Maybe it’s Time for a new Comms Policy after Military Raids
OPINION — On 3 February, US forces attacked an ISIS leadership site in Syria, targeting its top leader Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi. In characteristic fashion, […] More
Opinion
North Korea is Using Time to Perfect its Nuclear and Missile Programs
OPINION — The six missiles North Korea launched in January was a statement — and proof — that North Korea is upgrading its arsenal of missiles to […] More
The Case for a New Social Contract for Arab States
OPINION — According to the DAWN 2021 Annual Report about the Arab world, the region’s peoples “continue to aspire to democratization and respect for human rights.” Tyrannical […] More
Open Source Intelligence and Uncovering Secrets Hidden in Plain Sight
OPINION — The intelligence community (IC) has long struggled with the idea of Open Source intelligence, or OSINT. For the last 80 years, it has […] More
Negotiate Like Putin
OPINION — Russia’s President Vladimir Putin never attended Harvard Business School’s esteemed negotiation course, but in the current Ukraine crisis, he has performed brilliantly, and […] More
How Putin’s Plans for Ukraine Could Pay Off
EXPERT PERSPECTIVE — If Russia ultimately launches military operations against Ukraine, U.S. President Joe Biden has signaled that the U.S. would respond not with direct […] More
The Message Putin Needs to Hear
EXPERT OPINION — “Peace for our time,” declared British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain upon his arrival at Heston Aerodrome outside London on 30 September 1938. […] More
Putin’s Asymmetric Blind Spot
OPINION — Perhaps it is just a reckless Khrushchevesque opening gambit, but Russia’s recent security demands suggest that Vladimir Putin’s condition for avoiding military action […] More
Biden’s Ravens: Leaders to Watch in 2022
OPINION — As President Joe Biden concludes his first year in office, his administration continues to face numerous national security challenges. According to many, Biden’s […] More
A Former Presidential Briefer Rethinks Truth to Power
OPINION — “I think we should stop teaching ‘truth to power’,” a CIA analytic instructor once told me. That was more than a decade ago, […] More
My Worry for America
OPINION — I was a Brigadier General 30 years ago, assigned in Europe as the head of intelligence. Most of the time I was looking […] More
How ‘Xi Jinping Thought’ Can Shape Diplomacy with the U.S.
How ‘Xi Jinping Thought’ Could Shape Diplomacy with the U.S. OPINION — As they prepare for this week’s virtual summit (their first formal meeting since […] More
The U.S. Advantage in Intelligence may not be the Superpower you think it is
OPINION — World conditions are increasingly difficult. China heads everyone’s list as the most formidable of our four main antagonists for many reasons—but especially intimidating […] More
Arab Street Resents the Abraham Accords
OPINION — Wednesday’s trilateral meeting between U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and his counterparts from Israel and the United Arab Emirates capped a series of events […] More
Cyberattacks from Russia and the Targeting of US Businesses
Cipher Brief Expert Dan Hoffman is a former senior CIA Officer, three-time station chief and former senior executive Clandestine Services officer. He is currently a […] More
What Concerns Me Most About North Korea’s Latest Nuclear Tests
Cipher Brief Expert Ambassador Joseph DeTrani is former Special envoy for Six Party Talks with North Korea and is former CIA director of East Asia […] More
Xi Jinping and the AUKUS Submarine Deal
Dr. Kenneth Dekleva served as a Regional Medical Officer/Psychiatrist with the U.S. Dept. of State and is currently Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Director, Psychiatry-Medicine […] More
U.S. Engagement in the Western Hemisphere Needs Attention
Patrick Duddy, a retired American diplomat, is the director of Duke University’s Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies. From 2007 to 2010 he served […] More