actively promotes stabilization, reconciliation, and reconstruction. Read more »

For decades, the U.S. approach to foreign policy has broadly been described as deep engagement, defined by such factors as a commitment to a vast network of allies and partners, a large forward military presence, and the use of force to uphold U.S. interests. Some critics of this approach argue instead for restraint, which would include efforts to rebalance, downgrade, or end U.S. alliances and security partnerships; reduce forward presence; and raise the bar for the use of force. New RAND research considers three different schools of thought regarding a U.S. grand strategy of restraint. Read more »