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** RAND RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY ON THE ISSUES THAT MATTER MOST
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Sep 5, 2019
What to Do About Hostile Social Manipulation
Many U.S. competitors, most notably Russia and China, engage in hostile social manipulation. This includes activities such as conducting targeted social media campaigns, spreading conspiracy theories, and creating sophisticated forgeries.
A new RAND report concludes that the United States and other democracies may have a limited window of opportunity to develop defenses against this growing threat. The authors highlight an urgent need for Washington to develop a framework to understand the tactics and reach of hostile social manipulation.
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Is Mozambique Creating the Next Boko Haram?
Since October 2017, the Islamist insurgent group al-Sunnah wa Jamaah has been linked to hundreds of deaths in Mozambique. The government so far has responded with repressive, militarized tactics. This could make things worse, say Hilary Matfess of Yale University and RAND's Alexander Noyes. In fact, a similar reaction in Nigeria led to the rise of Boko Haram, the deadliest group in Africa in 2015. A more comprehensive approach that focuses on socioeconomic development and leverages international advantages would be more effective.
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RAND's Cortney Weinbaum on Pursuing a Career in Science
As a senior management scientist at RAND, Cortney Weinbaum studies intelligence and cyber policy. In a new Q&A, she discusses challenges facing the intelligence community, artificial intelligence, and ethics in scientific research. Weinbaum also has some advice for women or minorities interested in a career in intelligence or other scientific fields: If you love it, pursue it. There are role models who can help. "[You can find] people like you - whatever 'like you' means - who are doing really interesting science."
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Experts: Treat the Fentanyl Crisis Like a Poisoning Outbreak
For most people exposed to - and dying from - fentanyl, the potent synthetic opioid wasn't their drug of choice. Rather, they were poisoned by dealers who mixed fentanyl into baggies of heroin or pressed it into fake-opioid tablets. This means that traditional methods for responding to drug crises won't reverse the rising death toll linked to fentanyl, say RAND experts. New policies, technologies, and law enforcement strategies are desperately needed.
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Time to Return to the Basics of Statecraft
The United States has experienced two decades of setbacks abroad. Is this decline in American influence irreversible? It doesn't have to be, says RAND's James Dobbins. Cold War-era policy provides some sound lessons for today. Back then, U.S. leaders didn't revive America's world standing by cutting back its global commitments. Instead, they returned to key qualities of statecraft: strength and constancy guided by prudence and restraint.
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How Citizen Scientists Are Protecting Their Communities
After Superstorm Sandy, the residents of Sunset Park, Brooklyn, joined activists and RAND researchers to better understand the future environmental risk to their community. This is an example of citizen science in action. It serves as a model to help other communities better prepare for - and rebound from - big disasters. Although the scientific community hasn't fully embraced citizen science, this project shows its promise. When the data are good and the methods are sound, the results can improve lives.
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** EVENTS
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Preparing for the Future of Fentanyl: Considerations for Congress in Tackling the Synthetic Opioid Crisis
September 13, 2019 - Washington, D.C.
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The Impact of Artificial Intelligence on Work, Health, and Social Well-Being
October 10, 2019 - Pittsburgh, PA
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Career Prospects for People with Criminal Records Symposium
October 15, 2019 - Arlington, VA
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** TRENDING REPORTS
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The Future of Fentanyl and Other Synthetic Opioids
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An Attack Against Them All?
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** RAND IN THE NEWS
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The Science of Gun Violence
Discover Magazine
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U.S., Iran Seek to Defuse Tensions, but Experts Skeptical on High-Level Talks
Voice of America [link removed]
A Hot Job Market Is Causing Labor Pains for State Governments
New York Times
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