15 Years After Invading Iraq: Winning the War, But Still Fighting for Peace
Monday marks 15 years since President George W. Bush announced the start of the Iraq war, followed by a ‘decapitation’ air strike on Baghdad meant […] More
Middle East
Forget the Ultimate Deal: Trump and Netanyahu Should Save Gaza For Now
When Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu visits President Donald Trump at the White House on Monday, they might commiserate over the domestic investigations each are facing as […] More
Persistent ISIS Sinai Threat Drives Israel-Egypt Cooperation
Bottom Line: Relations between Egypt and Israel have often been referred to as a “cold peace,” but the emergence of mutual security threats over the […] More
In Syria, A Growing Strategic Threat to Israel — And Risk of Escalation
Bottom Line: As the Syrian regime consolidates power, with the help of Russia, Iran, and Iranian proxy Hezbollah, its combined forces are growing bolder, presenting […] More
US Demands Pakistan Arrest “Hit List” of Top Haqqani & Taliban Leaders
The Trump administration has given Pakistan a new “hit list” of nearly a dozen top militants to detain, to show its willingness to fight terrorism, […] More
Threat Assessment #Fail: Al-Qaida Quietly Growing, By Design
The annual accounting to Congress of global threats to the United States made it sound like al-Qaida’s separate branches were managing to thrive independently of […] More
Israel Lost a Jet, but Proved it would Win the War
It was no surprise when two strategic vectors clashed this weekend on Israel’s northern front: The Iranian determination to build an advanced military force in […] More
Forged by Tehran: Two Navies, Ready to Challenge the West
Bottom Line: Tehran’s military doctrine seeks to deter a conventionally superior foe, the United States, from entering its territorial waters or borders through the threat […] More
Winnefeld on US Clash with Syrian Forces
The U.S. coalition says in defending its own troops, it killed an estimated 100 pro-Assad regime fighters on Wednesday. This clash, which took place in […] More
Is America’s Balancing Act in the Gulf Sustainable?
Bottom Line: As the ongoing dispute between Qatar and Arab countries including Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates enters its eighth month, […] More
Dark Money: How Militants Exploit Hawala to Fund Terror
Bottom Line: For terrorists, moving money covertly through hawala networks to circumvent institutionalized banking systems remains one of their leading methods of avoiding detection. The […] More
First Assad, Then the World: Al Qaida’s Strategy in Syria
Bottom Line: While ISIS’s territory has dwindled, al Qaida has managed to build a strong following in Syria, and may use the civil-war-torn country as […] More
Putting the Squeeze on Iran via Hezbollah
From selling drugs to profiting from a pig farm, Lebanese Hezbollah’s hypocrisy knows no bounds – a political party with a military army that does […] More
PLO: We’ll Only Talk Peace If Europe Comes Too
WASHINGTON — The Palestinian representative says peace talks with Israel can only start as long as other countries – not just the U.S. and Israel […] More
Trump Officials to Syria: Stop Using WMD or We Strike, Again
Sometimes reporters get called to a briefing so an administration can defend what it has done. And sometimes, it’s a warning of what it may […] More
Hezbollah Goes on the Cyber Offensive with Iran’s Help
Bottom Line: Maturing under Tehran’s tutelage, Hezbollah’s hackers are quickly learning the art of cyber warfare. The formidable militant organization is increasingly turning its attention […] More
Front-Row Seat to a CIA (Veteran) Briefing on Iran
Cipher Brief experts General (ret) Michael Hayden and former CIA senior officer Norman Roule have had many conversations on the subject of Iran and the […] More
ISIS Festers and Grows in Lawless Libya
Bottom Line: ISIS maintains a strong presence in Libya and remains a potent regional threat, despite domestic and international efforts to oust the group from […] More