Israel’s Fragile North and the Art of ‘Intelligence’ Diplomacy
EXPERT Q&A – Tensions along Israel’s northern border have been increasing over the past several weeks with Iranian-backed Hezbollah firing more than 200 military rockets […] More
Expert View
This Is What Happens When the Basic Rules of War Are Ignored
EXPERT PERSPECTIVE / OPINION — Single incidents of error in battle can and often do have a defining effect on how the public perceives the […] More
Moscow Terror Shows an ISIS Resurgence That Should Worry the U.S.
OPINION — In light of the Moscow concert hall terrorist attack, it’s more likely than ever that ISIS will target U.S. interests abroad as soon […] More
Washington Needs to Focus on Multiple Border Issues for Stronger U.S. National Security
OPINION — The Ukrainian Armed Forces are starting the new year running critically low on supplies. Efforts by Congressional leaders and the Biden Administration to […] More
The Latest
Is the U.S. Helping to Create a New Generation of Global Jihadists?
EXPERT PERSPECTIVE / OPINION — The more Palestinians believe that Washington is condoning the unprecedented devastation of Gaza and the killing and injuring of tens […] More
Avoiding the Secrecy Trap in Open Source Intelligence
Establishing an Independent Open Source Agency Without Security Clearances OPINION — Disclaimer: Integrating the Intelligence Community (IC) after the failures of 9/11 was the challenge […] More
CIA’s Coming Tech Revolution
OPINION — Like many Americans who came of age in the 1980s, I have lasting childhood memories of the Space Shuttle program. The Shuttle program […] More
Russia Is Kind of Becoming a ‘Colony of China’
Russia’s economic struggles in the wake of its invasion of Ukraine are forcing Moscow to become more closely aligned with China, India, North Korea and […] More
Global Sustainability as a Means of Security
Militaries are more rapidly adopting green technology used to counter climate change to bolster their energy security and navigate increasingly complex logistics challenges. The Cipher […] More
Putin’s ‘Gambler’ Mentality is a Wild Card in Global Energy Markets
Interstate relations are normally governed by self-interest and restraint but the ongoing war in Ukraine, when coupled with Russia’s escalatory bent, have rendered predictions about […] More
EU leaders must Strike ‘Grand Energy Bargain’
A streak of mild weather across Europe has finally relented to colder temperatures and the possibility of controlled power cuts in places where energy supplies […] More
Winter is coming, prompting Europe to shore up Energy Supplies
EXPERT Q&A — Europeans are already feeling the cold, even as near-full energy storage capacity and mild weather have worked to avert a full-blown European […] More
Intelligence Community Help Wanted: Open Source Ninjas
OPINION – For those who have been privileged enough to read, write for, or brief the Intelligence Community’s President’s Daily Brief (PDB), the following quote […] More
As Xi Consolidates Power, Nationalism Gains Ground
EXPERT Q&A Read also Is a US-China Face-off Over Taiwan Looming for Subscriber+Members The Cipher Brief: At the 20th CCP Congress, what stood out amid the […] More
Despite moves, Putin loses ground in Ukraine
EXPERT Q&A Read also How Dirty and Dangerous will Putin Get in Ukraine for Subscriber+Members The Cipher Brief: What do you see as the significance of […] More
How Low Is Putin Willing to Go in Ukraine?
EXPERT Q&A The Cipher Brief: Several media assessments suggest that within Ukraine, Russia will turn “dirtier and more dangerous,” replaying to a certain degree past tactics […] More
We Need Consequential Leadership at all Levels in Momentus Times
EXPERT PERSPECTIVES — We are living in times of intense challenges – the biggest war in Europe since World War II, economic stress as we […] More
Welcome to a more Confident and Desperate North Korea
EXPERT PERSPECTIVE — On September 9th, Kim Jong-un, at a session of the Supreme People’s Assembly, made it officially clear that North Korea will remain […] More
The Facts that Putin Cannot Change
EXPERT PERSPECTIVE — As we used to say in government, it could be worse. A single death or wounding, a single destroyed hospital, school or […] More