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Opinion

The Real Impact of a Nuclear Bomb

Walter Pincus

The Real Impact of a Nuclear Bomb

FINE PRINT / OPINION — “This report explores the environmental effects and societal and economic consequences that would be expected to follow in the [...] More

Walter PincusNuclear

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Expert Q&A: Former CENTCOM Commander on U.S. Troops in the Middle East

General Frank McKenzie (Ret.)

Expert Q&A: Former CENTCOM Commander on U.S. Troops in the Middle East

EXPERT Q&A — The American force posture in the Middle East — some 40,000 troops spread across the region — came into focus following the 12-day war [...] More

IranMiddle East

The Peacewalkers: How the West Went to War in 2022

Dmytro Natalukha, MP

The Peacewalkers: How the West Went to War in 2022

“The protagonists of 1914 were sleepwalkers, watchful but unseeing, haunted by dreams, yet blind to the reality of the horror they were about to [...] More

UkraineEuropeAlternative Perspectives

Iran is a Terrorist State

Ambassador Joseph DeTrani

Iran is a Terrorist State

OPINION — Since 1984, Iran has been designated a state sponsor of terrorism. The designation is justified, given Iran’s continued support of proxies [...] More

Middle EastAmbassador Joseph DeTrani

The Golden Dome is Missing a Key Focus

Renee Pruneau Novakoff

The Golden Dome is Missing a Key Focus

EXPERT PERSPECTIVE / OPINION – On January 27, 2025, President Trump signed an Executive Order aimed at defending the U.S. against an attack by [...] More

Renee Pruneau Novakoff

Getting NATO to Be Able to 'Fight Tonight'

Lt. Gen. Ben Hodges (Ret.)

Getting NATO to Be Able to 'Fight Tonight'

EXPERT Q&A — Last week’s NATO summit in The Hague was largely seen as a success, with all members (except Spain) agreeing to raise the alliance’s [...] More

Europe

The Math Behind Trump's $1 Trillion Defense Budget

Walter Pincus

The Math Behind Trump's $1 Trillion Defense Budget

OPINION — “The President's FY ‘26 [Fiscal Year 2026] National Defense Budget requests $1.01 trillion, which is a 13 percent increase from FY '25 [...] More

Walter PincusFine Printmilitary

The Downward Spiral of Western Counterintelligence

Julian McBride

The Downward Spiral of Western Counterintelligence

OPINION — Counterintelligence is one of the most vital functions of the intelligence community, helping protect against foreign threats. [...] More

IntelligenceAlternative Perspectives

An Urgent Call to Close the Loopholes on Chips and China

Rear Adm. (Ret.) Mark Montgomery

An Urgent Call to Close the Loopholes on Chips and China

EXPERT PERSPECTIVE / OPINION -- The core lessons from the Cold War should guide us as we face the new “Axis of Aggressors” today. First among these, [...] More

ChinaRear Adm. (Ret.) Mark MontgomeryTech/CyberAsia

A Good NATO Summit, Though Russia Won a Round

General Philip M. Breedlove

A Good NATO Summit, Though Russia Won a Round

EXPERT Q&A — NATO leaders convened in The Hague this week for a summit aiming to strengthen the alliance's defenses, with the ever encroaching threat [...] More

Europe

NATO Wins Will Have an Impact

Rear Adm. (Ret.) Mark Montgomery

NATO Wins Will Have an Impact

CIPHER BRIEF EXPERT Q&A — NATO leaders convened at The Hague this week and agreed to raise the alliance’s defense spending target to 5% GDP, marking [...] More

RussiaRear Adm. (Ret.) Mark MontgomeryUkraineNATOEurope

North Korea’s Sticking Points: Abduction and Uranium Enrichment

Ambassador Joseph DeTrani

North Korea’s Sticking Points: Abduction and Uranium Enrichment

OPINION — In September 2002, North Korea’s supreme leader, Kim Jong-il, admitted to Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi that North Korea had [...] More

Ambassador Joseph DeTraniAsia

What Was Trump Thinking When He Ordered the Strike on Iran?

Walter Pincus

What Was Trump Thinking When He Ordered the Strike on Iran?

OPINION / FINE PRINT — “I want to thank and congratulate Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu. We worked as a team like perhaps no team has ever worked [...] More

Middle EastWalter PincusFine Print