Howard J. Shatz

Through an analysis of transnational criminal networks originating in South America, this report presents operational characteristics of these networks, strategic alliances they have established, and the multiple threats that they pose to U. S. interests and to the stability of the countries where they operate. It also identifies U. S. government policies and programs to counter these networks and examines the military's role in that context.

This report presents strategic choices America faces regarding the international economy over the term of the next U. S. administration, focusing on policy choices in the areas of maintaining and improving the rules-based international economic system; working with China and better integrating it into the existing system; supporting economic growth of allies and partners; and using sanctions to change unwanted behavior and counter adversaries.

RAND researchers supported a high-level Israeli government team tasked with improving long-term socioeconomic strategy for the state. This report highlights selected inputs made to the government team to summarize the essential mechanics and roles for bringing a strategic perspective to policy consideration. To show how one can use a strategic perspective in an analysis of policy choices, the report uses the example of an aging population.

This report provides a special focus on the challenges youth face in employment and education in Mongolia, using a new survey developed by the Institute for Labour Studies and RAND. Understanding the constraints to youth job-market success is critical to Mongolia s economic future. The analysis showed relatively high rates of youth not in school or work, and challenges to job-market preparation, but also improvement in job-market outcomes."

The first in a series exploring the elements of a national strategy for U. S. foreign policy, this book examines the most critical decisions likely to face the next president. The book covers global and regional issues and spotlights the long-term policy issues and organizational, financial, and diplomatic challenges that will confront senior U. S. officials in 2017 and beyond.

The study addresses the question of how the Kurdistan Regional Government can improve the private-sector labor market in the Kurdistan Region Iraq. Doing so will involve creating mechanisms by which job-seekers can develop the right skills and find employers who will hire them, employers can find the employees they need, and the government can create an enabling environment in which the best matches between job-seekers and employers can be made."

This monograph analyzes the finances of the militant group al-Qa'ida in Iraq in Anbar province during 2005 and 2006, at the peak of the group's power and influence. The authors draw on captured financial documents that give details on the daily financial transactions of one specific sector within Anbar province and of the financial transactions of the AQI provincial administration.