Out of Afghanistan, an Opportunity for Acquisition
Cipher Brief Expert Robert J. Eatinger is former senior deputy general counsel at the CIA. He has 35 years of experience practicing law in the […] More
Robert Eatinger
Lesson for DOD: Profits Drive Innovation
Cipher Brief Expert Robert Eatinger has 35 years of experience practicing law in the fields of national security, intelligence, and international law. He is a solo […] More
Better Buying is Key to Russia-China Strategy
Cipher Brief Expert Robert Eatinger is former Deputy General Counsel and Acting General Counsel of the Central Intelligence Agency and retired Captain from the Navy’s […] More
Can John Brennan Really Sue the President?
Cipher Brief Expert and Former CIA Senior Deputy Counsel Robert Eatinger weighs in on the realities of a potential lawsuit. On last Sunday’s Meet the […] More
The Latest
Can Trump Legally Withdraw from the Iran Deal?
President Donald Trump has repeatedly voiced his belief that the Iran nuclear deal is flawed and if it is not amended to cure those flaws, […] More
Riddles of Armageddon: Legal Enigmas of a Nuke Launch Order
The recent discussion of whether North Korean leader Kim Jong Un or President Donald Trump has the bigger “nuclear button” raises the question again of […] More
Eatinger: Under the Hood of Renewed FISA Law
Robert Eatinger, former senior deputy general counsel at the CIA, says the legislation that Congress just passed extending controversial surveillance authorities, known as Section 702 […] More
What is Congress Good For? Not Declaring War
The framers of the U.S. Constitution decided 230 years ago to divide the nation’s war powers between the president and the Congress, making the president […] More
Will Guantanamo Bay be Final Destination for NYC Attacker?
The Cipher Brief asked Robert Eatinger, the CIA’s former Acting General Counsel and Senior Deputy General Counsel, to comment on the next steps for the […] More
Not All Mass Murderers are Terrorists
When Stephen Paddock indiscriminately rained bullets down on a crowd of concertgoers from the 32nd floor of the Mandalay Bay hotel on the evening of […] More
When it Comes to Overthrowing Governments, What Does the Law Allow?
Regime change has recently come up in media reports about North Korea on a frequent basis, but what does the term mean from a legal […] More
The Power of the Presidency Rests on Responsibility to the American People
According to press reporting, President Donald Trump, during a meeting in the Oval Office on May 10, disclosed to the Russian foreign minister and the […] More
How Rules of Engagement Impact Civilian Casualties
On March 17, an airstrike allegedly carried out by coalition troops in Mosul, Iraq, killed a large number of civilians, with some reports putting the […] More
Technology Advances Prompt Changes in CIA Collection Procedures
In the final few days of the Obama Administration, CIA Director John Brennan, after consulting with the Director of National Intelligence, brought years of CIA […] More
Enhanced Interrogation 2.0: The Untenable Position of CIA Officers
On January 25, 2017, during his first post-election press interview, President Donald Trump was asked, “do you want waterboarding?” In his response, the President said, […] More
Obstructing Governance by Consent
At least twice in the past year, the U.S. was Twappled. That is, multibillion-dollar U.S. corporations used their significant position in their respective industry to […] More
Developing an Effective Defense
As cyber attacks against U.S. government and private networks have increased in severity in recent years, the Congress and President have actively sought to identify, […] More
Apple vs. FBI: The Need for an Informed Debate on the Law
Apple, Inc., moved to vacate an order issued by a United States Magistrate Judge pursuant to the All Writs Act that directed Apple to provide […] More
The Government’s Case
The current conflict between Apple and the FBI over developing a means to circumvent security features on the iPhone has reignited the tense debate about […] More