The U.S. has both a Duty to Warn and a Duty to Ask
OPINION / EXPERT PERSPECTIVE — In the aftermath of Hamas’ horrific October terrorist attacks on Israel, many in the media were quick to criticize the […] More
Archive for ‘Israel’
A Look Inside Hamas’s Weapons Arsenal
SUBSCRIBER+EXCLUSIVE REPORTING — While hardly a match for the overwhelmingly cutting-edge and highly trained Israeli forces, Hamas’s competency on the battlefield lies not in weapons […] More
How Israeli and U.S. Intelligence have rebounded since Hamas Attack
OPINION / EXPERT PERSPECTIVE — Israeli intelligence has regained its sea legs. After the terrorist attack launched by Hamas last month, it’s clear that Shin […] More
How Iran is Reshaping the Middle East
OPINION — The October 7th terrorist attack on Israelis and its devastating aftermath for Palestinian civilians should be a wake-up call that extends beyond these […] More
Let’s Talk About Hamas and ‘Intelligence Failure’
OPINION / EXPERT PERSPECTIVE – Secret Intelligence, that material acquired through clandestine or sensitive means, makes up a small but important part of the vast […] More
Israel and the Court of Public Opinion
EXPERT PERSPECTIVE / OPINION — Years ago, while working on a Counterterrorism operation in an unnamed country, the team I was working with was fortunate […] More
Director Burns’ Middle East Mission
SUBSCRIBER+EXCLUSIVE REPORTING – CIA Director Bill Burns is in the Middle East as part of a Biden Administration push to ease tensions in the region […] More
The ‘Axis of Resistance’ Media Machine is far-reaching in the Middle East
OPINION — Saudi Arabia suffered a painful defeat in the information war against the Houthis. The Houthis’ media strategy was effective in painting Saudi Arabia […] More
Peace in the Middle East is Dependent on Ideas, Not Fighting
OPINION — The Palestine National Authority (PNA), the interim body created after the 1993 Oslo Accords to administer Palestinian-populated areas of the West Bank and […] More
A Call to Action for the Intelligence Community Following Hamas Terror Attack
OPINION — The October 7 massacre perpetrated against innocent Israelis, Americans and other foreign nationals by the terrorist group Hamas and enabled by its primary […] More
What Happens if Hezbollah Makes Good on its Vow to Escalate Violence in the Middle East?
CIPHER BRIEF REPORTING – As supporters of Lebanon’s Shiite Muslim political party Hezbollah bury dozens of militants killed in small-scale clashes with Israeli soldiers since […] More
Why Did Hamas Conduct a Terrorist Attack on Israel and Why Now?
OPINION — On October 7th, the day after the 50th anniversary of the Yom Kippur War, Hamas launched its deadliest terrorist, military, and hostage-taking attack […] More
Is Iran’s ‘Ring of Fire’ Strategy Heating Up?
CIPHER BRIEF REPORTING – A second aid convoy arrived in Gaza as Israel continued striking targets in the region ahead of an expected ground operation […] More
The Higher-Order Effects of Negotiating with Hamas
OPINION — In 2011, after five and a half years in captivity and complex negotiations involving an Israeli activist, Israeli government officials, and outside foreign […] More
Deciphering Hamas’s Web of Support
CIPHER BRIEF REPORTING – Nearly two weeks after Hamas militants invaded Israel, targeting, kidnapping and killing civilians in a bloody massacre, questions remain around just […] More
A Crisis Call for Intelligence Prioritization
EXPERT PERSPECTIVE / OPINION — Intelligence agencies are a country’s first line of defense, and this means the stakes surrounding their actions are always high. […] More
More than Merely an Intelligence Failure
OPINION — For national security and intelligence experts, one question continually resonates: how could Israel’s highly regarded intelligence infrastructure not predict and warn of Hamas’s […] More
Intelligence Overshadowed: Israel’s Grand Strategy in the Face of Hamas’s Unexpected Assault
OPINION — The history of intelligence in the modern era is closely intertwined with failures of early warnings and unexpected strategic events. These include the […] More
Reviewing the Roots of the Middle East Conflict
BOOK REVIEW: PALESTINE 1936: THE GREAT REVOLT AND THE ROOTS OF THE MIDDLE EAST CONFLICT By Oren Kessler / Rowman & Littlefield Publishers Reviewed by […] More
Hamas and Israel: Another Colossal Intelligence Failure
OPINION — Hamas’s surprise attack on Israel this morning Saturday October 7, 50 years plus one day since the October 1973 war, has every national […] More
The Elusive Silver Bullet of Democracy
OPINION — According to a White House statement last March, “President Biden has called the struggle to bolster democratic governance at home and abroad the […] More
What’s at Stake in Biden’s Push toward Saudi-Israeli Normalization?
SUBSCRIBER+EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW — The Biden administration is reportedly taking serious steps to push forward with efforts to negotiate a deal that would see official diplomatic […] More
Netanyahu: Israel’s Renowned Statesman Lost on the International Stage
OPINION — Over the course of his many decades in Israeli politics, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu earned a reputation as Israel’s premier statesman and the country’s most savvy politician. […] More
Measuring the Strength of the U.S. – Israel Relationship in Dollars
OPINION — “We believe that U.S. security aid must be used only to address to Israel’s genuine defense needs, and not to help implement or […] More