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The Long Arc Of American Power

Walter Pincus

The Long Arc Of American Power

OPINION — “We [the U.S.] began as a sliver of a country and next thing you know we're a continental power, and we did not do that primarily through [...] More

AmericasFine PrintNorth AmericaUnited StatesWalter PincusFine Print

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Ruling Venezuela with a 2,000 Mile Hammer is Not Likely to End Well

Michael C. Casey

Ruling Venezuela with a 2,000 Mile Hammer is Not Likely to End Well

EXPERT OPINION — Rule by proxy just isn’t as simple as the Trump Administration wants to make it sound. While the long-term goals of the [...] More

AmericasLatin America

Why Labeling Muslim Brotherhood “Chapters” as Terrorist Groups Is Problematic

Emile Nakhleh

Why Labeling Muslim Brotherhood “Chapters” as Terrorist Groups Is Problematic

OPINION — The White House this past November issued a Presidential action statement designating certain Muslim Brotherhood “chapters” as terrorist [...] More

Emile NakhlehMiddle East

Uber Krysha: How Russia Turns Crime into Power—and Poison

Gregory Sims

Uber Krysha: How Russia Turns Crime into Power—and Poison

OPINION — Current discussion of Russian "hybrid warfare" tends to revolve around concepts like disinformation, proxy militias, cyber operations, [...] More

RussiaEuropeAlternative Perspectives

Iran’s Crumbling Revolutionary Facade: How Today’s Protests Could Reshape the Region in 2026

Paula Doyle

Iran’s Crumbling Revolutionary Facade: How Today’s Protests Could Reshape the Region in 2026

EXPERT OPINION — I am closely watching the growing size and momentum of protesters across Iran’s cities, rural areas, and pious communities who are [...] More

IranMiddle EastPaula Doyle

Trump’s Power Doctrine: A $1.5 Trillion Military, Greenland Ambitions, and a World Ruled by Force

Walter Pincus

Trump’s Power Doctrine: A $1.5 Trillion Military, Greenland Ambitions, and a World Ruled by Force

OPINION — “After long and difficult negotiations with Senators, Congressmen, Secretaries, and other Political Representatives, I have determined [...] More

AmericasNorth AmericaUnited StatesWalter PincusFine Printmilitary

Now Comes the Hard Part in Venezuela

Ambassador Patrick Duddy

Now Comes the Hard Part in Venezuela

EXPERT PERSPECTIVE — Now comes the hard part in Venezuela. Dictator Nicolas Maduro and his wife are gone but the regime is still in power. Most [...] More

Americas

Maduro and Noriega: Assessing the Analogies

Geoffrey Corn

Maduro and Noriega: Assessing the Analogies

Asked if there were any restraints on his global powers, [President Trump] answered: “Yeah, there is one thing. My own morality. My own mind. It’s [...] More

AmericasGeoffrey CornLatin America

Agentic AI and the “Human-in-the-Loop” Luxury in Modern Defense

Joey Gagnard

Agentic AI and the “Human-in-the-Loop” Luxury in Modern Defense

THE IRON TRIANGLE — Welcome to the inaugural edition of “The Iron Triangle”, my new Cipher Brief column that serves the three pillars of modern [...] More

Joey GagnardTech/Cyber

Iran’s Supreme Leader Should Listen to the People

Ambassador Joseph DeTrani

Iran’s Supreme Leader Should Listen to the People

EXPERT OPINION — The Iranian people are saying they want new leadership. And it’s not too hard to understand why so many merchants, university [...] More

IranAmbassador Joseph DeTraniMiddle East

I've Tracked Terrorist Networks for Decades. I've Never Seen Anything Like 764.

Dexter Ingram

I've Tracked Terrorist Networks for Decades. I've Never Seen Anything Like 764.

EXPERT PERSPECTIVE — In 2021, a fifteen-year-old in a small Texas town started something from his bedroom. He’d dropped out of school. He spent his [...] More

Terrorism

High Risk in Venezuela—To What End?

Walter Pincus

High Risk in Venezuela—To What End?

OPINION — “I knew the possible danger. It was a very dangerous operation. It was amazing that we had a few injured, but all are in good shape right [...] More

AmericasLatin AmericaWalter PincusFine Print

Human Agency in a Technology-Mediated World

Jennifer Ewbank

Human Agency in a Technology-Mediated World

EXPERT PERSPECTIVE — Occasionally, a speech does more than mark a leadership transition or outline institutional priorities. It captures, with [...] More

InternationalTech/Cybernational security