Fix What is Broken: Bringing Technocracy to America
On November 8 last year, Donald Trump upended the American political system with his surprising electoral victory over Hillary Clinton. That result has raised many […] More
State of Play
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 […] More
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 […] More
"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 […] More
Discussing "The Big Stick: The Limits of Soft Power and the Necessity of Military Force"
As January 20th approaches, America prepares for a new Commander-in-Chief, who will face one of the most difficult foreign policy landscapes since the end of […] More
Tracking Down Escobar: The Real Story
“Narcos” is the Netflix fictionalized series that traces the rise and fall of one of the world’s most notorious narcotic traffickers, Colombian drug lord Pablo […] More
The Real Story Behind the King of Cocaine
“Narcos” is the Netflix fictionalized series that traces the rise and fall of one of the world’s most notorious narcotic traffickers, Colombian drug lord Pablo […] More
Security Dynamics Amidst Africa's Armed Conflicts
There has been a downward trend in large-scale warfare on the African continent since the number of wars peaked in the mid 1990s. However, new […] More
Are Humans Planting the Seeds of Their Destruction?
During times like these, it’s admittedly hard to keep things in perspective. I bet that few Americans this past week have been contemplating the long […] More
Getting There is Half the Battle: Veterans Find Joy in the Post-Injury Journey
“My biggest goal was just getting here, but knowing other Vets were here made it easier for me.” Brian is an Army reservist who attended […] More
"Order to Kill": Appealing to America's Derring-Do, Pioneer Spirit
CIA operative Mitch Rapp, the ruthlessly efficient hero of Vince Flynn’s thrillers, has singlehandedly prevented a string of terrorist attacks since the series began in […] More
Spies in the Congo: The Unique Role of the OSS
Susan Williams’ book, Spies in the Congo, provides a well-researched and detailed history of the efforts of the Office of Strategic Services, America’s first strategic […] More
The Fall of Moscow Station: Thinking Outside the Box
Mark Henshaw’s latest spy thriller could have been ripped straight from today’s headlines as tensions between Moscow and Washington continue to mount. The Fall of […] More
Brad Thor’s Foreign Agent Formulaic and Unrealistic, But Enjoyable
Brad Thor’s latest thriller Foreign Agent is the fifteenth in his Scot Harvath series, and finds former Navy SEAL Harvath fighting both ISIS and evil […] More
"Snowden" Wrongly Portrays the NSA as an Outsized Bogeyman
Edward Snowden is back in the news. Oliver Stone’s sympathetic and conspiracy-heavy biopic landed in theaters this month. Meanwhile, a raft of Snowdenistas are leveraging […] More
"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 […] More
Tom Clancy Duty and Honor: A Coming of Age Thriller Without the Geopolitical Intrigue
Duty and Honor is the latest in the multi-volume series by Tom Clancy and his successors featuring Jack Ryan and his son Jack, Jr., who […] More
Daniel Silva's The Black Widow: Eerily Reminiscent
Daniel Silva’s The Black Widow is the most relevant to contemporary events and most chillingly prescient of all his celebrated novels. Gabriel Allon, the art […] More