Expert Analysis: Fissures Between U.S., Europe and Iran at United Nations
President Donald Trump largely followed the U.S. policy script on Iran when he addressed the United Nations on Wednesday. So what exactly, did the key […] More
Europe
Putin’s Bold Attempt to Deny Skripal Attack
“The concept of plausible denial had an undeniable flavor of wishful thinking about it”, wrote CIA veteran William Hood in his book on Soviet military […] More
The Global Threat Posed by Al-Qaeda
A United Nations report delivered to the Security Council last month offered a stark reminder that al Qaeda remains a serious threat around the world. […] More
Network of Terror Leads to Charging of Iranian Diplomat
German prosecutors have charged an Iranian diplomat with conspiracy to murder after counterterrorism officials say they averted a planned terrorist attack near Paris last month. […] More
The Playbook for NATO Success, Briefed by a Former SACEUR
Background: The Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR) is responsible for all of NATO’s military operations. The senior role has traditionally been held by an American, […] More
Europe Reacts to U.S. on JCPOA: Keep Calm and Negotiate On
The word ‘resignation’ is being used here in London – not, for once, about the actual or potential departure of yet another of our ministers, […] More
Will US Join UK in Challenging Russia over Nerve Agent Spy Attack?
In a speech before Parliament, British Prime Minister Theresa May said it was “highly likely” Russia was behind a “military grade” nerve agent attack—an assassination […] More
Awkward Family Dinner: Blunt Talk in Brussels Targeting Trump
BRUSSELS – European officials are still going through the stages of grief, more than a year after President Donald Trump was elected, stuck somewhere between […] More
Russian Aggression: Cold War 2.0 – Or Did the First One Never End?
Russia continues to wage hybrid warfare across Europe and the United States, and—for the most part—the West has been slow to respond, leaving some to […] More
Merkel’s Hail Mary Pass to Form a Government
Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany succeeded in her reelection bid in September of this year, but her party’s ability to govern at all now stands […] More
Balkan Democracy Dances Between Russia, Turkey and NATO
Bosnia and Herzegovina has been held together under two separate entities ever since the Dayton Peace Agreement in 1995 ended the civil war and created […] More
NATO Regroups Against Renewed Russian Aggression
NATO allies have agreed to sweeping restructuring to speed response to any danger – with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2014 and continued expansionism in […] More
Catalans Likely to Keep Disobedience Civil
The Cipher Brief asked Marc Gafarot, a public affairs consultant and specialist in secessionist movements who is based in Barcelona, to comment after Spain’s central […] More
Catalonia Strife Could Take Economic Toll, Hurting Nationalist Cause
Over the weekend, Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy responded to the independence referendum, which the Catalonian government held on October 1, with an announcement that […] More
Madrid and Catalonia Place Bets on Spain’s Future
The crisis in Catalonia is reaching a decision point as the Spanish senate gets ready to vote on Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy’s proposal to use […] More
More Complexity Ahead If Catalonia Doesn’t Declare Independence
Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy announced this weekend that his government would invoke Article 155 to depose the current regional government and impose direct rule […] More
Russia Ramps Up Media and Military Influence in Balkans
Since its invasion of Ukraine and annexation of Crimea in 2014, Russia has waged a robust disinformation and influence campaign in the Balkans. Over the […] More
Who Runs the West? Merkel Wins Again but Far Right Surges
Germany’s national elections on Sunday will go down in history as the event that, for the first time since WWII, brought a far-right, anti-immigrant, and, […] More