Cipher Brief Expert View: Why Electronics Ban Only In Middle East
New rules go into effect this weekend that restrict electronic items in passenger cabins on U.S.-bound flights. The measures are being taken as a security […] More
Middle East
Al Qaeda Takes Advantage in Syria
While the U.S. remains focused on defeating ISIS in Syria and Iraq, al Qaeda in Syria is accumulating strength at an alarming pace and may […] More
Al Qaeda in Syria Can Change Its Name, But Not Its Stripes
Following recent infighting with other Syrian rebel groups in the northwestern part of the country, al Qaeda in Syria appears to have recognized the need […] More
How Al Qaeda Exploited The Syrian Civil War
The Cipher Brief sat down with Charles Lister, Senior Fellow at the Middle East Institute, to discuss al Qaeda in Syria’s latest rebranding, how the […] More
After Nuclear Deal, Iran Looks to Profit in Syria
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Iran’s powerful, ideological military force, is one of the country’s most influential institutions, with major stakes in key sectors of […] More
Objective: Raqqa
Despite its fearsome codename, Operation Wrath of Euphrates, the campaign by U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) to capture Raqqa from ISIS has progressed in fits […] More
A Very Long and Nasty Fight
As Iraqi forces close in on ISIS fighters stranded in eastern Mosul – the group’s last urban bastion in Iraq – U.S.-backed Syrian rebels are […] More
No Clear Road to Raqqa
Supported by coalition weapons, airstrikes, military advisers, and now several hundred U.S. Marines, the predominantly Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) have advanced to within 50 […] More
Minimizing Abuse of Hawalas
Hawala networks and terror finance are in the news again. These networks have been used by ISIS in war-torn Syria and Iraq, and were reportedly […] More
The Cost of Rushing into Raqqa
The Trump Administration last week announced it deployed hundreds of U.S. Marines and Army Rangers to Syria to support the campaign to take Raqqa, the […] More
The Interrogation of Saddam: An Opportunity of a Lifetime
This week, The Cipher Brief’s Executive Producer and Reporter Leone Lakhani speaks to John Nixon, author of “Debriefing The President: The Interrogation of Saddam Hussein.” […] More
Vying for Power in Iran
With one of the most complex systems of governance in the world, Iran finds itself at perhaps its most daunting political crossroads since the 1979 […] More
Uncertainty in Iran
In the perennial effort to deduce the likely evolution of the tumultuous relationship between the United States and Iran, all eyes today seem to be […] More
Iranian Leadership: Over the Horizon
As the Islamic Republic readies itself for another presidential election in May 2017, now is a good time to size up the state of affairs […] More
U.S. Credibility in the Middle East
“America has lost.” Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte used this phrase last October when announcing his split from the United States and his country’s realignment toward […] More
Russia-Gulf Arab States: A Relationship of Convenience
The United States and the oil-rich Gulf Arab states have long been traditional allies. But now the Gulf states – collectively known as the Gulf […] More
Iran Strategy Must Balance Deterrence with Diplomacy
Many U.S. policymakers have concluded that the Iranian government is an implacable enemy of the U.S. and that regime change is the only way to […] More
Trump Signs Revised Travel Ban, Excludes Iraq
President Donald Trump signed a revised executive order on Monday, temporarily halting entry into the country for people without valid visas from six predominantly Muslim […] More