Latest Briefs

Afghanistan

9/11

The British and 9/11

by Tim Willasey-Wilsey

Cipher Brief Expert Tim Willasey-Wilsey is a Visiting Professor at King’s College, London and a former senior British diplomat. From 1996 to 1999 he was senior advisor to the British government on...

Afghanistan

Afghan Taliban

Afghanistan

CIA

Counterintelligence

Intelligence

Terrorism

Wars are not Won by Evacuations

by Mark Kelton

Mark Kelton, Former Deputy Director, CIA’s Counterintelligence, National Clandestine Service Cipher Brief Expert Mark Kelton is a retired senior Central Intelligence Agency executive with...

Afghanistan

Afghan Taliban

Afghanistan

Terrorism

The Risk of Terrorism at Home and Abroad

by The Cipher Brief

As information emerges about Islamic State of Khorasan, or ISIS-K – the terrorist group that claimed responsibility for last week’s suicide attack that killed 13 US service members and more...

Afghanistan

Afghanistan

CIA

Intelligence

What Intelligence was there on Afghanistan?

by The Cipher Brief

When The Washington Post reported this week that CIA Director William Burns slipped into Afghanistan on Monday to meet with Taliban leader Abdul Ghani Baradar, it was described as the highest-level...

Afghanistan

Afghan Taliban

Afghanistan

Russia

Putin's Calculated Afghanistan Play

by Robert Dannenberg

Robert Dannenberg, Former Senior CIA Officer Cipher Brief Expert Rob Dannenberg is a 24-year veteran of the CIA, where he served in several senior leadership positions, including chief of...

Afghanistan

Afghan Taliban

Afghanistan

Written in Taliban: U.S. Veterans Voice Anger Over Afghanistan

by Matthew Griffin and Scott Chapman

President Joe Biden admitted during his address from the White House this week that, “The scenes we’re seeing in Afghanistan, they’re gut-wrenching, particularly for our veterans, our...

Afghanistan

Afghanistan

Al-Qaeda

What Should the U.S. Expect from the 'New' Taliban Regime?

by Norman T. Roule

As the U.S. works toward getting more 11,000 Americans, diplomats and Afghan allies out of the country, what kind of Taliban should the U.S. expect to deal with in Afghanistan?  So far, there have...

Afghanistan

Afghan Taliban

Afghanistan

The Painful Lessons of Afghanistan

by Joseph L. Votel

General Joseph L. Votel (Ret.) joined BENS as CEO & President in January 2020 following a 39-year military career where he commanded special operations and conventional forces at every level;...

Afghanistan

Afghanistan

How Does Kabul End?

by Tim Willasey-Wilsey

CIPHER BRIEF EXPERT PERSPECTIVE  Cipher Brief Expert Tim Willasey-Wilsey served for over 27 years in the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office. He is now Visiting Professor of War Studies at...

Middle East

Iran

OPEC

Uncategorized

Expert Brief: Iran, the Middle East and Strategies around Oil

by Norman Roule

The Middle East has demanded Washington’s attention on an almost weekly basis since President Biden took office in January. Since then, the White House has made the decision to speed up the...