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What It Means Now that Fentanyl is Designated a “WMD”

Walter Pincus

What It Means Now that Fentanyl is Designated a “WMD”

OPINION — “There's no doubt that America's adversaries are trafficking fentanyl into the United States in part because they want to kill Americans. [...] More

AmericasNorth AmericaUnited StatesWalter PincusFine Print

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Arctic Worries: Melting Ice, and a Russia-China Partnership

Arctic Worries: Melting Ice, and a Russia-China Partnership

DEEP DIVE – As more Arctic ice melts and more avenues for navigation and commerce open up at the top of the world, there’s a geopolitical competition [...] More

EuropeAmericasNorth AmericaReporting

Expert Q&A: The U.S. Takes On the Mexican Cartels

Ray Donovan

Expert Q&A: The U.S. Takes On the Mexican Cartels

EXPERT INTERVIEW — The Trump administration is prioritizing going after Mexican drug cartels as a key national security objective. It has designated [...] More

Alternative PerspectivesNorth AmericaLatin AmericaRay Donovan

The National Security Rationale for U.S.-Funded Academic Research 

Ambassador Patrick Duddy

The National Security Rationale for U.S.-Funded Academic Research 

OPINION — Since World War II, the federal government and American universities have developed a deep, symbiotic relationship. That relationship is [...] More

national securityNorth America
Can the CIA and U.S. military stop the Mexican cartels? 

Can the CIA and U.S. military stop the Mexican cartels? 

CIPHER BRIEF REPORTING — On January 20, the first day of his second term, President Donald Trump formally labeled Mexico’s crime cartels as [...] More

North AmericaAmericasReporting
20 Years Later, Assessing the Value of the ODNI

20 Years Later, Assessing the Value of the ODNI

EXPERT INTERVIEWS — The Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) marks an anniversary today — 20 years since its creation as the top [...] More

IntelligenceAmericasNorth AmericaReporting

Expert Q&A: Winning the Recruiting and Retention Battle in the U.S. Military

Beth Asch

Expert Q&A: Winning the Recruiting and Retention Battle in the U.S. Military

EXPERT Q&A — Discussions about the future of war and whether the U.S. is ready for the next conflict often center on the adoption of advanced [...] More

Alternative PerspectivesBeth AschNorth Americamilitary

Conservatives of America: Putin Is Not Your Ally

Gregory Sims

Conservatives of America: Putin Is Not Your Ally

OPINION — American conservatives be advised: Vladimir Putin does not share your values and is not your friend. You may be tempted to regard the [...] More

Alternative PerspectivesNorth America
Trump Administration Says Narco-Trafficking is #1 Threat - and Tries All-Hands Approach to Stop It
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deep dive

Trump Administration Says Narco-Trafficking is #1 Threat - and Tries All-Hands Approach to Stop It

DEEP DIVE — When the U.S. intelligence community (IC) declared last week that the greatest danger to American national security is old-fashioned [...] More

Latin AmericaAmericasNorth AmericaReporting

If It’s Trump v. Greenland’s Leaders, I’m Betting on Greenland

Walter Pincus

If It’s Trump v. Greenland’s Leaders, I’m Betting on Greenland

OPINION — “We respect that the United States needs a greater military presence in Greenland, as Vice President Vance mentioned this evening [last [...] More

Fine PrintNorth AmericaWalter Pincus

Expert Q&A: Trump is Hurting Canada - and Hurting the U.S. in the Process

Richard Fadden

Expert Q&A: Trump is Hurting Canada - and Hurting the U.S. in the Process

EXPERT INTERVIEW — Canada is a longtime U.S. ally, its U.S.’s second-largest trading partner and a fellow NATO member, but relations between the two [...] More

North America
For Trump Administration, Policy Often Involves a Hunt for Minerals
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deep dive

For Trump Administration, Policy Often Involves a Hunt for Minerals

DEEP DIVE — Over the past week, the Trump administration took two steps involving the pursuit of critical and rare earth minerals: it issued an [...] More

EuropeAmericasNorth AmericaTech/Cyber
How Trump’s Foreign Aid Freeze Could Set Back U.S. Cybersecurity
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deep dive

How Trump’s Foreign Aid Freeze Could Set Back U.S. Cybersecurity

DEEP DIVE — President Donald Trump’s foreign aid freeze will kneecap U.S. efforts to build alliances around cybersecurity issues and help Russia and [...] More

North AmericaAmericasReportingTech/Cyber