Iraq's Grim Prospects Post ISIL

by Daveed Gartenstein-Ross

In the coming months, and possibly weeks, the Iraqi Security Forces, with the help of a diverse group of fighters spanning the Iraqi political spectrum, will raise the Iraqi flag atop the Ninevah...

A Letter to the Next Secretary of State Re: East Asia

by Dr. Thomas Cynkin

Chinese rivalry with the U.S. for regional dominance will be central to U.S. East Asia policy for the incoming administration.  China’s aggressive use of economic leverage, its mercantilism and...

Underestimating al Qaeda

by Daveed Gartenstein-Ross

The United States and its allies are consumed by their battle with ISIS, but to many terrorism experts, al Qaeda remains a serious force to be reckoned with, one that is actually increasing in...

Instability in the Age of Complexity

by Monty G. Marshall

What most distinguishes human civilization in the 21st Century and during the emerging era of globalization is its ever intensifying complexity. Gone are the terrestrial frontiers and the...

NYPD’s Intelligence Division: Answering the Terrorism Challenge Post 9/11

by David Cohen

In the aftermath of 9/11, every major security, law enforcement, and intelligence organization initiated changes to address the looming terrorist threat. None made more profound changes to its...

Behind Benghazi

by Steven L. Hall

In 2012, after returning from an overseas tour of duty, I was assigned as the senior National Clandestine Service representative to the Central Intelligence Agency’s Office of Congressional Affairs...

Open Up Intelligence Briefings to Third Party Candidates

by David Priess

American exceptionalism comes in many forms. When it comes to intelligence, there has been a unique tradition in the United States for more than 60 years: the current president grants his two...

A Persistent and Resilient Adversary: Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula

by Brian Jenkins

The history of al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) is a tale of 1001 nights that catalogues every dimension of frustration in combatting terrorism: an impoverished failing state, a heavily armed...

In Afghanistan, Special Operators Continue to Burn Both Ends of the Candle

by Philip Lohaus

Things aren’t going so well in Afghanistan these days. The Obama administration plans to reduce America’s presence there by only about half as much as it originally intended, from the current...

Russia's Checkered History of Intelligence Sharing with the U.S.

by Michael Sulick

On July 15, the United States and Russia announced a tentative agreement on Syria which, according to media reports, would establish a joint command center staffed with military and intelligence...