Columns And Op‑Eds

Trump Talks the Talk but Hobbles the Walk

by Ambassador Richard Boucher

President Trump’s first foray into the world of foreign affairs hinged on one issue: can he convey a sense of trustworthy personal and U.S. leadership? Rhetorically, he did fine but at home he...

Why Fragile States Matter

by Carmen Medina

After the stunning collapse of the Iranian regime in 1979, country risk analysts everywhere became desirous of some method to better calculate the risk of political instability in countries across...

America First Except When It Involves Russia

by Walter Pincus

When it comes to Russia, is President Trump following his own guideline, America First, and if not, why? The infamous May 10 Oval Office meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and...

Don’t Be Fooled by Blame Game: WannaCry Shows Gross Unpreparedness

by Doug Shepherd

Despite the insistence of many pundits and technical experts, the recent WannaCry outbreak was – mercifully – a poorly organized attack with a poorly constructed tool. It was, in fact, the best...

Inside Trump’s Long Game on Russia

by General Jack Keane

Scrutiny over President Donald Trump’s relationship with Russia heightened this week as former FBI Director Robert Mueller was selected as special counsel to lead the inquiry into Russian influence...

Why Smart Crooks are Snapping Up Ransomware

by Steve Grobman

Cybercrime is market-driven, with criminals gravitating toward models that maximize their return on investment. Criminals will divest and lessen efforts that have lower returns in favor of campaigns...

The 2017 Fragile States Index: Insight Beyond the Headlines

by John McLaughlin

The Fragile States Index is a remarkable and welcome document in this era of instant national security analysis, delivered in 24/7 soundbites. With the Index, you actually have real data – data...

Can Trump Stay on Script, Out of Trouble on His Overseas Trip?

by Walter Pincus

President Trump’s first trip overseas beginning Friday will test his ability to stay on script, limit impulsive, off-hand, public remarks, and stop controversial tweeting, all of which have caused...

WannaCry Warning: Public-Private Must Come Together

by General Keith Alexander

As businesses wake up to the possibility that the WannaCry ransomware tool will spread beyond the already estimated 200,000 computers already infected across Europe, experts are calling for a...

Changing the “Gotcha” Approach to Insider Threats

by Michael Seage

With the help of big data analytics, the Department of Defense Insider Threat Management and Analysis Center — better known as the DITMAC — is looking to transform the DoD’s approach to the...