Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

cipherbrief

Welcome! Log in to stay connected and make the most of your experience.

Input clean

Opinion

Why Labeling Muslim Brotherhood “Chapters” as Terrorist Groups Is Problematic

Emile Nakhleh

Why Labeling Muslim Brotherhood “Chapters” as Terrorist Groups Is Problematic

OPINION — The White House this past November issued a Presidential action statement designating certain Muslim Brotherhood “chapters” as terrorist [...] More

Emile NakhlehMiddle East

The Latest

Now Comes the Hard Part in Venezuela

Ambassador Patrick Duddy

Now Comes the Hard Part in Venezuela

EXPERT PERSPECTIVE — Now comes the hard part in Venezuela. Dictator Nicolas Maduro and his wife are gone but the regime is still in power. Most [...] More

Americas

Maduro and Noriega: Assessing the Analogies

Geoffrey Corn

Maduro and Noriega: Assessing the Analogies

Asked if there were any restraints on his global powers, [President Trump] answered: “Yeah, there is one thing. My own morality. My own mind. It’s [...] More

AmericasGeoffrey CornLatin America

Agentic AI and the “Human-in-the-Loop” Luxury in Modern Defense

Joey Gagnard

Agentic AI and the “Human-in-the-Loop” Luxury in Modern Defense

THE IRON TRIANGLE — Welcome to the inaugural edition of “The Iron Triangle”, my new Cipher Brief column that serves the three pillars of modern [...] More

Joey GagnardTech/Cyber

Iran’s Supreme Leader Should Listen to the People

Ambassador Joseph DeTrani

Iran’s Supreme Leader Should Listen to the People

EXPERT OPINION — The Iranian people are saying they want new leadership. And it’s not too hard to understand why so many merchants, university [...] More

IranAmbassador Joseph DeTraniMiddle East

I've Tracked Terrorist Networks for Decades. I've Never Seen Anything Like 764.

Dexter Ingram

I've Tracked Terrorist Networks for Decades. I've Never Seen Anything Like 764.

EXPERT PERSPECTIVE — In 2021, a fifteen-year-old in a small Texas town started something from his bedroom. He’d dropped out of school. He spent his [...] More

Terrorism

High Risk in Venezuela—To What End?

Walter Pincus

High Risk in Venezuela—To What End?

OPINION — “I knew the possible danger. It was a very dangerous operation. It was amazing that we had a few injured, but all are in good shape right [...] More

AmericasLatin AmericaWalter PincusFine Print

Human Agency in a Technology-Mediated World

Jennifer Ewbank

Human Agency in a Technology-Mediated World

EXPERT PERSPECTIVE — Occasionally, a speech does more than mark a leadership transition or outline institutional priorities. It captures, with [...] More

InternationalTech/Cybernational security

Venezuela was a Surprise. What Could be Next?

Glenn Corn

Venezuela was a Surprise. What Could be Next?

CIPHER BRIEF EXPERT Q&A -- Deposed Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro is scheduled to appear in a U.S. courtroom on Monday for the first time since [...] More

Americas

A Trained Eye Sees Strategic Patterns in Venezuela

Masoud Andarabi

A Trained Eye Sees Strategic Patterns in Venezuela

OPINION -- Venezuela presents a long-standing challenge tied to narcotics trafficking and transnational criminal networks. For years, the country has [...] More

Americas

Putin Again Bungles Strategy: Why His War of Attrition will Sink Russia

Gregory Sims

Putin Again Bungles Strategy: Why His War of Attrition will Sink Russia

OPINION — On February 14, 2022, with Russia poised to invade Ukraine, I questioned whether Vladimir Putin’s reign to that point had revealed him to [...] More

RussiaUkraineEuropeAlternative Perspectives

Pope Leo XIV Has an Opportunity with the 2026 World Day of Peace

Ambassador Joseph DeTrani

Pope Leo XIV Has an Opportunity with the 2026 World Day of Peace

OPINION — On January 1, 2026, in his planned first message for the 59th World Day of Peace, Pope Leo XIV will reflect on peace, justice, and global [...] More

Ambassador Joseph DeTrani

Modeling the Earth with AI is Now a Strategic Intelligence Imperative

Mark Munsell

Modeling the Earth with AI is Now a Strategic Intelligence Imperative

EXPERT OPINION / PERSPECTIVE — We are currently witnessing a mobilization of technical ambition reminiscent of the Manhattan Project, a realization [...] More

Tech/Cyber