North America

The Cipher Brief reached out to Jayson Ahern, a principal at the Chertoff Group, to get his thoughts on what it will take to prevent […] More

After Canadians voted to replace the ruling Conservative party, electing Justin Trudeau’s Liberal party to a majority government, questions immediately surfaced asking how it would […] More

When it comes to security, Canada is rarely recognized as one of the top players.  The Canadian elections last month, however, brought Canada’s security policies […] More

When you ask average Americans about their perceptions of the relationship between the United States and Canada, they will undoubtedly talk about the NHL or […] More

Following his election on October 19, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has rekindled the spirit—in Canada and abroad—of Canadian optimism and goodwill in global affairs that […] More

Protecting critical infrastructure organizations against cyber attacks is a perpetual topic of conversation in Washington.  Over the past few years, President Barack Obama along with […] More

Military security assistance as it is currently applied is an outdated, myopic approach. It is characterized by ambiguous funding timelines, stove piped information, and the […] More

Nobody likes comparisons with the Vietnam War, but in the case of United States security assistance, the comparison is worth considering. The United States often […] More

U.S. security assistance and cooperation programs have come under a lot of fire recently.  The failure of the $500 million program to train and equip […] More

Today, the United States arguably contends with one of the most complicated and dangerous “world orders” in its history.  It must maintain a credible nuclear […] More

It’s scary out there… Despairing about the state of the world is a popular pastime for amateurs and professionals alike. It’s easier to imagine the […] More

The U.S.-Mexican border is likely to be a hot a topic of discussion during the Republican debate Wednesday night, with unauthorized immigration as the main […] More

In terms of security, since its current borders were defined, the United States of America has been blessed with two vast oceans to its East […] More

As Chief of the U.S. Border Patrol, Michael Fisher is responsible for planning, organizing, coordinating, and directing enforcement efforts to secure the border.  He sat […] More

Erik Lee, the Executive Director of the North American Research Partnership, spoke with The Cipher Brief to assess the solutions advocated by presidential candidates to […] More

Spanning 1,954 miles, the U.S.-Mexican border has been one of the most discussed topics in this election cycle—though primarily for its security implications.  Equally important […] More

The Cipher Brief sat down with Paola Ávila, the Vice President of International Business Affairs at the San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce, to discuss […] More

There are many lessons from the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) that are relevant to the current debate over the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP). First, […] More