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The Cipher Brief: National Security news, analysis and expert commentary.

Do Oil Sanctions Still Work?

What impact will the U.S. Administration's latest bold move have on Moscow? History says it’s complicated.

Do Oil Sanctions Still Work?

DEEP DIVE — On October 22, 2025, in his boldest move yet to force Vladimir Putin back to the negotiating table, President Trump unleashed sweeping [...] More

RussiaEurope
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The Open Source Report

U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping walk to a room for a bilateral meeting at Gimhae Air Base on October 30, 2025 in Busan, South Korea.

Global Intelligence Report for Tuesday, November 25, 2025

Xi tells Trump Taiwan’s return to China is key to post-war order

Trump accepts invitation to visit Beijing in April and host China’s Xi later next year

US Army Secretary Driscoll meets Russian & Ukrainian officials in Abu Dhabi

IDF on Alert as Hezbollah Weighs Response to Military Chief’s Killing

Access Today’s Report

Expert Insights

Cipher Brief Experts bring context to today’s global events

Destroying Boats, Killing Crews, Escalating Risks: The Venezuela Gambit

Walter Pincus

OPINION — “Does the Coast Guard have legal authority to destroy a boat or to kill the crew with lethal force if there has not been a provocation?”That was Sen. Andy Kim (D-N.J.), last Wednesday, questioning Adm. Kevin E. [...] More

AmericasLatin AmericaWalter PincusFine Print

The Human Algorithm: Why Disinformation Outruns Truth and What It Means for Our Future

Jennifer Ewbank

EXPERT PERSPECTIVE — In recent years, the national conversation about disinformation has often focused on bot networks, foreign operatives, and algorithmic manipulation at industrial scale. Those concerns are valid, and I [...] More

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News & Analysis

A file picture taken 12 July 2007 shows the headquarters (aka Lubianka) of the Federal Security Service (FSB), the former KGB in Moscow.

Russia’s Intelligence Services After the War

EXPERT PERSPECTIVE — Russia’s intelligence services (RIS) have failed spectacularly in Ukraine: in planning, execution, and analysis, yet they will [...] More

RussiaEuropeIntelligence

Opinion

The Delhi Blast and Pakistan’s Proxy War: Why Another Clash Looks Likely

Siddhant Kishore

The Delhi Blast and Pakistan’s Proxy War: Why Another Clash Looks Likely

OPINION — South Asia has once again returned to the global spotlight after a suicide bombing struck the heart of India’s capital on November 10. The [...] More

Alternative PerspectivesAsia

What’s on The Cipher Brief’s Digital Channel

Tapping a China Vibe in South Koreaplay icon

Tapping a China Vibe in South Korea

The Open Source Report

Book Reviews

Want a Security Clearance? Stop Smoking Pot and Read This
Want a Security Clearance? Stop Smoking Pot and Read This

When the Chekists Took Up the Pen
When the Chekists Took Up the Pen

The Nazis Never Left. A Worthy Successor to a Classic Thriller
The Nazis Never Left. A Worthy Successor to a Classic Thriller

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The Best National Security Gossip

WARNING: IF TAMPERING LASTS MORE THAN FOUR HOURS, CONTACT YOUR LAWYER AND DOCTOR: Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro was hauled before a judge on Sunday after police detected that he had been tampering with his ankle monitor. (You may recall Bolsonaro was under house arrest awaiting going to jail following a conviction for plotting a coup and trying to prevent his successor from taking office. He faces 27 years in prison.) Bolsonaro said an adverse reaction to medicine that was prescribed for his chronic hiccups, caused hallucinations which led to his taking a soldering iron to his ankle monitor. No word on whether [...] More

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Events

Live Events

The Cipher Brief 2026 HONORS Awards

The Cipher Brief 2026 HONORS Awards

Join us for the third annual Cipher Brief Honors Dinner, the evening of March 13, 2026. This Black-Tie event is invite only, please apply here for a [...] More

Upcoming: 13 March, 2026

Podcasts

State Secrets

Cover Stories: Spies, Books & Entertainment


David McCloskey, former CIA Analyst turned novelist is out with his fourth book, The Persian, about an Iranian dentist who is recruited by Mossad to take on a dangerous mission inside Iran. Cover Stories Host Suzanne Kelly digs in on how McCloskey’s real-life Intelligence background fueled his latest novel, and discovers a few of McCloskey’s own secrets along the way.