The Strategic Relationship Between Russia and Iran
The Trump Administration is increasing pressure on Iran since withdrawing from the JCPOA in May. Last month, the U.S. began pressuring other countries to halt […] More
Archive for ‘Adverse’
Deciphering Kim’s Secretive Visit to Beijing
Amb. Joseph DeTrani, Cipher Brief expert and former Special Envoy for the Six Party Talks with North Korea, shared his thoughts on the surprise trip […] More
Behind the Curtain of Vladimir Putin’s “Democracy”
In the latter part of the 18th century, not too long after an earlier annexation of Crimea by Russia, a Russian governor by the name […] More
Kim Says He’s Open to Denuclearization—But In Exchange for What?
North Korea’s weekend offer of peace talks over dinner with the first South Korean delegation there in more than a decade seems to be a […] More
With the Olympic Games Done, Let the Talks with North Korea Begin
The Pyeongchang Winter Olympics closed on Sunday, but the games may have opened the door for dialogue between the United States and North Korea. Following […] More
Don’t Talk to Kim if Nukes Are Off the Table
North Korea’s Olympic delegation has left Pyeongchang, and stuck South Korean President Moon Jae-in with a decision: whether to accept an invitation to Pyongyang for […] More
Trump’s Nuclear Posture Review: Cold War Redux?
In various and sundry NATO countries, the United States has stationed 200-plus B-61 tactical nuclear bombs, current and older versions of which have dial-a-yield settings […] More
Pompeo Says Nothing ‘Untoward’ in Meeting Russian Intel Chiefs
CIA Director Michael Pompeo told Democrats that there is nothing “untoward” about meeting with Russia’s senior spy chiefs, following reports that he did just that […] More
Front-Row Seat to a CIA (Veteran) Briefing on Iran
Cipher Brief experts General (ret) Michael Hayden and former CIA senior officer Norman Roule have had many conversations on the subject of Iran and the […] More
Kremlin and U.S. Circle Each Other in Warming Arctic
Bottom Line: The potential of economic development in the Arctic for a financially strapped Russia has increased the Kremlin’s attention to the security of its […] More
Terabit Army: China Squares up on the Battlefield of Information
The People’s Republic of China has not fought a war since 1979, but the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) has been a very close student of […] More
Don’t be Fooled by New Casks for Putin’s Old Snake Oil
In the version of Aesop’s fable, “The Farmer and the Viper,” as recounted by Roman fabulist Gaius Julius Phaedrus, a farmer finds a viper freezing […] More
Surf and Turf: China Ramps Up Navy to Challenge U.S. Dominance
Bottom Line: As part of its ambitious strategy to evolve into a leading global power by 2050, China has spent considerable resources upgrading its naval […] More
Give Peace, and Sanctions, a Chance
“Talk today.” That’s the substance of recent advice Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard has been giving to President Donald Trump about North Korea. Former U.S. Ambassador to […] More
Russia Aims to ‘Demoralize and Confuse Us’
Much has been written about Russia’s interference in the 2016 election – the theft and selective leaking of information, the attempt to tamper with state […] More
Short Half-Life for Peaceful Korean Peninsula after Olympics
Bottom Line: North and South Korean Olympians may be marching together come February after Tuesday’s breakthrough talks – the first between the two sides in […] More
Korea Talks: Warm Front Before Winter Games
North and Sound Korea have held their first high-level meeting in two years – agreeing to send North Korean athletes to the upcoming Olympics in […] More
China & US Play North Korea ‘Confidence’ Game
Cipher Brief expert Gordon Chang says the U.S. has leverage over China that it isn’t using to defuse the challenge from North Korean leader Kim […] More
Friction Ahead: Tehran Faces Enemies Foreign & Domestic in 2018
For this last week of 2017, we asked our experts to look ahead at key national security issues. Intelligence veteran and Iran hand Norman Roule […] More
Russian Active Measures and the 2016 Election Hack
They say the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result. Funny, that. The Soviet and Russian […] More
View: Russia Trapped in Syria
The military withdrawal from Syria that President Vladimir Putin touts is less than it seems. The stakes are high because leaders in Moscow see the […] More
Trump’s North Korea Policy? Tillerson, McMaster Diverge
Conflicting signals about whether the U.S. is prepared to resume talks with North Korea raise questions about what conditions, if any, might be imposed and […] More
Trump Administration to Assad & Moscow: You’re Not Winning
The Trump administration wants you to know that Syrian strongman Bashar Assad isn’t doing as well as he, or his Russian and Iranian allies want […] More
Stop Firing Missiles and Start Talking
This has been an unprecedented year for nuclear proliferation in East Asia, namely in North Korea. If not halted quickly, it’s very possible the region […] More