Biden has a Secret Weapon for Ukraine. Will he use it?
OPINION — Amidst the ongoing debate in Congress over additional U.S. assistance to Ukraine, there is a way for President Biden to eliminate a significant […] More
Central and Eastern Europe
Brothers in Arms: Americans Fighting in Ukraine
Join Lt. General Frank Helmick (Ret.), Senior Vice President of SOSi and Gary Corn, Director of the Technology, Law, and Security Program at American University […] More
The Numbers Suggest Ukraine Can Sustain the Fight
OPINION — According to recent U.S. government estimates, approximately 315,000 Russian soldiers have either been killed or wounded in the ongoing war in Ukraine. In […] More
Washington Needs to Focus on Multiple Border Issues for Stronger U.S. National Security
OPINION — The Ukrainian Armed Forces are starting the new year running critically low on supplies. Efforts by Congressional leaders and the Biden Administration to […] More
The Latest
Want to Know if Putin will ever give up Ukraine? History offers clues.
REVIEWS / BOOKS — Two books appeared this year that offer helpful and enlightening insights into the importance of history and its perception – or […] More
Conflict is One Part History, One Part Petraeus Memoir
OPINION — David Petraeus and Andrew Roberts are getting lots of attention for their outstanding new book, Conflict: The Evolution of Warfare from 1945 to Ukraine. And […] More
History Makes the Case for Helping Ukraine
EXPERT PERSPECTIVE / OPINION — Prior to the horrific events of 7 October 2023, the issue of providing Ukraine with military assistance was likely the […] More
The U.S. Can Learn from Ukraine’s Theory of Victory
OPINION — Ukraine’s dogged defense against Russian aggression has enabled battlefield innovations that are transforming warfare as we know it—this much is obvious to most […] More
Security Guarantees for Ukraine: Reshaping Russia’s Incentives
OPINION — Peace in Ukraine remains a long way off; even peace talks between Russia and Ukraine are probably at least one to two years […] More
It’s Time for the West to Embrace Ukraine’s Way of War, Not Doubt It
OPINION — Ukrainian forces have adapted. Ukraine’s military decision-making is sound. Now is not the time for Western doubt but for the West to embrace […] More
The Future of US Development Assistance to Ukraine
By Ilya Timtchenko, Seth Myers, Ethan Lundgren ACADEMIC PERSPECTIVE – As the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine is in its second year, the United States […] More
How to Avoid Past Mistakes in Ukraine
OPINION – The scale of both public and private sector interest towards Ukraine’s economy has been unprecedented in the aftermath of the colossal havoc caused […] More
Diogenes the Cynic’s Job in Russia just got harder
OPINION — No one should lament the passing of Yevgeny Viktorovich Prigozhin. According to Russian officials, Prigozhin was a passenger on an Embraer Legacy 600 aircraft […] More
Could Prigozhin’s Death be a Step Toward Sudden and Catastrophic Collapse for Putin?
OPINION — Who can be surprised that Wagner Group leader Yevgeny Prigozhin met his timely end? Many have cited variations of the quote attributed to Ralph Waldo […] More
Putin’s Godfather Role of a Lifetime
In light of the reported death of Wagner Group Chief Yevgeny Prigozhin, The Cipher Brief tapped a number of experts for their thoughts on what […] More
Prigozhin’s Final Lesson was that not even He Could Escape Kremlin Rules
OPINION – Wagner Group Leader Yevgeny Prigozhin was a violent man who lived life on a knife’s edge; that he reportedly met a violent end […] More
A Roadmap for Strengthening Ukrainian Resiliency in the Medium to Long Term
ACADEMIA — The ongoing war between Ukraine and Russia has left Kyiv at a crossroads with a range of questions to consider for the future. […] More
Ukraine is Putin’s Calculated War
EXPERT PERSPECTIVE — Russian President Vladimir Putin told a group of reporters recently that while Russia “is ready for any scenario”, the country does not […] More
How We Should be Preparing now for a Russian Collapse in Ukraine
OPINION — The consensus among geopolitical pundits seems to be that the Ukrainian counteroffensive has turned into a slog and that US and NATO policy […] More