The Global Shift To Authoritarianism
OPINION — Based on my numerous assignments abroad, my work for the late Director of Central Intelligence William Casey as his Special Assistant and subsequent work […] More
Opinion
Expert Q&A: ‘No Precedent’ for US-Europe Upheaval
EXPERT Q&A — As Ukraine and other European nations grapple with the past week’s sudden U.S. pivot towards Russia, they are scrambling to find ways to […] More
Expert Q&A: What Would John McCain Think?
EXPERT Q&A — The Cipher Brief spoke to several experts who attended the recent Munich Security Conference, which — as we have been reporting — featured […] More
Expert Q&A: An Anxious Europe Asks, Where Does the US Stand?
EXPERT Q&A — The Cipher Brief spoke to several experts who attended the just-concluded Munich Security Conference, which featured tensions and debate involving the U.S. stance […] More
Trump is Handing Europe its Turn to Lead
OPINION / EXPERT PERSPECTIVE (LONDON) – U.S. President Donald Trump has only been back in the White House for 6 weeks, but the reaction in […] More
JD Vance’s Munich Speech Played Loose with Facts
OPINION — “This December, Romania straight up cancelled the results of a presidential election based on the flimsy suspicions of an intelligence agency and enormous […] More
Expert Q&A: A $300 Billion Answer for Ukraine?
OPINION — The 2025 Munich Security Conference may go down in history as the moment when an eight-decade post-World War II alliance between the United […] More
The Art of Negotiating with Vladimir Putin
OPINION / EXPERT PERSPECTIVE – As talks move forward between the U.S. and Russia with the intention of an agreement to end Moscow’s war in […] More
Expert Q&A: Guam ‘No Safer Today’ Despite US Efforts
EXPERT Q&A — The U.S. has been pursuing a new integrated missile defense system for Guam, a U.S. territory in the Western Pacific that plays […] More
The US Should Not ‘Give Up’ on Engagement with North Korea
OPINION — The absence of any diplomatic engagement with North Korea during the past four years has resulted in a more belligerent North Korea, now more […] More
Expert Q&A: Trump’s Greenland Moves may be ‘Kicking an Open Door’ for the U.S.
EXPERT Q&A — As The Cipher Brief reported last month, Greenland has found itself at the center of the global national security conversation, following President Donald […] More
A Tale of Competing Agendas on Ukraine: Will history judge Trump as a Churchill or a Chamberlain?
OPINION / EXPERT PERPSECTIVE — In coming weeks, President Trump will meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and after that meeting, with Russian President Vladimir […] More
Trump FBI Pick Has More Questions To Answer
OPINION — “I have discussed, as a general matter, with Elon Musk the need for reforms and effective use of the FBI’s greatest asset, its […] More
On Gaza, Trump Says the Quiet Part Out Loud – and Then Some
OPINION — Embedded in President Trump’s shocking proposal to “own” and develop the Gaza Strip are some uncomfortable truths and even some “common sense,” as […] More
Trump is Right to Prioritize Homeland Missile Defense
OPINION — President Trump issued an executive order, “The Iron Dome for America,” on January 27, jumpstarting a major effort to deploy and maintain a “next […] More
Expert Q&A: How Trump’s Gaza Plans May be Both ‘Fantastical’ and Constructive
EXPERT Q&A — The Cipher Brief turned to Bruce Hoffman, a former director of Georgetown University’s Center for Security Studies, for his assessment of President […] More
Expert Q&A: Trump’s Proposal Sparks Call for ‘Practical’ Change in Gaza
EXPERT Q&A — The Cipher Brief turned to Ambassador Dennis Ross to discuss President Donald Trump’s proposal to “take over” Gaza, and the debate it has […] More
Tariffs Overlook Gray Zone Threats Posed by China
OPINION — The recent tariffs against China are obviously getting a lot of attention. China is a major trading partner, so the idea of an escalating […] More