How Low Is Putin Willing to Go in Ukraine?
EXPERT Q&A The Cipher Brief: Several media assessments suggest that within Ukraine, Russia will turn “dirtier and more dangerous,” replaying to a certain degree past tactics […] More
Archive for ‘Nick Fishwick’
The Facts that Putin Cannot Change
EXPERT PERSPECTIVE — As we used to say in government, it could be worse. A single death or wounding, a single destroyed hospital, school or […] More
Fabrication Operations in War
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said Thursday that an attack against a kindergarten in Ukraine is a “false flag operation designed to discredit the Ukrainians”, […] More
A European View on Putin’s Next Move in Ukraine
As career intelligence and diplomatic professionals look at today’s Ukraine situation, many – like Cipher Brief Expert and former Senior Member of the British Foreign […] More
‘This Doesn’t Need to be Defeat. But at the Moment, it Damn Well Feels Like It’
Cipher Brief Expert Nick Fishwick CMG retired in 2012 after nearly thirty years in the British Foreign Service. He did postings in Lagos, Istanbul and […] More
Britain’s Integrated Review: A Science and Tech Superpower with an Indo-Pacific Tilt
Nick Fishwick,Former Senior Member, British Foreign Office Nick Fishwick CMG retired in 2012 after nearly thirty years in the British Foreign Service which included postings […] More
America’s Allies Shocked by Storming of the Capitol
The Cipher Brief asked our experts to weigh in on how they saw Wednesday’s storming of the U.S. Capitol by pro-Trump protesters and how allies […] More
What We’ve Learned About Strengthening Allied Relationships
Cipher Brief Expert Nick Fishwick CMG retired in 2012 after nearly thirty years in the British Foreign Service. He did postings in Lagos, Istanbul and […] More
Nagorno and Karabakh on the Map
Cipher Brief Expert Nick Fishwick CMG retired in 2012 after nearly thirty years in the British Foreign Service. His work included postings in Lagos, Istanbul […] More
COVID-19’s Impact on British National Security
Cipher Brief Expert Nick Fishwick CMG retired in 2012 after nearly thirty years in the British Foreign Service. He held postings in Lagos, Istanbul and […] More
Not Everyone Sees Soleimani’s Death the Same Way
In an interview with FOX News after the drone strike that killed Iranian General Qassem Soleimani last week, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said “Frankly, […] More
Christchurch Attacks Could Impact Counterterrorism Strategy
At least 50 people were killed and another 50 wounded in Friday’s Christchurch attacks. New Zealand authorities worked through the weekend to identify the victims […] More
Britain’s Top Security Threats in 2019
2018 was a year dominated by a new range of worries for national security experts in Britain. Brexit and a series of untraditional statements from […] More
What the Skripal Attack Exposed About Russian Tradecraft
Russian President Vladimir Putin says that two Russian nationals accused of poisoning British citizens in an attempted assassination of a former military intelligence officer, are […] More
Europe Reacts to U.S. on JCPOA: Keep Calm and Negotiate On
The word ‘resignation’ is being used here in London – not, for once, about the actual or potential departure of yet another of our ministers, […] More
London Attacker ‘May Not Have Fancied Martyrdom’
In an incident the British government has called a terrorist attack, a bomb detonated at Parsons Green tube station Friday morning. 29 people were injured; […] More
European Intel Bound Closer by Terror
In the wake of the deadly terrorist attack in Barcelona, Spain, Spanish authorities and partner nations’ intelligence services will be working to uncover as many […] More
UK Elections Will Test May’s Get-Tough Stance
The weekend’s London attacks is the third in the UK this year and came as the UK was still reeling from a suicide bombing in […] More
Manchester Attack Deadliest in UK Since 2005 London Bombings
As details emerge about an explosion in Manchester, England that left at least 22 people dead and dozens injured, British Prime Minister Theresa May said […] More
Dealing with Turkey: Don’t Expect Miracles
Turkey has once again been very much on Europeans’ minds. This time, the issue has been about the Turkish referendum on April 16 over whether […] More
The Unclear Road Ahead
There are two elements to the “what now?” question in the UK. The first element I expected to be addressing after Thursday’s vote was: how […] More
Attack in Orlando: The View from the UK
The first thing to state is that we are still not clear about Omar Mateen’s background. The FBI are still investigating possible motives – and […] More
Brexit and British National Security
The UK will vote on 23 June to determine whether it remains in or leaves the European Union. Political discourse in Britain is dominated by […] More