The Danger of Terrorist Retaliation
Since his death at the hands of a US drone strike in Baghdad last week, much has been said about Iranian General Qassem Soleimani and […] More
Bruce Hoffman
What ISIS Leader’s Death Could Mean for Al Qaeda
Bruce Hoffman is a professor at Georgetown University and Visiting Senior Fellow for Counterterrorism and Homeland Security at the Council on Foreign Relations. He has served […] More
ISIS’ Shifting Focus
ISIS has claimed responsibility for a series of Easter Sunday bombings in Sri Lanka that killed more than 300 people and injured 500 more. Sri […] More
How to Kill Off A Withering Terrorist Organization
Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats released the Worldwide Threat Assessment on Tuesday, with Intelligence Community leaders briefing Senators on the biggest threats facing the […] More
The Latest
Threat Assessment #Fail: Al-Qaida Quietly Growing, By Design
The annual accounting to Congress of global threats to the United States made it sound like al-Qaida’s separate branches were managing to thrive independently of […] More
‘All Terrorism is Revolutionary’
The United States has been at war against terrorist groups such as al Qaeda and ISIS for over 15 years now, with every violent attack […] More
Spain a Fault Line Between Islam and the West
Thursday’s attack in Barcelona – and possibly today’s attack in Finland – are yet more tragic examples of how common objects such as vehicles and […] More
Is ISIS Leader Baghdadi Dead? It May Not Matter
Russia’s Defense Ministry released a statement Friday that it is investigating whether it had killed ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, along with several other senior […] More
Cipher Brief Expert View: ISIS Intent on Even Deadlier Ramadan This Year
Saturday night’s terrorist attack on London Bridge and Borough Market, the third such incident in the UK in the last three months, left seven dead […] More
The Terrorist Threat to Aviation: Back Again
In March, the Trump Administration imposed a new set of restrictions targeting carry-on luggage arriving on planes from several Muslim-majority countries after intelligence reports indicated […] More
Dropping the MOAB: A Blow to ISIS’ Ambitions in Afghanistan
On Thursday, the United States carried out an airstrike targeting ISIS in Afghanistan, dropping a Massive Ordnance Air Blast bomb (MOAB) on a tunnel and […] More
The Battle Against ISIS: The Trump Administration’s 30-day Review
This week, Secretary of Defense James Mattis is expected to deliver the 30-day review President Donald Trump ordered regarding the United States’ strategy to fight […] More
Al Qaeda: Quietly and Patiently Rebuilding
As ISIS incurs the firepower of the international community, al Qaeda has quietly rebuilt its resources, rebranded itself, and “rehabilitated its image” explains terrorism expert […] More
Comprehensive Terrorism Strategy Needed
The Cipher Brief sat down with Bruce Hoffman, Director for Security Studies at Georgetown University, to discuss President Obama’s counterterrorism legacy and the outlook for […] 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