How Cyber Gray-Ops Became the New Norm in the Middle East
Cyber-enabled information operations in the Gulf, such as the one that seemingly spurred the ongoing feud between Qatar and its neighbors, represent the gray line […] More
In Defense of Tapping the Internet to Keep You Safe
In one month, the authorities provided under Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence and Surveillance Act (FISA) are due to expire unless reauthorized by Congress. […] More
North Korea’s Latest ICBM Launch Could Put D.C. In Range
North Korea launched an intercontinental ballistic missile on Tuesday, another step towards its goal of becoming a nuclear power in the world – prompting an […] More
Egypt Struggles to Suppress ISIS in the Sinai
Friday’s deadly terrorist attack at the Al-Rawda mosque in the north of Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula demonstrates that the so-called Islamic State’s Sinai affiliate remains a […] More
Tentative Deal May See Myanmar’s Rohingya Go Home—But To What?
Are Bangladesh and Myanmar poised to make progress to address the refugee crisis involving hundreds of thousands of ethnic Rohingya? Maybe. “The Cipher Brief has […] More
Merkel’s Hail Mary Pass to Form a Government
Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany succeeded in her reelection bid in September of this year, but her party’s ability to govern at all now stands […] More
A Wolf in Mercenary Clothing? Russian Contractors as Gray Zone Tool
Moscow may increasingly look toward private military companies (PMCs), known in Russia as Chastnye Voennie Companiy (ChVK), to exert plausibly deniable and economically and politically […] More
Devastating Sinai Attack Points to ISIS
On Friday, militants carried out a devastating attack at a mosque in the city of Bir al-Abed located in Egypt’s northern Sinai province, leaving at […] More
Best Of: The Devil’s Puzzle: Defining International and Domestic Terrorism
The car ramming attack that occurred in New York City on Oct. 31 killed eight people and reignited debate over what constitutes domestic and international […] More
Best Of: What Dirt Does Russia Have on You?
For this year’s Thanksgiving Day feature, The Cipher Brief revisits its coverage of the Kremlin’s strategic use of blackmail to silence dissent at home and […] More
Tillerson: Myanmar Guilty of “Ethnic Cleansing”
Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said Myanmar is guilty of “ethnic cleansing” in its crackdown on minority Muslim Rohingya, driving more than half a million […] More
Saudi Arabia’s ‘Game of Thrones’ In Lebanon
The sudden resignation of Saad Hariri as Lebanon’s prime minister during his trip to Riyadh earlier this month raised suspicions about whether Saudi Arabia facilitated […] More
Trump Tightens Diplomatic Noose on Pyongyang, Hoping to Avoid War
U.S. President Donald Trump announced on Monday that the U.S. government has designated North Korea as a state sponsor of terrorism in a move that […] More
Legal Limbo Leaves Killer Robots Off-Leash
The UN’s Convention on Conventional Weapons (CCW) Group of Governmental Experts (GGE) met last week to discuss lethal autonomous weapons systems. But while most member […] More
WikiLeaks and the Trump Campaign: Another Tree in the Forest
The revelation that Donald Trump Jr. was in contact with WikiLeaks throughout the 2016 U.S. presidential campaign is just the latest in a long catalog […] More
AMISOM: A Decade into the Fight Against Al Shabaab
The multinational peacekeeping force known as AMISOM has been losing the momentum in its battle against al Shabaab in Somalia, as evidenced by the massive […] More
Saudi “Purge” a Re-Branding Attempt to Launch a “Second Kingdom”
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman (MbS) took the unprecedented step of ordering the arrest of 11 princes, dozens of former ministers and business officials, […] More
ISIS Eyes Sahel As Next Safe Haven
ISIS has lost approximately 95 percent of the territory it once controlled across Syria and Iraq. The group may now set its sights on establishing […] More