Lebanon’s New Leadership Offers Hope After Chaos
EXPERT INTERVIEW — Lebanon’s parliament elected Joseph Aoun, the commander of the Lebanese Armed Forces, as the country’s new president on January 9, ending a deadlock […]
Opinion
The world can’t afford another ‘Mafia Don’ war when it comes to Russia
EXPERT PERSPECTIVE / OPINION – The upcoming peaceful inauguration of the next U.S. president should serve as a reminder to the world of the virtues […]
Assessing Trump’s Panama Canal Claims
OPINION — “Whether a President is serious, particularly one like [President-elect] Donald Trump, he says a lot of things he doesn’t follow up on. He also […]
Syria’s Rebellion Could Be a Turning Point for Axis of US Adversaries
OPINION — The Ukraine war has often been characterized as a precipitating factor in the growing alignment of the United States’ key adversaries—China, Russia, Iran, and […]
The New Administration Meets the Intelligence Community: What Should We Expect?
OPINION — I’ve been wondering what I would say to my former government colleagues at this time of imminent change if I was still working among […]
How Trump Could End the Ukraine War
Expert View — President-elect Donald Trump said on Thursday that his team is setting up a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin to discuss the end […]
A Dangerous Moment for Venezuela – and the Region
EXPERT INTERVIEW — Nicolas Maduro is set to be inaugurated for his third term as president of Venezuela on Friday. He will be sworn in […]
The Undersea Cable War Hits Taiwan
EXPERT INTERVIEW — Undersea cables have been dominating the headlines in recent months – specifically, repeated episodes in which damage has been done to this unseen […]
Memo to the 47th President: A Ukraine Deal Would be Good; Russia’s Defeat Even Better
EDITOR’S NOTE — Since Donald Trump’s victory in the November 5 election, The Cipher Brief has reached out to our network for thoughts on what the priorities ought to […]
Trump Administration’s Counterterrorism Policy Should Begin at Golan Heights
EXPERT PERSPECTIVE / OPINION — We’ve seen all this before, the U.S. mission in Syria is not mission complete – it was not in 2018 […]
How Ukraine’s New Push in Kursk Can Change the War
OPINION — Ukrainian forces launched a fresh offensive into Russia’s western Kursk region over the weekend, trying to surprise Russian forces – and the North Korean […]
Trump, Greenland, and a History of Intrigue
OPINION — “For purposes of National Security and Freedom throughout the World, the United States of America feels that the ownership and control of Greenland is an […]
In China and North Korea, Trump’s Personal Diplomacy Might Work
OPINION — President-elect Donald Trump has reportedly invited Chinese President Xi Jinping to attend the inauguration on January 20th. With this invitation, it appears that Trump […]
How can Europe win the battle for President Trump’s Ukraine policy
OPINION — Let us hope that the nadir of European delusion was reached on 7th December when a TV commentator at the reopening of Notre Dame […]
In Lithuania, Fears of Being ‘Next on the Menu’ for Russian Aggression
EXPERT INTERVIEW — Russia’s pursuit to expand its influence in the former Soviet sphere is in full swing — and manifesting itself in different ways. Russia’s […]
U.S. Mission in Space: Maintaining Credibility to Deter
OPINION — “Space is a warfighting domain. Therefore, the Space Force cannot simply be a support element. It is our job to contest and control […]
Memo to the 47th President: Give Ukraine What It Needs to Win
EDITOR’S NOTE — Since Donald Trump’s victory in the November 5 election, The Cipher Brief has reached out to our network of experts for thoughts on what […]
Can the HTS Rebels Unify a Post-Assad Syria?
OPINION — The lightning speed with which Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, or HTS, toppled the brutal Assad regime in Syria signaled the demise of global Islamic jihad, […]
The Spirit of Democracy in South Korea
OPINION — South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol’s decision to impose martial law in South Korea was a desperate and cowardly attempt to stifle free speech […]