Policy Currents | The newsletter for policy people
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** Feb. 5, 2026
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AI and Global Power: Thinking Beyond the Tech

AI could determine national fates and reshuffle the deck of global power. So how can the United States win the AI era? RAND's Michael Mazarr argues that success isn't just about Washington achieving a technological edge--it's about managing AI's impact as a social phenomenon.

"Countries that lead the new era," Mazarr writes, "will not merely have the best AI models; they will take the necessary steps to make their societies more competitive."

Those steps include

- building public-sector AI competence
- developing AI awareness and skills across society
- using AI and targeted laws to improve the information environment
- pairing AI with institutional reforms to cut public-sector bureaucracy
- supporting AI applications that widen opportunity throughout society.

Clearly, these are not small tasks. But their ambition and urgency merely reflect the fact that the world is facing a defining technological revolution. As Mazarr concludes, "American society has reached a point in the history of U.S. power when rare and Herculean things have become necessary."

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Venezuela Needs to Handle Its Debt. China Could Get in the Way

U.S. officials see restoring oil exports as key to Venezuela's post-Maduro path. But according to RAND's Rachel Lyngaas, oil production alone won't stabilize a country that has defaulted on roughly $60 billion in bonds and whose total liabilities likely exceed $150 billion. Venezuela needs a credible plan to manage its debt. It may also need U.S. leverage to keep China, the world's largest bilateral creditor, from derailing restructuring efforts.

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Using Stackable Credentials to Help Workers

Stackable credentials let students build their education step by step, earning smaller credentials that add up to a degree or certificate. As more jobs demand advanced skills and as new technologies reshape the workforce, this "building block" approach can help more workers secure good jobs. In a new paper, RAND researchers highlight nine promising practices to help states and institutions design and implement effective stackable credential programs.

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** RAND Recommends
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- The New START Treaty, the last remaining nuclear arms pact between Russia and the United States, expires today. According to RAND's Kingston Reif, its absence could lead both parties to "plan for the worst or to increase their deployed arsenals to show toughness and resolve, or to search for negotiating leverage."
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- In case you missed it, we just released a slate of new gun policy resources, concluding the decade-long Gun Policy in America initiative.
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- North Dakota State University and RAND have launched a joint research effort focused on workforce development and other critical issues facing North Dakota. This new collaboration is part of the RAND Rural America Partnership.
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** Events
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The U.S.-Japan Alliance
Tuesday, February 17, 2026 (Online)
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Translating Military Skills into Careers for Veterans
Thursday, February 26, 2026 (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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