The Clock is Ticking on U.S. leadership in The Middle East
OPINION – It’s no secret that President-elect Donald Trump will be laser focused on his stated domestic and economic agendas when he takes up occupancy […] More
Opinion
Avoiding Strategic Surprise will be key in the next Administration
EXPERT Q&A – The Cipher Brief tapped Dave Pitts, former Assistant Director of CIA for South and Central Asia and range of other experts with […] More
Israel’s Bold Assassinations are Grabbing Attention
OPINION — For those of us who have worked in the ‘find – fix – finish’ world of U.S. counterterrorism operations, the last 48 hours […] More
A former CIA Officer Contemplates the Mission Ahead
OPINION — The transition away from any beloved career can be difficult, but for those who have had highly engaging, rewarding, and even exciting careers […] More
The Latest
The World Deserves Better than Putin and so do the Russian People
OPINION — Vladimir Putin has brought war back to Europe. The invasion of Ukraine has resulted in approximately 575,000 casualties including an estimated 50,000 Russians […] More
A Confident Putin Has Many in Europe Frightened
OPINION — The dynamics of the Ukraine war are changing rapidly, with consequences that are profound and global. The battlefield is the most obvious area […] More
Information Quality is a Democratic Necessity in the Age of AI
OPINION — Trust in institutions, to include government, media, financial institutions, and education continues to decline as noted in several recent public opinion polls. Given […] More
We Could be Our Own Biggest Hurdle When it Comes to Facing the Threat from China
OPINION — “President Biden and President Xi [at their November 2023 meeting in California] announced the resumption of military-to-military communication that had been frozen for […] More
From the Battlefield to Your Backyard: The Looming Drone Threat in America
OPINION — The skies over Ukraine and the Middle East have shown us a chilling new type of warfare. Drones, once toys or tools, have […] More
China’s President has Power Over Kim Jong Un. Will he Use it for Denuclearization?
OPINION – During the past two years, North Korea has launched over 100 ballistic missiles, to include hypersonic, short and intermediate-range, cruise, and submarine-launched ballistic […] More
After Gaza: A Political and Economic Path Forward
OPINION / EXPERT PERSPECTIVE — As the Gaza war enters its fourth month, it’s become abundantly clear that Israel’s massive military response and the assassinations […] More
Israel’s Actions in Lebanon offer a Warning for Tehran and Moscow
OPINION / EXPERT PERSPECTIVE — Following the October 7, 2023 Hamas terrorist attacks on Israel, many commentators in the West were quick to cite the […] More
The Top Analytic Lessons I’ve Learned
OPINION / EXPERT PERSPECTIVE — Going into 2024, I reflected on some of the most important analytic lessons that I have learned during the last […] More
Taiwan’s Election Offers Strong Lessons on Disinformation
OPINION — Taiwan’s Presidential election last Saturday took place amid widespread concerns that China would use Artificial Intelligence (AI) driven disinformation to affect the outcome. […] More
Sweden’s Path to NATO Still has Pitfalls
EXPERT PERSPECTIVE / OPINION – When the Turkish Parliament’s Foreign Affairs committee approved Turkish President Tayyip Recep Erdogan’s proposal to approve Sweden’s bid to join […] More
‘Rules of War’ are Complicated, not only in Gaza
OPINION — One of the most common accusations of Israeli illegality in the ongoing conflict in Gaza is that the Israeli Defense Force (IDF) consistently […] More
It’s Complicated: The Use of Race in Military Academy Submissions
OPINION — “We can’t blow past racial tension in the military…There have always been racial tensions in the military. They have lessened, but they are […] More
Containing the North Korean Nuclear Threat will not be easy in 2024
OPINION / EXPERT PERSPECTIVE — On December 18, 2023, North Korea successfully launched a solid fuel, road mobile Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) – Hwasong-18 – […] More
A Psychiatrist’s Take on Those Holding Global Power in 2024
OPINION — As President Joseph Biden enters a key election year in which many national polls show him trailing former President Donald Trump – his […] More