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
Palestinians
Netanyahu’s Obsession and the Palestinian Uprising
Cipher Brief Expert Emile Nakhleh is a retired CIA Senior Intelligence Service Officer and founding director of the CIA’s Political Islam Strategic Analysis Program Office. […] More
President Biden’s Middle East: A Briefing with Norman Roule
President Joe Biden’s administration is aiming its Middle East agenda on adhering to campaign promises, examining current policies and undoing some that were enacted under […] More
A New US Approach to the Muslim World
OPINION — Engaging Muslim communities globally emerged as a policy option within the U.S. government shortly after the heinous 9/11 terrorist attacks. Beyond degrading terrorist […] More
The Latest
How Will a Biden Administration Engage the Middle East?
The Cipher Brief is a non-political media outlet focused on publishing expert perspectives on national security issues. We are committed to presenting multiple opinions to […] More
A Raw Deal for the Palestinians
Cipher Brief Expert Marc Polymeropoulos served 26 years in the CIA before retiring from the Senior Intelligence Service in June 2019. His positions included field […] 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
Colonial Palestinian Policy Doomed to Fail
Cipher Brief Experts don’t always agree on the issues. There is value in debate, so we offer a range of viewpoints to our readers to […] More