News & Analysis

Putting Mali in Context

Osama bin Laden would be a happy man were he still alive. His hopes and dreams have seemingly come to fruition. And, the master plan […] More

After Paris, Encryption Debate Rages

The debate about “Going Dark” has reignited following the tragic attacks in Paris last week. There have been claims the terrorists used encrypted communications to […] More

Time to Take Out ISIS

As the world reacts with horror to Friday’s terror attack in Paris coming so shortly after the downing of the Russian-operated A321M over the Sinai, […] More

Terrorism’s Wicked Paradox

Here’s the wicked paradox about terrorism. Long-term responses do nothing about short-term dangers. Short-term reactions feed extremism over the long term. There are no quick […] More

The War on Terror 2.0

“We have contained them.”  Those words from U.S. President Barack Obama about the status of ISIS came the day before the Paris terrorist attacks and […] More

Libya: The Next Frontier

In the aftermath of the Paris attacks, U.S. defense officials announced a rare military strike on a senior Islamic State group (ISG) leader in Libya. […] More

Al-Qaeda's Master Plan

Osama bin Laden would be a happy man were he still alive. His hopes and dreams have seemingly come to fruition. And, the master plan […] More

Countering ISIS' Ideology

Dr. Sebastian Gorka, an expert in counterinsurgency, counterterrorism, and irregular warfare, told The Cipher Brief that ISIS has superseded al-Qaeda as the world’s leading jihadist […] More

Rethinking U.S. Security Assistance

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

Improving Our Model

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

The Paris Attacks

Intelligence failure: those are two words we often hear following a devastating terrorist attack such as what we saw this weekend in Paris.  Almost by […] More

A Malignant Cancer

The Cipher Brief spoke with Rob Richer, CIA’s former Associate Deputy Director for Operations, about the terrorist attacks in Paris. Richer spoke about the importance […] More

A Shift in Strategy

The Paris attacks last Friday demonstrated ISIS ability to strike in the heart of Western Europe. Kevin Hulbert, a former senior intelligence officer in the […] More

The Impact of Leaks

The Cipher Brief sat down with General Keith Alexander, former Director of the National Security Agency. Alexander discussed the Paris attacks, the impact of the […] More

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