The End of the Beginning
A couple years ago, when the Middle East was in turmoil but considerably less complicated than today, I was at a small gathering of foreign […] More
Middle East
Ahead of election, Iran's leader calls for unity against West
Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei has called for the people of Iran to vote for a parliament that will stand strong against the West. Reuters reports […] More
Understanding the Syrian Ceasefire
The Cipher Brief spoke with Mark Kelton, former Deputy Director of the National Clandestine Service for Counterintelligence at the CIA, about the possible ceasefire deal […] More
Syrian govt. accepts halt to 'combat operations' in line with U.S.-Russian plan
The Syrian government has agreed to the cessation of hostilities agreement that the U.S. and the Russia jointly created. Reuters reports that President Bashar al-Assad’s […] More
Syria conflict: IS claims deadly Homs and Damascus blasts
The Islamic State carried out two bombing attacks in Damascus and Homs, which resulted in at least 140 deaths. The BBC reports that the attacks […] More
Iran holds talks with Russia over missile defense upgrade
Iran entered into negotiations with Russia over the purchase of a new missile defense system. Reuters reports that Iran sought to purchase the S-300 surface-to-air […] More
International meeting for Syria cease-fire cancelled, Russia says
The United States and Russia held a meeting to try and settle upon a joint set of goals for the conflict in Syria. The Washington […] More
Islamic State: Bombing strikes militants in Libya
Air strikes in Libya have resulted in the deaths of at least 30 people. The BBC reports that the strikes were targeting Islamic State militants […] More
Turkey blames Kurdish militants for Ankara bomb, vows response in Syria and Iraq
The Turkish Prime Minister has accused Kurdish militia groups of carrying out the bombing that killed 28 people in Ankara yesterday. According to Reuters, the […] More
Radioactive material stolen in Iraq raises security fears
The Iraqi government is searching for a case of radioactive material that was stolen last November. Reuters reports that the material, which was used to […] More
Promoting Regional Stability
According to Dr. Jamal Al Shalabi, Professor of Political Science at the Hashemite University, turmoil in the Middle East has prompted Jordan to strengthen cooperation […] More
Jordan: The Indispensable Ally
As threats in the Middle East continue to loom large, Jordan’s successes in battling ISIS on the frontlines and promoting cooperation in the Middle East […] More
Leading the Fight against ISIS
Jordan’s past experience battling al-Qaeda in Iraq has prepared it for its ongoing offensive against ISIS, explained Dr. Musa Keilani to The Cipher Brief. A […] More
Iran says it is 'illogical' for it to join oil output freeze
Iran’s OPEC envoy has made it clear that Iran has no intention of limiting its oil production, despite efforts by other OPEC nations to freeze […] More
U.S. support for Syrian Kurds ‘a big strategic mistake,’ Turkish envoy says
The Turkish ambassador to the United States said in an interview that the U.S. would regret its support for Kurdish fighters in Syria, and referred […] More
Russia rejects Syria war crimes claim over hospital attacks
The Russian government has denied any involvement in the four missile attacks that struck hospitals and schools in Syria and killed approximately 50 people. CNN […] More
Saudis and Russia agree to oil output freeze, talks with Iran to follow
Oil ministers from Russia, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Venezuela met in Doha and made an agreement to freeze oil output at January levels – as […] More
Syria's Assad doesn't see ceasefire possible within a week
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has said that it will be impossible for a ceasefire to go into effect in Syria within the one week goal […] More