The Afghan Debacle Should Prompt China to Revise its South Asian Policy
This piece was first published by RUSI in London. The views do not represent those of RUSI. EXPERT PERSPECTIVE — While China has tried to rebalance its […] More
Archive for the ‘Afghanistan’ Category
The Human Cost of War: My Own Failure and Our Military’s Mental Health Crisis
Our military culture and expectations justifiably require unrelenting standards and there is very little space for human vulnerability, especially in SOF and those in leadership […] More
What Stands Between the Taliban and Recognition
This piece was first published by RUSI in London. The views do not represent those of RUSI. EXPERT PERSPECTIVE –The international community is coming under increasing […] More
Wars are not Won by Evacuations
Mark Kelton, Former Deputy Director, CIA’s Counterintelligence, National Clandestine Service Cipher Brief Expert Mark Kelton is a retired senior Central Intelligence Agency executive with 34 […] More
The Risk of Terrorism at Home and Abroad
As information emerges about Islamic State of Khorasan, or ISIS-K – the terrorist group that claimed responsibility for last week’s suicide attack that killed 13 […] More
What Intelligence was there on Afghanistan?
When The Washington Post reported this week that CIA Director William Burns slipped into Afghanistan on Monday to meet with Taliban leader Abdul Ghani Baradar, […] More
Putin’s Calculated Afghanistan Play
Robert Dannenberg, Former Senior CIA Officer Cipher Brief Expert Rob Dannenberg is a 24-year veteran of the CIA, where he served in several senior leadership […] More
Written in Taliban: U.S. Veterans Voice Anger Over Afghanistan
President Joe Biden admitted during his address from the White House this week that, “The scenes we’re seeing in Afghanistan, they’re gut-wrenching, particularly for our […] More
What Should the U.S. Expect from the ‘New’ Taliban Regime?
As the U.S. works toward getting more 11,000 Americans, diplomats and Afghan allies out of the country, what kind of Taliban should the U.S. expect […] More
The Painful Lessons of Afghanistan
General Joseph L. Votel (Ret.) joined BENS as CEO & President in January 2020 following a 39-year military career where he commanded special operations and […] More
How Does Kabul End?
CIPHER BRIEF EXPERT PERSPECTIVE Cipher Brief Expert Tim Willasey-Wilsey served for over 27 years in the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office. He is now Visiting […] More
Afghanistan: Losers Can’t Be Choosers
Bottom Line Up Front: There are indications that the Taliban have no intention of reaching a compromise and believe they can take over Afghanistan shortly […] More
Why the Istanbul Summit May be Afghanistan’s Last Chance
Tim Willasey-Wilsey, Former Senior Member, British FOreign and Commonwealth Office Cipher Brief Expert Tim Willasey-Wilsey served for over 27 years in the British Foreign and […] More
Afghanistan: How Six Good Reasons Can Still Lead to a Bad Decision
Cipher Brief Expert Tim Willasey-Wilsey served for over 27 years in the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office where his focus was on South Asia and […] More
How Can Blinken’s Bold Plan for Afghanistan Succeed?
Tim Willasey-Wilsey, Cipher Brief Expert Tim Willasey-Wilsey is a Cipher Brief Expert on Afghanistan and a visiting Professor of War Studies at King’s College, London […] More
A Look at the U.S. Army’s Future Mission
“The Cipher Brief has become the most popular outlet for former intelligence officers; no media outlet is even a close second to The Cipher Brief […] More
US National Security Challenges: A Conversation Among Experts
“The Cipher Brief has become the most popular outlet for former intelligence officers; no media outlet is even a close second to The Cipher Brief […] More
Russian Aims in Afghanistan
Bottom Line: Russia is accused of funding Taliban contract killings of US troops in Afghanistan. US military officials made limited accusations of Russian arms support […] More
OSINT Global Trendline Report: Asia
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OSINT Global Trendline Report: COVID and the Americas
This expert-driven national-security insight can’t be generated for free. We invite you to support quality content by becoming a Cipher Brief Level I Member . Joining […] More
Afghanistan’s Hard Lessons. A British Perspective.
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The US Deal with the Taliban
This expert-driven national-security insight can’t be generated for free. We invite you to support quality content by becoming a Cipher Brief Level I Member . Joining […] More
Pakistan’s Afghan Triumph Carries Risks for Islamabad
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Taliban: The New Masters of the Gray Zone?
Ahead of The Cipher Brief’s 2019 Threat Conference, we caught up with two of our experts, each with deep knowledge of the Afghan conflict, to […] More