Comey Firing a Big Deal, Cipher Brief Expert Tells CNBC
John Sipher, a former member of the CIA’s senior intelligence service, appeared on CNBC’s “Squawk Box” Wednesday morning to discuss U.S. President Donald Trump’s sudden […] More
News & Analysis
The Comey Fallout
As the White House sent shockwaves through Washington Tuesday, with the announcement that President Donald Trump had fired FBI Director James Comey, James Clapper – […] More
Firing Comey: Why Now?
As FBI Director, James Comey was not only a pivotal member of the Intelligence Community (IC), but the head of an organization investigating whether Russia […] More
A Watergate Moment
FBI Director James Comey’s firing is likely to have massive implications for the image of the United States around the world – particularly if, as […] More
South Korea Elects Candidate for Change
Liberal candidate Moon Jae-in won South Korea’s presidential election on Tuesday. Moon’s decisive win, with approximately 40 percent of the vote and a 14 percent […] More
U.S. Special Operations Forces’ Changing Mission in the Middle East
Despite former President Barack Obama’s efforts to cut U.S. military commitments in the Middle East, events quickly drew his Administration back into the region. Civil […] More
Don’t Overcommit U.S. Special Operations Forces
U.S. special operations forces are widely considered to be some of the most highly trained and effective military units in the world and, as a […] More
SOF’s Evolving Role: Warfare “By, With, and Through” Local Forces
The role of U.S. special operations forces (SOF) in the Middle East has expanded steadily since the inception of the counter-ISIS campaign in 2014. In […] More
Yates Warned White House: Flynn Susceptible to Russian Blackmail
Former acting Attorney General Sally Yates said in late January she warned the White House that then-National Security Advisor Michael Flynn was compromised by Russia […] More
NSA Curtails Collection Under FISA Provision
Ever wonder whether the National Security Agency picked up your text message or email because you mentioned ISIS leader Abu Bakr al Baghdadi to a […] More
The NSA’s Smart Play to Install a Greater Margin of Safety
The National Security Agency recently announced changes to its intelligence collection practices under Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA). The Cipher Brief […] More
Stopping the NSA’s “About” Collection Is Not Sufficient
The NSA recently said it would stop collecting signals intelligence solely “about” foreign targets by tapping the backbone of the internet resident within the United […] More
Worlds Collide in the French Election
French voters have a choice of two worlds May 7 between the internationalist, centrist presidential candidate Emmanuel Macron and the isolationist, far-right National Front leader […] More
Macron Wins Landslide Victory in French Election: More of the Same?
Centrist candidate Emmanuel Macron won the French presidency Sunday in a landslide victory over far-right National Front leader Marine Le Pen – capturing 66.1 percent […] More
Marine Le Pen: Withdrawal From NATO?
French voters head to the polls Sunday to choose their next president: centrist Emmanuel Macron or far-right National Front leader Marine Le Pen. On the […] More
Natural Security Series: Russia in the Arctic – Aggressive but Not an Aggressor
The shrinking ice cap in the Arctic has opened up new opportunities and security challenges for the nations surrounding the region. Arctic policy debates in […] More
A Tale of Three Libyas
To put it mildly, circumstances on the ground in Libya are complicated. Mired in a state of conflict since former head of state Muammar Gaddafi […] More
Algeria Takes the Lead in Libya
That Libya is a mess is beyond doubt, but who is actually trying to resolve the conflict is a harder question to answer. U.S. President […] More