"Snowden" Snow Job
The Cipher Brief asked our network member Mark Kelton, the former CIA Deputy Director of the National Clandestine Service for Counterintelligence, for his impressions of […]
Opinion
Instability in the Age of Complexity
What most distinguishes human civilization in the 21st Century and during the emerging era of globalization is its ever intensifying complexity. Gone are the terrestrial […]
North Korea: A Perennial Nuisance
The latest North Korean nuclear test has caused the international community to once again reexamine all of the available policy options for how to hinder […]
Trump's Temperamental Tirade
The real Donald Trump appeared last Saturday evening near the end of a Colorado Spring, Colorado airport rally. The new, teleprompter-controlled persona Trump has become, […]
Don’t Rely on Iran’s Good Intentions
There is a small window of time for the United States and its allies to determine what kind of nuclear technologies are delivered to Tehran, […]
What about Military Families? This Election’s Key Stakeholders Need Answers
Last week, presidential candidates Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump answered questions at the Commander in Chief Forum—designed specifically to allow the candidates a chance to […]
NYPD’s Intelligence Division: Answering the Terrorism Challenge Post 9/11
In the aftermath of 9/11, every major security, law enforcement, and intelligence organization initiated changes to address the looming terrorist threat. None made more profound […]
Memory, Perception, and Perspective
How safe is America today? How safe is the world? As we mark the passage of 15 years since September 11, 2001, many surveys indicate […]
Is Trump “full of sound and fury, signifying nothing?"
Donald Trump is selling himself as a businessman, so let’s see how much he knows about budgets, particularly when it comes to defense. In his […]
Preparing for a Fight Beyond the Next Decade
The Cipher Brief sat down with Matthew Olsen, Former Head of the National Counterterrorism Center to discuss the progress that the U.S. has made over […]
Behind Benghazi
In 2012, after returning from an overseas tour of duty, I was assigned as the senior National Clandestine Service representative to the Central Intelligence Agency’s […]
After ISIS: A New ISIS
In August, U.S. President Barack Obama reassured the Pentagon that the Islamic State will “inevitably be defeated.” U.S. government officials, generals, and pundits have been […]
How the Kremlin Views a Trump Presidency
A potential Trump Presidency provides both opportunities and challenges for Russia and President Vladimir Putin. Putin’s strategic goals are to weaken the U.S., diminish U.S. […]
Trump’s Statements: More than Just Words Abroad
What presidential candidate Donald Trump says on the spur of the moment about foreign events – without understanding, or perhaps caring about its impact overseas […]
Best Of: Essential Knowledge
For this year’s Labor Day coverage, The Cipher Brief revisits Carmen Medina’s discussion of “Essential Knowledge.” Medina’s discussion of internet trends is crucial knowledge for […]
Beware of Boko Haram's Resilience
While claims last week by a Nigerian army spokesman that Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau was “fatally wounded” in an August 19 airstrike should be […]
Divergent Growth in Africa
Downward growth revisions for Sub-Saharan Africa over the past year have tended to highlight the continued impact of external stimuli on the sub-region. The IMF’s […]
Why Nation Building is Needed to "Halt the Spread of Radical Islam"
Before Donald Trump speaks out again on the subject of nation-building, I suggest he – or his staff – study what the Pentagon terms “Building […]