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Opinion

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

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Why the ‘Double Tap’ Incident Matters Far Beyond a Single Strike

Geoffrey Corn

Why the ‘Double Tap’ Incident Matters Far Beyond a Single Strike

EXPERT OPINION — For about a week we experienced significant controversy over the first military attack on alleged narco-trafficker small boats off [...] More

AmericasGeoffrey CornLatin America

The Push and Pull Between Washington and Beijing in the South China Sea

Emmanouil M. Karatarakis

The Push and Pull Between Washington and Beijing in the South China Sea

OPINION — China uses a layered approach in the South China Sea that blends military power, paramilitary forces, legal instruments, and political [...] More

ChinaAlternative PerspectivesAsiaEmmanouil M. Karatarakis

This is Perhaps Ukraine’s Most Dangerous Time

Glenn Corn

This is Perhaps Ukraine’s Most Dangerous Time

EXPERT PERSPECTIVE — Each of my eight trips to Ukraine since retiring from the CIA in the summer of 2023 has been filled with unique challenges. Each [...] More

UkraineEurope

What It Means Now that Fentanyl is Designated a “WMD”

Walter Pincus

What It Means Now that Fentanyl is Designated a “WMD”

OPINION — “There's no doubt that America's adversaries are trafficking fentanyl into the United States in part because they want to kill Americans. [...] More

AmericasNorth AmericaUnited StatesWalter PincusFine Print

Trying to Impose a Loser’s Peace on Ukraine Is a Dead End

Rear Adm. (Ret.) Mark Montgomery

Trying to Impose a Loser’s Peace on Ukraine Is a Dead End

OPINION — The fate of territory in eastern Ukraine remains the “most difficult” sticking point in the ongoing peace talks, President Volodymyr [...] More

Rear Adm. (Ret.) Mark MontgomeryUkraineEurope

X’s Location Feature Exposes a Real Problem, but Does Not Fix It

Max Lesser

X’s Location Feature Exposes a Real Problem, but Does Not Fix It

OPINION — A new location transparency feature on X is revealing foreign influence on American discourse just as federal agencies designed to deal [...] More

CyberTech/CyberAlternative Perspectives

We Need More Than Just a Command Shakeup in the U.S. Military

Renee Pruneau Novakoff

We Need More Than Just a Command Shakeup in the U.S. Military

EXPERT OPINION — Reports came out last week that claim the Chairman of Joint Staff, General Dan Caine, is preparing a new unified command plan (UCP) [...] More

AmericasNorth AmericaRenee Pruneau NovakoffUnited Statesmilitary

A Blueprint for Next-Generation Defense Production

John Burer

A Blueprint for Next-Generation Defense Production

OPINION — The Pentagon’s push to overhaul its slow, specification-driven procurement system is an overdue acknowledgment that our defense industrial [...] More

Alternative PerspectivesTech/Cybermilitary

The Next Nuclear Proliferation Crisis Is Already Here

Ambassador Joseph DeTrani

The Next Nuclear Proliferation Crisis Is Already Here

OPINION — Russian President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly threatened that Russia might use nuclear weapons if its sovereignty or territory is [...] More

Ambassador Joseph DeTraniNuclear

Anti-Semitism is a National Security Issue: It’s Time to Treat it Like One

Nick Fishwick

Anti-Semitism is a National Security Issue: It’s Time to Treat it Like One

EXPERT OPINION / PERSPECTIVE -- Less than three months ago, two people were killed in a terrorist attack on Jewish people in a synagogue in [...] More

TerrorismNick Fishwick

How the U.S. Military’s Top Officer is Looking at the World’s Hotspots

Walter Pincus

How the U.S. Military’s Top Officer is Looking at the World’s Hotspots

OPINION — “Our [the Joint Chiefs of Staff] job is to present and my job with the Joint Chiefs and others is to present the range of [military] [...] More

Walter PincusFine Printmilitary

The Cipher Brief's Recommended Reads for the Holidays

Bill Harlow

The Cipher Brief's Recommended Reads for the Holidays

BOOK REVIEWS & RECOMMENDATIONS -- Welcome to our annual holiday book review and recommendations list, where we highlight some of the terrific books [...] More

Alternative Perspectives