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The World Leaders to Watch in 2026

Kenneth Dekleva

The World Leaders to Watch in 2026

OPINION — The recent release of President Trump’s new National Security Strategy (NSS), with its emphasis on “the Trump corollary to the Monroe [...] More

national securityAlternative Perspectives

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This is Perhaps Ukraine’s Most Dangerous Time

Glenn Corn

This is Perhaps Ukraine’s Most Dangerous Time

EXPERT PERSPECTIVE — Each of my eight trips to Ukraine since retiring from the CIA in the summer of 2023 has been filled with unique challenges. Each [...] More

UkraineEurope

What It Means Now that Fentanyl is Designated a “WMD”

Walter Pincus

What It Means Now that Fentanyl is Designated a “WMD”

OPINION — “There's no doubt that America's adversaries are trafficking fentanyl into the United States in part because they want to kill Americans. [...] More

AmericasNorth AmericaUnited StatesWalter PincusFine Print

Trying to Impose a Loser’s Peace on Ukraine Is a Dead End

Rear Adm. (Ret.) Mark Montgomery

Trying to Impose a Loser’s Peace on Ukraine Is a Dead End

OPINION — The fate of territory in eastern Ukraine remains the “most difficult” sticking point in the ongoing peace talks, President Volodymyr [...] More

Rear Adm. (Ret.) Mark MontgomeryUkraineEurope

X’s Location Feature Exposes a Real Problem, but Does Not Fix It

Max Lesser

X’s Location Feature Exposes a Real Problem, but Does Not Fix It

OPINION — A new location transparency feature on X is revealing foreign influence on American discourse just as federal agencies designed to deal [...] More

CyberTech/CyberAlternative Perspectives

We Need More Than Just a Command Shakeup in the U.S. Military

Renee Pruneau Novakoff

We Need More Than Just a Command Shakeup in the U.S. Military

EXPERT OPINION — Reports came out last week that claim the Chairman of Joint Staff, General Dan Caine, is preparing a new unified command plan (UCP) [...] More

AmericasNorth AmericaRenee Pruneau NovakoffUnited Statesmilitary

A Blueprint for Next-Generation Defense Production

John Burer

A Blueprint for Next-Generation Defense Production

OPINION — The Pentagon’s push to overhaul its slow, specification-driven procurement system is an overdue acknowledgment that our defense industrial [...] More

Alternative PerspectivesTech/Cybermilitary

The Next Nuclear Proliferation Crisis Is Already Here

Ambassador Joseph DeTrani

The Next Nuclear Proliferation Crisis Is Already Here

OPINION — Russian President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly threatened that Russia might use nuclear weapons if its sovereignty or territory is [...] More

Ambassador Joseph DeTraniNuclear

Anti-Semitism is a National Security Issue: It’s Time to Treat it Like One

Nick Fishwick

Anti-Semitism is a National Security Issue: It’s Time to Treat it Like One

EXPERT OPINION / PERSPECTIVE -- Less than three months ago, two people were killed in a terrorist attack on Jewish people in a synagogue in [...] More

TerrorismNick Fishwick

How the U.S. Military’s Top Officer is Looking at the World’s Hotspots

Walter Pincus

How the U.S. Military’s Top Officer is Looking at the World’s Hotspots

OPINION — “Our [the Joint Chiefs of Staff] job is to present and my job with the Joint Chiefs and others is to present the range of [military] [...] More

Walter PincusFine Printmilitary

The Cipher Brief's Recommended Reads for the Holidays

Bill Harlow

The Cipher Brief's Recommended Reads for the Holidays

BOOK REVIEWS & RECOMMENDATIONS -- Welcome to our annual holiday book review and recommendations list, where we highlight some of the terrific books [...] More

Alternative Perspectives

Why an Unmanned Mission May be Most Effective in Venezuela

Joey Gagnard

Why an Unmanned Mission May be Most Effective in Venezuela

OPINION — Wars are increasingly fought by unconventional means. A recent example is Ukrainian insertion of unmanned aerial systems (UAS) to attack [...] More

AmericasJoey GagnardLatin America

America’s Antibiotic Weakness Is a National Security Blindspot

Barry C. Buckland

America’s Antibiotic Weakness Is a National Security Blindspot

OPINION – Offshoring and outsourcing antibiotic production to China and India is putting America’s access to lifesaving medicines at risk. It’s time [...] More

Tech/CyberAlternative Perspectives