The War Against ISIS Has Just Begun
Nearly three years ago, the Islamic State (ISIS) catapulted to the top of the news worldwide after the group seized vast swaths of Syria and […] More
Middle East
Best Of: ISIS — From the Ground to Cyber Space
There are two schools of thought about the nature of the threat posed by the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS). Some experts say […] More
Best Of: Why ISIS Is Bullet-Proof
The Cipher Brief’s Bennett Seftel sat down with Michael W.S. Ryan, Senior Fellow at the Jamestown Foundation, to discuss ISIS’ recent battlefield losses, the group’s […] More
Israeli Lawmaker: Iran’s Fingerprints Are Everywhere
Israel faces a vast array of terrorist threats from groups such as Hamas in Gaza, Hezbollah in southern Lebanon, and ISIS in Syria and the […] More
Decisions Loom for Qatar as Arab Countries Harden Stance
The tense standoff between Qatar and a group of Middle East countries that includes Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Bahrain, and the United Arab Emirates is nearing […] More
Gulf States Need to Compromise with Qatar
Last Friday, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain, and Egypt provided Qatar with a list of 13 harsh demands that Qatar must meet within 10 days […] More
Gulf Rift Threatens Region’s Stability
The dispute between Qatar and its Arab neighbors has now entered its fourth week, causing an uptick in tension throughout the Middle East. The Cipher […] More
White House Warning to Syria Leaves Little “Wiggle Room”
The White House late Monday night released a statement warning Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s regime against launching another chemical weapons attack. The Trump administration said […] More
U.S. Fails to Unscramble Mixed Messages on Qatar-Saudi Dispute
Two weeks have passed since I wrote the column about the Saudi-Qatar split, and as of today the Trump administration seems still unable to get […] More
As ISIS Falls, Border Battles Loom
The U.S.-led military campaign against ISIS in Iraq and Syria appears to be nearing its end. In Mosul, Iraqi military forces are now pushing into […] More
The Complex State of Play in Eastern Syria
The territorial battle against ISIS is nearing its final stages in Iraq and Syria. In Iraq, U.S. coalition-backed Iraqi forces have trapped the remaining ISIS […] More
The Fight for the Northern Iraq-Syria Border
The Iraq-Syria border has emerged in recent months as the hottest piece of real estate in the multi-sided struggle between the Islamic State (ISIS), anti-ISIS […] More
Harsh Demands from Arab States to Qatar but Room for Compromise
On Friday, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain, Egypt, and a number of allied Arab states provided Qatar with a list of 13 steep demands that […] More
U.S. Downing of Syrian Warplane: A “Canary in the Coal Mine”
After a U.S. Navy F/A-18E shot down a Syrian SU-22 bomber on Sunday, the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs quickly condemned the action, announced that […] More
Close Calls or Worse Between U.S. and Russia in Syria
Last Sunday, a U.S. Navy F/A-18E fighter jet shot down a Syrian government SU-22 bomber in the U.S. military’s first air-to-air kill involving manned aircraft […] More
Putin Looks Elsewhere to Retaliate Against U.S. Acts in Syria
On June 18, a U.S. Navy F/A-18E Super Hornet shot down a Syrian Air Force Su-22 fighter bomber near the town of al-Tabqa in eastern […] More
Saudi Shakeup: No Surprise, but Vast Implications for U.S.
The only surprising thing about the leadership shakeup ordered on Wednesday by King Salman of Saudi Arabia was the timing. It has long been apparent […] More
Flexing Muscle in Syria Tests the U.S.
Moscow ratcheted up its war of words against the U.S.-led coalition in Syria, after the Pentagon said it downed a Syrian military plane for the […] More