Seoul and Washington: Far from United on North Korea
The signs emerging from Washington confirm that the military option is still very much on the table. There is now a breathing space while the […] More
Strategic View
Don’t Let China Start Calling the Shots in Pakistan
The vast size of the proposed China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) has players on all sides struggling to calculate the pros and cons for their […] More
The ‘Indo-Pacific’: Redrawing the Map to Counter China
President Donald Trump, national security advisor H.R. McMaster and Secretary of State Rex Tillerson have begun using the term “Indo-Pacific” in recent months to refer […] More
The Master of Chaos vs. the Iranian Nuclear Agreement
The two-month mark is fast approaching when Congress could reimpose sanctions on Iran, possibly giving leaders in Tehran the right to pull out of the […] More
A Call for an End to Harassment in National Security Workplaces
Alongside news about North Korean missile tests, Robert Mueller’s Russia probe and “Rexit” (Is Rex Tillerson in or out at the State Department?), we are […] More
Open Source Information: Info Ops’ Untapped Weapon
There has been growing discussion about the importance of open source information – both in terms of the power and potential of creating and disseminating […] More
How Putin’s Attempts at Deception Failed in Ukraine
Concealment, imitation and disinformation – tactics known as maskirovka – were part of a Soviet doctrine used by their military and intelligence services – namely […] More
9/11 Commission Director: No Evidence that CIA Sought to Recruit Hijackers
In our continuing drive to spur healthy debate in the national security space, The Cipher Brief is sharing this op-ed from Philip Zelikow, the Former Executive […] More
Islamic Scholars Go Head-to-Head with ISIS Propaganda Machine
The recent terror attacks in Barcelona and Finland stand as a stark reminder of the dangers of not just terrorism, but also the radicalization underpinning […] More
President Trump & the Iran Nuclear Deal – A European Perspective
President Donald Trump’s recent decision not to re-certify Iran’s compliance with the JCPOA has stimulated much debate on both sides of the Atlantic. But whilst […] More
Confronting Iran Doesn’t Have to Mean Scrapping Nuclear Deal
President Donald Trump’s non-certification of Iranian compliance with the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) nuclear deal has shaken the diplomatic firmament, infuriated the deal’s […] More
Venezuelan ‘Government in Exile’ Sets Up Shop in D.C.
Today, Friday the 13th, the Organization of American States puts its stamp of approval on Venezuela’s embattled political opposition when it swears in Venezuelan Supreme Court judges, allowing […] More
How Deterrence Fundamentals Function in Cyberspace
Deterrence is based on the elements of denial (denying an adversary’s attempt to attack our interests) and punishment (inflicting unacceptable costs to the attacker in […] More
Staying with Iran Nuclear Deal is Trump’s ‘Only Real Option’
Donald Trump’s address to assembled world leaders at the United Nations last week raised new doubts about his willingness to renew waivers for Iran and […] More
Cyber Warriors and Cyber Spies Struggle to Strike Balance
On May 2, 2011 the agonizing, decade-long hunt for Osama bin Laden finally ended. The raid by U.S. Navy seals on the walled compound in […] More
Defusing Leakers Means Knowing What Makes Them Tick
Tackling insider threat — everything from leaking classified information to potential workplace violence — is a key part of the National Counterintelligence and Security Center’s […] More
Path Not Preordained: A Profile of China’s Xi Jinping
In 2000, Xi Jinping, the then relatively unknown (outside of China) Governor of Fujian, gave a rare interview to a Chinese newspaper. In this interview, […] More
Remember Cyber Risks When Rehashing NAFTA
With round one of renegotiations behind us, and round two scheduled to begin on September 1 in Mexico City, despite efforts to move quickly, there […] More