The RAND Corporation publishes hundreds of timely documents for the general public each year, and one of its latest publications authored by James Dobbins (the director of the RAND International Security and Defense Policy Center) is well worth a look. In this 319-page study, the main finding is that the United Nations "provides the most suitable institutional framework for all but the largest and most demanding of nation-building missions". The report also mentions that this finding is largely attributable to the UN's rather low cost structure, high success rate, and high degree of international legitimacy. Over the course of its chapters, the study looks at case studies in the Belgian Congo, Namibia, El Salvador, Cambodia, Sierra Leone, East Timor, and two additional regions. The report also offers some helpful comparisons between UN- and US-led efforts that will be of interest to policy-makers and academics alike.