Violence in Gaza, Yemen and Syria Tests Middle East – and the Trump Administration
EXPERT INTERVIEW – Just a few weeks ago, the Middle East seemed in a rare moment of relative calm: ceasefires were holding in Gaza and […] More
Middle East
Oman’s Double Game in Yemen Has Dangerous Consequences
OPINION — For more than three decades, Oman has served in the role of mediator for the resolution of disputes in Yemen. This began after north […] More
Playing the Role of ‘Good Shepherd’ in a Post-Assad Syria
OPINION — Israel’s new Middle East security reality is coming into sharper focus in a volatile Syria, where sectarian clashes are taking place and aggressive Israeli […] More
Expert Q&A: The Options for Trump 2.0 on Iran
EXPERT INTERVIEW – Almost lost in the Trump administration’s push for an end to the conflicts in Gaza and Ukraine, and its tariff wars against […] More
The Latest
In Post-Rebellion Syria, Deadly Violence and Huge Opportunity
EXPERT INTERVIEW — For the first time since the December rebellion that overthrew the regime of Bashar al-Assad, Syria has seen a spate of large-scale violence, […] More
The Global Shift To Authoritarianism
OPINION — Based on my numerous assignments abroad, my work for the late Director of Central Intelligence William Casey as his Special Assistant and subsequent work […] More
Why Jordan and Egypt Are Critical to Trump’s Gaza Proposal
BOTTOM LINE UP FRONT – On Tuesday, with Jordan’s King Abdullah II at his side, President Donald Trump exuded confidence that the Arab world will […] More
On Gaza, Trump Says the Quiet Part Out Loud – and Then Some
OPINION — Embedded in President Trump’s shocking proposal to “own” and develop the Gaza Strip are some uncomfortable truths and even some “common sense,” as […] More
Expert Q&A: Trump’s Proposal Sparks Call for ‘Practical’ Change in Gaza
EXPERT Q&A — The Cipher Brief turned to Ambassador Dennis Ross to discuss President Donald Trump’s proposal to “take over” Gaza, and the debate it has […] More
Could Trump’s Shocking Plan for Gaza Lead Anywhere?
BOTTOM LINE UP FRONT – As President Donald Trump doubles down on his idea of a U.S. takeover of Gaza, Arab governments are also doubling […] More
Iran, the Nuclear Program, and Trump 2.0
As the second Trump Administration took office, it found a Middle East landscape that had been transformed dramatically in the last year alone. Nowhere is […] More
Parsing the Opportunity from Extreme Challenges in the Middle East
EXPERT INTERVIEW / PERSPECTIVE – The Middle East has changed dramatically over the past four years, creating both extraordinary challenges and opportunities for the region […] More
Expert Q&A: Understanding the New Russia-Iran “Strategic Partnership”
EXPERT INTERVIEW — Russian President Vladimir Putin received his Iranian counterpart, Masoud Pezeshkian, in Moscow on Friday to sign a “comprehensive strategic partnership treaty.” Russian […] More
Another Inauguration – in Lebanon – Offers Hope for the Middle East
OPINION — If 2024 ended with “cautious optimism” about Syria, in the wake of that country’s ouster of the Assad regime, 2025 may be beginning with a […] More
Expert Q&A: The Gaza Deal — and the ‘Trump Effect’
EXPERT INTERVIEW — On the day the Israeli cabinet voted to approve the long-awaited ceasefire-for-hostages deal in Gaza, The Cipher Brief spoke with a former advisor […] More
How a Gaza Deal Could Change the Middle East
BOTTOM LINE UP FRONT — Might a Gaza peace agreement bring benefit beyond the besieged Gaza Strip? That’s the tantalizing hope expressed by several U.S. officials […] More
Correcting the Record on the IDF and Lethal Targeting
OPINION — Just because they could, they did. That is the gist of a recent New York Times article suggesting the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) made […] More
Expert Q&A: Lebanon’s New Leadership Offers Hope After Chaos
EXPERT INTERVIEW — Lebanon’s parliament elected Joseph Aoun, the commander of the Lebanese Armed Forces, as the country’s new president on January 9, ending a deadlock […] More
The Hopes for a Gaza Ceasefire – and What Might Follow
EXPERT INTERVIEWS — The final days of the Biden Administration are coinciding with an all-out push to reach a ceasefire-for-hostage deal in Gaza. And in a […] More