BOOK REVIEW: The Most Awful Responsibility: Truman and the Secret Struggle for Control of the Atomic AgeBy Alex Wellerstein / William MorrowReviewed by: John A. LauderThe Reviewer: John A. Lauder is [...] More

The Mossad’s Most Transformational Leader

BOOK REVIEW: THE ARCHITECT OF ESPIONAGE: The Man Who Built Israel’s Mossad into the World’s Boldest Intelligence ForceBy Samuel M. Katz / ScribnerReviewed by: Ralph GoffThe Reviewer: Ralph Goff is a [...] More

The Country’s First ‘Cognitive Advantage’ Chief: Influence Is the New Battlefield

WEEKEND INTERVIEW — In an era when foreign adversaries can shape public sentiment with a well-timed meme and a handful of AI-driven accounts, the [...] More

16 January, 2026

Suzanne Kelly

16 January, 2026

Ryan Simons

Tech/Cyber

What U.S. – China Cooperation Means for the World

What U.S. – China Cooperation Means for the World

OPINION -- China was very critical of the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro last week. The spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign [...] More

16 January, 2026

Ambassador Joseph DeTrani

16 January, 2026

Ryan Simons

China Ambassador Joseph DeTrani Asia

Remembering Aldrich Ames and the Lives He Destroyed

Remembering Aldrich Ames and the Lives He Destroyed

“I would never wish death upon anyone, but I have read some obituaries with great satisfaction.” - Winston ChurchillOPINION -- I associate myself [...] More

15 January, 2026

Mark Kelton

15 January, 2026

Ryan Simons

Can Iran Ever Become a “Normal Adversary”?

BOOK REVIEW: ENDURING HOSTILITY: THE MAKING OF AMERICA’S IRAN POLICYBy Dalia Dassa Kaye / Stanford University PressReviewed by: Joe ZacksThe [...] More

14 January, 2026

Ryan Simons

Why Labeling Muslim Brotherhood “Chapters” as Terrorist Groups Is Problematic

Why Labeling Muslim Brotherhood “Chapters” as Terrorist Groups Is Problematic

OPINION — The White House this past November issued a Presidential action statement designating certain Muslim Brotherhood “chapters” as terrorist [...] More

14 January, 2026

Emile Nakhleh

14 January, 2026

Ryan Simons

Emile Nakhleh Middle East

What the Writer Found in the Spy Archive

Cipher Brief CEO & Publisher Suzanne Kelly catches up with former BBC Correspondent and Author Gordon Corera to talk about the spy story he found in [...] More

13 January, 2026

Ryan Simons

Now Comes the Hard Part in Venezuela

Now Comes the Hard Part in Venezuela

EXPERT PERSPECTIVE — Now comes the hard part in Venezuela. Dictator Nicolas Maduro and his wife are gone but the regime is still in power. Most [...] More

12 January, 2026

Ambassador Patrick Duddy

12 January, 2026

Ryan Simons

Americas

Maduro and Noriega: Assessing the Analogies

Maduro and Noriega: Assessing the Analogies

Asked if there were any restraints on his global powers, [President Trump] answered: “Yeah, there is one thing. My own morality. My own mind. It’s [...] More

12 January, 2026

Geoffrey Corn

12 January, 2026

Ryan Simons

Americas Geoffrey Corn Latin America

After Maduro’s Removal, the U.S. Faces Its Hardest Test Yet in Venezuela

THE WEEKEND INTERVIEW — As Venezuela faces a moment of profound uncertainty following a dramatic U.S. operation that removed longtime strongman [...] More

10 January, 2026

Suzanne Kelly

10 January, 2026

Ryan Simons

Americas Latin America

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