The Pakistan Army’s New Mission
For all its many faults the Pakistan army is becoming ever more important as the one institution which can resist the centrifugal forces endangering Pakistan’s […] More
Pakistan
Why Pakistan’s Coup that was not a Coup, is Significant
EXPERT INSIGHTS – In the past few days, the Pakistan government has come to a staff-level agreement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF). This is […] More
Pakistan’s Looming Crisis Could Come at a Cost
If Pakistan’s army and government continue to block regional and national elections, they will increase the scale of Imran Khan’s eventual victory. Fear of Imran […] More
The Significant Hurdles Facing Pakistan’s New Army Chief
For most of Pakistan’s history, the Army Chief has held the most important role in the country. So, the appointment of a new Chief by […] More
The Latest
Afghanistan’s Clear and Present Danger
Cipher Brief Expert Daniel Hoffman is a former Chief of Station with the Central Intelligence Agency. His combined 30 years of distinguished government service included […] More
OPINION: The Future of US Cooperation with Pakistan
This piece by General Joseph Votel (Ret.) and Lt. Gen. Michael K. Nagata (Ret.) and was first published by our friends at the Middle East […] More
How Can Blinken’s Bold Plan for Afghanistan Succeed?
Tim Willasey-Wilsey, Cipher Brief Expert Tim Willasey-Wilsey is a Cipher Brief Expert on Afghanistan and a visiting Professor of War Studies at King’s College, London […] More
What Does Trump’s Tweet Mean for Afghanistan?
Cipher Brief Expert Tim Willasey-Wilsey is Visiting Professor of War Studies at King’s College, London and is a former senior member of the British Foreign […] More
Why Pakistan Really Wants the US Out of Afghanistan
Cipher Brief Expert Tim Willasey-Wilsey served for over 27 years in the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office. He is a Visiting Professor of War Studies at […] More
US Foreign Policy and a ‘Bridge to the Unknown’
Cipher Brief Expert John McLaughlin is a distinguished practitioner in residence at the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies. He served as the Deputy […] More
The US Deal with the Taliban
The United States signed a peace agreement with Taliban leaders on Saturday that is intended to end the US’ 18-year involvement in Afghanistan. The deal […] More
Pakistan’s Afghan Triumph Carries Risks for Islamabad
Tim Willasey-Wilsey is a former senior member of the British Foreign Office. He is currently a Senior Visiting Research Fellow at Kings College London’s Department […] More
Why has Pakistan not Annexed its parts of Kashmir?
Tim Willasey-Wilsey is a Visiting Senior Research Fellow at King’s College, London and a former senior British diplomat. Pakistan has decided not to annex its […] More
OSINT Global Trendline Report
The Cipher Brief’s Open Source Trend Line Report utilizes open source data on a quarterly basis to track trends around the world that impact national […] More
Dr. Shakil Afridi: How a Valuable U.S. Intelligence Asset Became a Liability
EDITORIAL/COMMENTARY — The house had been watched for quite some time. The home in Abbottabad was just about a mile from the Pakistani Military Academy […] More
Kashmir’s Back Story Brief
The Cipher Brief’s new Academic Incubator program publishes the work of undergraduate and graduate students, writing short briefs on current national security issues. This week’s […] More
New Lessons Lead to New War Plans for India and Pakistan
India believes it won the hostilities which followed the Pulwama attack in February 2019. According to New Delhi the attack on Balakot not only punished […] More
How Close Did India and Pakistan Come to War?
It needs no more than 4 bad decisions for India and Pakistan to go to war; and 5 for that war to go nuclear. So […] More
Approaching a Dangerous Precipice in South Asia
Bottom Line Up Front On February 18, Pakistan-based militants killed four Indian soldiers during a raid in Kashmir, just days after 40 Indian soldiers […] More