Policy Currents | The newsletter for policy people
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** Sept. 9, 2025
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The Problem with India’s Turn Toward China
In response to U.S. tariff increases, India recently made a surprising, tentative shift toward China.
According to RAND's Rafiq Dossani, this move offers little leverage against the United States and provides no durable foundation for India's long-term interests. At best, he says, New Delhi's political realignment with Beijing would be a "tactical maneuver." At worst, it is a "self-defeating illusion."
If India wishes to restore trust with the United States, it must rethink its approach. For example, New Delhi could take steps to open pathways to renewed U.S. trade cooperation. Further, India's ties with China should emphasize economic cooperation and resolution of border disputes--not geopolitics. Whatever India does, Dossani argues that it should "move beyond reactive diplomacy and toward a more sustainable long-term strategy."
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Enhancing Air Force Lethality
A new RAND paper examines how the U.S. Air Force might approach human capital differently to improve lethality. The authors find that workforce funding realignment--shifting workforce funding from less-critical areas to higher-priority combat capabilities--may be an effective strategy. This has the potential to "unlock new efficiencies and enhance USAF readiness and lethality for evolving security challenges," the authors write.
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What Happens If AI-Driven Robots Are Hacked?
Robots work in homes, guide vehicles, and spray crops. In the future, bad actors may be able to hack robots' AI control systems and exploit them for criminal or violent purposes. A new RAND paper explores this possibility. The authors discuss how to harness the benefits of these technologies while mitigating the potential risks, including a scenario in which state or state-like actors employ robots in a large-scale attack.
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** RAND Recommends
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- Most clicked last week: applications are open for the RAND School of Public Policy, the only graduate school integrated within a renowned policy research organization.
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- In the New York Times, RAND's Samuel Charap discusses the prospects of a deal to end the war in Ukraine: "If either side presents the other with security guarantees as a fait accompli, it is unlikely to lead to a negotiated outcome."
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- RAND's Wendy Troxel, a renowned sleep scientist, argues that it's time to consider a formal sleep rating system for hotels. "We rate everything else," she says. "It's time we rate rest."
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** Events
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Can Europe Deter Russia?
Wednesday, September 24, 2025 (Online)
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The State of Apprenticeship in West Virginia
Wednesday, September 24, 2025 (Online)
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China's Economic Future
Tuesday, October 14, 2025 (London)
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The 'Big Shift' from Hospitals to Communities
Thursday, November 6, 2025 (Online)
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** Policy Minded, RAND's Flagship Podcast
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On Policy Minded, we pick the brains of the world's top policy experts. In each episode, RAND researchers join us for conversations that go beyond the headlines--bringing you insights you can't find anywhere else.
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