RAND Experts Available on State of the Union Address

RAND experts are available to discuss a variety of policy topics President Obama is likely to discuss during his State of the Union Address on Tuesday, Jan. 25, including:

Health Care:

• What would be the impact of repealing health care reform?
• How to compare the cost of health care to other national needs
• What can be done to create innovation in health care delivery and quality?

Art Kellermann is vice president and director of RAND Health, and served as professor of emergency medicine and public health and associate dean for health policy at the Emory School of Medicine in Atlanta.

Peter Hussey is a health policy researcher at RAND and co-author of "Controlling Health Care Spending in Massachusetts."

Haiti/Nation Building:

• What is the key to stabilize Haiti?
• Can the country be saved?

Amb. James Dobbins is a RAND senior fellow and served as a special envoy to Haiti for President Clinton. He is co-author of "America's Role in Nation-Building."

Keith Crane is director of the Environment, Energy, and Economic Development program at RAND and co-author of "Still Shaky: A Year After the Earthquake in Haiti."

Terrorism/Counterterrorism:

• Is it possible to have absolute security?
• What is the status of America's security as we approach 10 years since 9/11?

Brian Michael Jenkins is a RAND senior advisor and one of the nation's leading experts on terrorism and homeland security. He is the author of "Will Terrorists Go Nuclear?" and "Would-Be Warriors: Incidents of Jihadist Terrorist Radicalization in the United States since September 11, 2001."

Gregory Treverton is director of the RAND Center for Global Risk and Security and author of "Intelligence for an Age of Terror."

John Parachini is director of the RAND Intelligence Policy Center and co-author of "Getting Inside the Terrorist Mind."

Afghanistan:

• Are the U.S. and allied forces on schedule for withdrawing from Afghanistan?
• Is the counter-insurgency strategy working?

Arturo Munoz is a senior political scientist at RAND and an advisor to the U.S. Marines in Afghanistan. He is a former operations officer at the CIA Counterterrorism Center.

Nora Bensahel is a senior political scientist at RAND focusing on Afghanistan and Iraq. She is co-author of "Improving Capacity for Stabilization and Reconstruction Operations."

Robert Hunter is a RAND senior advisor and served as U.S. Ambassador to NATO for President Clinton.

Amb. James Dobbins was President George W. Bush's first special envoy to Afghanistan in 2003.

Iraq:

• Are the president's plans for Iraq on schedule?
• What can lingering opposition do to stonewall withdrawal plans?

Nora Bensahel is a senior political scientist at RAND focusing on Afghanistan and Iraq. She is co-author of "Improving Capacity for Stabilization and Reconstruction Operations."

Terrence Kelly is a RAND senior researcher and is co-author of "U.S. Policy Options for Iraq."

Iran:

• Are sanctions slowing down Iran's nuclear program?
• What technical difficulties are the Iranians facing in their program?
• What should be the key issues in the upcoming talks between Iran and the p5+1 in Istanbul?

Alireza Nader is international affairs analyst at RAND who focuses on Iran. He is the co-author of "The Rise of the Pasdaran: Assessing the Domestic Roles of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps."

David Thaler is senior defense research analyst at RAND and co-author of "Mullahs, Guards, and Bonyads: An Exploration of Iranian Leadership Dynamics."

Fred Wehrey is a senior policy analyst at RAND and co-author of "A New U.S. Policy Paradigm Toward Iran."

North Korea/China:

• Will North Korea's presidential transition go smoothly? What if it doesn't?
• While Pentagon has focused on improving its counterinsurgency capabilities for the past decade, has it been focused on improving its ability to conduct conventional warfare?
• Can the United States prevail in a conflict in East Asia? How can the U.S. maintain its military edge over China?

Bruce Bennett is a RAND senior defense analyst focusing on North and South Korea. He is the author of "Uncertainties in the North Korean Nuclear Threat."

Roger Cliff is a RAND senior political scientist focusing on China. He is the author of "The Development of China's Air Force Capabilities."

Repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell":

• What challenges does the Pentagon face following the repeal of DADT?
• Does the repeal open the door for other social changes in the armed services, such as women in ground combat roles?

Bernard Rostker is a RAND senior fellow and author of "Sexual Orientation and U.S. Military Personnel Policy: An Update of RAND's 1993 Study."

Education:

• Will 2011 be the year to reauthorize "No Child Left Behind"?
• What should the president say about extended learning time (after school and summer school), and teacher quality and efforts to support teacher development?
• What role can, and should, charter schools play?

Brian Stecher is associate director of RAND Education and author of "Improving Accountability in Public Education."

Georges Vernez is a RAND education researcher and author of "Accountability Under No Child Left Behind."

Jennifer Sloan McCombs is a RAND Education policy researcher focusing on out-of-school-time systems, adolescent literacy, teacher education and professional development, high-poverty schools, instructional practices, and accountability measures.

Energy and the Environment:

• Why should climate and energy reform be a priority for 2011?
• Has the emphasis behind green technology slowed?

James Bartis is a RAND senior policy researcher focusing on fossil and alternative fuels. He is the author of "Research Priorities for Fossil Fuels."