Very Mixed Results So Far in Trump-Led Shake-Up
The shake-up that Donald Trump voters wanted when they put him into the Oval Office has begun – with very mixed results. Trump’s ill-prepared, travel […]
Opinion
Bush, Obama, Trump and American Power
George W. Bush and Barack Obama were, in many ways, polar opposites in world view. The former saw black and white and an eternal struggle […]
Haspel Hailed by CIA Vets
We’re revisiting a 2017 piece, when Gina Haspel was nominated to become the CIA’s deputy director, after Tuesday’s news that President Donald Trump is nominating […]
Enhanced Interrogation 2.0: The Untenable Position of CIA Officers
On January 25, 2017, during his first post-election press interview, President Donald Trump was asked, “do you want waterboarding?” In his response, the President said, […]
Mitigating Harm from a Breach of Internet-Connected Devices
The Internet of Things (IoT), a phenomenon of everyday Internet-connected devices ranging from smart appliances to webcams and routers, is making the lives of companies, […]
It’s Only Just Begun: The Detainment and Removal of Illegal Immigrants
Prepare yourselves. The travel ban fiasco is just the beginning. Ignored so far in last week’s Executive Order on Border Security and Immigration Enforcement Security […]
An Exclusive, Personal Chat with Edward Snowden’s Former Boss
Steven Bay has held his secrets and his struggles close for nearly four years now. Bay was Edward Snowden’s boss in June of 2013 when […]
The Haunting Images from Syria: A review of "A Whole World Blind"
The fighting in Syria – and ever-rising death toll of civilians caught in the middle – is so horrifying that many seemingly have chosen to […]
What Is a Secure Border?
Many of us have seen decades of sporadic attention given to the security of our border, but I believe we are now better positioned to […]
It’s a Win-Win-Win Scenario for Russia
Even before the release of the unclassified version of the U.S. intelligence community’s conclusions regarding Russian hacking and involvement in the U.S. presidential elections, before […]
Reality Has Got to Set In: The Trump Administration and the Defense Budget
For a moment, try to ignore President Donald Trump’s tweets and rambling speeches and let’s look at what the Trump administration may be thinking about […]
The Many Faces of Vladimir Putin: A Political Psychology Profile
In 2000, Russia’s President Vladimir Putin, then a relative unknown outside of Russia, visited Japan. Part of his trip included a visit to the Kodokan, […]
The World We’ve Created: A Review of "True Faith and Allegiance"
When the Cipher Brief folks asked me to review the latest “Tom Clancy” novel, I was hesitant. I already have a pile of books that […]
IC Says Goodbye to one of its Highest Ranking Women
Sometimes the best state secret isn’t a secret—it’s a person. Stephanie O’Sullivan spent the bulk of her career keeping secrets for the United States Intelligence […]
Pushing Back on Snowden: A Review of "How America Lost Its Secrets"
Edward Epstein began his career as an investigative journalist while he was still a graduate student at Cornell more than a half century ago, taking […]
President-elect Trump: Can He Keep His Eyes on the Road?
“The great thing about being around Donald Trump is, you never have any confusion about who is driving the bus,” Vice President-elect Mike Pence said […]
Putin’s Perfect Gift
Noon on January 20th provides an excellent opportunity for Russian President Vladimir Putin to give President-Elect Donald Trump the perfect inauguration gift – Edward Snowden. […]
"Patriots Day," a Patriotic Film and Stark Reminder: A Review
Let me start this with a confession: this is my first movie review. It’s not something I thought I would ever do, but I was […]