Latest columns

Infighting in Tehran

by Intel Brief

Bottom Line Up Front: Political infighting within Iran’s leadership over how to respond to the Trump Administration policy toward Tehran has convinced U.S. officials that their efforts are...

Is the U.S. Southern Border Any Safer Today?

by Michael Fisher

Statistics show that illegal entries along the U.S.’ southwest border peaked in March 2000, with 220,063 people captured.  Capture numbers have fluctuated modestly, but have been in steady...

Neo-Nazis, Right-Wing Revanchism and an Anxious Germany

by Intel Brief

The recent anti-immigrant mobs in Chemnitz, Germany, were stunning in their open embrace of racist ideology and Neo-Nazi propaganda. Germany has long suffered from residual undercurrents of...

IS' Strategy in Iraq and Syria

by Intel Brief

From ‘Remain and Expand’ to ‘Adapt and Evolve’ Small pockets of Islamic State fighters have regrouped throughout parts of Iraq and Syria. Jihadists are becoming more brazen, executing...

What Senator John McCain Knew About Russia

by Daniel Hoffman

For those who knew him, it is no surprise that the late Senator John McCain approached the national and global security threats posed by Russia with a confident clarity in what he felt needed to be...

Al Qaeda's Achilles Heel: Leadership

by Admiral Sandy Winnefeld

Al-Qaeda leader Ayman al Zawahiri recently released a video calling on Muslims to unite against what he calls an “international infidel alliance”.  The video was released as U.S. Ambassador to...

Inside DHS' Intelligence Mission

by Todd Rosenblum

The Department of Homeland Security’s Office of Intelligence and Analysis (I&A) was borne from the idea that there were real gaps in seeing threat patterns inside the United States, and...

Boosting U.S. Hypersonic Capabilities

by Walter Pincus

This is Cipher Brief Level I Member Only content. It can be accessed via login or by signing up to become a Cipher Brief Member.  Joining this high-level, security-focused community is only...

U.S. Needs More Focus on Terrorist Threat in Indonesia

by Alasdair Gordon

Recent terrorist incidents in Indonesia, the largest Muslim country in the world, with a population of 260 million, have again raised concerns about growing extremist Islamist influence in the...

Securing America's Technological Advantage

by Stephanie Douglas

Cipher Brief Expert Stephanie Douglas, former Executive Assistant Director (EAD) National Security Branch, FBI weighs in on the practical challenges that U.S. businesses face in securing their...