Don’t Lose Sight of the Russian Threat to American Democracy
It has now been 18 months since the November 2016 presidential election, during which the U.S. intelligence community believes Russia acted not only to interfere […] More
Asia
North Korea Talks: Falling for the Same Tricks, or Uncharted Waters?
After North Korea threatened to withdraw from the upcoming face-to-face summit between President Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un, some media outlets reported that Trump […] More
Best Of: Fault on Both Sides: 25 Years of North Korea Negotiations
North Korea has threatened to pull out of planned talks between leaders Kim Jong Un and President Donald Trump, citing opposition to U.S. demands for […] More
Threat Report 2018: North Korea’s Nuclear Doctrine
Months of fruitful engagement between North Korea, South Korea and the United States may soon turn sour. Yesterday, Pyongyang warned that ongoing joint military exercises […] More
Russia Chooses Autarchy—and Isolation—Over Cooperation
In a provocative new essay, Vladislav Surkov, a top aide to President Vladimir Putin, says Russia is ending a centuries-long quest to join the West and preparing for “100 years (200? […] More
Best Of: China Ramps Up Navy to Challenge U.S. Dominance
According to CNBC, sources “with direct knowledge of U.S. intelligence reports” say China has installed long-range anti-ship and surface-to-air missiles on three of its artificial […] More
Has Pakistan Truly Tamed its Tribal Frontier?
Maligned as a bastion of extremism and a top terrorist safe haven, Pakistan’s Federally Administrated Tribal Areas (FATA), along the country’s northwestern border with Afghanistan, […] More
Kim Jong Un Is “All-In.” What’s Next for Korea?
There’s a dark purpose in Kim Jong Un’s proffered moratorium on nuclear and ballistic missile testing announced over the weekend. Kim, with the apparent complicity […] More
China Pulls Pakistan Further into its Economic Orbit
Bottom Line: China’s “One Belt, One Road” economic strategy, aimed at developing regional trades routes connecting East Asia, South Asia, Central Asia and Europe, has […] More
Nuke Mission Accomplished, Kim Jong Un Shifts to Economy
On Saturday, North Korea announced it was suspending nuclear weapons and ballistic missile testing, ahead of this week’s summit with South Korea and ahead of […] More
Inside the Competitive, Corrupt World of Russian Intelligence
Bottom Line: The Kremlin employs various often overlapping and competitive security and intelligence services to create multiple sources of intelligence, encourage risk-taking and keep a […] More
North Korea’s Navy: Keeping Kim’s Economy Afloat
Bottom Line: While much attention is rightfully given to the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea’s (DPRK) nuclear and ballistic missile arsenal, the country’s naval and […] More
Debating Risk and Blowback on North Korea
Cipher Brief experts debated the risk versus blowback of striking North Korea before it has a chance to strike the continental United States, at The […] More
Another Russian Dossier, aka What Moscow Has Always Done
In the book “Tinker, Tailor, Soldier Spy,” John Le Carré’s chief character, retired British intelligence officer George Smiley, is reminded of the danger of old […] More
Separating Kim Jong Un from his Elites
“What South Koreans want is an unconditional withdrawal of U.S. troops from the South, an unwelcome guest that poses a threat to peace and security […] More
Catching a Chinese IP Thief: How the FBI Tracked and Caught Sinovel
Resentment, an insatiable appetite for women and an even larger appetite for cash are all elements that led to an insider threat that spelled a […] More
Don’t Over-Hype the Trump-Kim Summit
Public reactions to prospects for a breakthrough at a Trump-Kim summit are proving a triumph of hope over experience. North Korea has been feeling the […] More
Trump and Kim Jong Un: Let’s Make a Deal
President Donald Trump has agreed to meet with Kim Jong Un and the other players, China and North Korea, are preparing. The question is: How […] More