NATO Debrief with General Philip Breedlove (Ret.)
As NATO members meet in London this week, The Cipher Brief tapped former NATO Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR), General Philip Breedlove (Ret.) to help […]
Opinion
NATO Debrief with Admiral James Stavridis
As NATO members meet in London this week, The Cipher Brief tapped former NATO Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR), Admiral James Stavridis (Ret.) to help […]
Anticipating the Likelihood of Iranian-Backed Attacks
The Commander of U.S. forces in the Middle East, General Kenneth F. McKenzie, recently warned that the presence of an additional 14,000 U.S. troops sent […]
A Strategy for Stopping the Cold War Between the U.S. and China
OPINION — Many in the United States and China believe that we’re in a cold war and that conflict is inevitable. If true, that would be tragic […]
American Foreign Policy on Trial
OPINION – It was supposed to be Senate confirmation hearing for Stephen E. Biegun to be confirmed as Deputy Secretary of State, but really, it […]
Mexico’s Internal War: 5 Questions for Michael Vigil
Mike Vigil is the former Chief of International Operations for the Drug Enforcement Administration. He is one of the most highly decorated agents within the […]
Harry Potter Fans: If Cyber were a Basilisk, It’s the Pipes
It is no secret that Hermione revealed that the basilisk traveled via the pipes in the second installment of the Harry Potter series. When I […]
U.S. Foreign Policy: Blurred and Drifting Dangerously
OPINION — American foreign policy has faded into a confusing and dangerous blur as a result of mismanagement, flip-flopping objectives, political turmoil in Washington and […]
Media and State Control in the Middle East
As street protests continue unabated in Lebanon, Iraq, Iran, Algeria, and other Middle Eastern countries, regimes have used the social media platforms and traditional media […]
How Foreign Leaders Play President Trump
OPINION — Donald Trump as president displays weakness toward those he envies as strong foreign leaders, while he acts like a bully toward leaders he […]
Confessions of a Public Servant
OPINION — Events in Washington last week were gut-wrenching for many, not least for America’s Foreign Service and the two million other public servants of […]
A Note to the IC Workforce on the Whistleblower
OPINION — It is common for the leadership of the Intelligence Community to send notes to the workforce. The leaderships’ thoughts on all sorts of […]
A View of Trump’s America from the Birthplace of Democracy
OPINION — Traveling in Greece on personal business during late October, it was remarkable to hear from a variety of Greeks, their unvarnished views of […]
Behind the Budapest Escape
Undercover readers might remember that we introduced you this past spring to Bill Rapp, a former CIA analyst turned author. He’s an interesting character in […]
A List of Questions for Impeachment Investigators
OPINION — President Trump had showed a change of attitude toward Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and his new Ukrainian government before last July 25, when […]
Emerging Technologies and the Future of Warfare
This Academic Incubator column is part of an academic partnership with the Nunn School of International Affairs at the Georgia Institute of Technology, presenting regular […]
Lebanon’s Arab Spring
The Cipher Brief’s Expert Take column highlights the thinking of our experts based on their areas of expertise. Emile Nakhleh is a former member of […]
What Alexander Hamilton Taught Us About Impeachment
OPINION — More than 231 years ago, Alexander Hamilton foresaw the controversy around today’s impeachment inquiry into President Trump when he published Federalist Paper 65 on […]