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The Succession Question Haunting the Kremlin

The late-June 2026 death of Sergei B. Ivanov - the man once thought the most likely successor to Vladimir Putin - as well as the Russian President’s age, his rumored health problems, and the [...] More

Remembering Aldrich Ames and the Lives He Destroyed

“I would never wish death upon anyone, but I have read some obituaries with great satisfaction.” - Winston ChurchillOPINION -- I associate myself with at least the latter part of that quote from [...] More

More from Mark Kelton

Riding the Tiger: Why Xi and Putin’s ‘Axis of Autocracies’ Could End the Way Churchill Predicted

“Dictators,” Churchill observed, “ride to and fro on tigers from which they dare not dismount.” “And,” he added, “the tigers are getting [...] More

Hard Truths Regarding an Unjust War

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is an illegal and brutal war of aggression. Moscow is solely responsible for unleashing this conflict, and the world is [...] More
Here’s How Russia’s Covert War Could Undermine its Own Goals

Here’s How Russia’s Covert War Could Undermine its Own Goals

There’s historical precedent for Moscow to worry. [...] More

When Truths Are Classified and Falsehoods Are Free

OPINION -- What happens when an intelligence officer who has sworn to protect classified information can’t refute an erroneous news report or a [...] More

CIA's Latest Existential Challenge

Today, the Central Intelligence Agency faces a crisis of trust. While CIA officers have long confronted adversaries abroad, the Agency now finds [...] More

As Negotiations Over Ukraine Drag On, What Can Putin Stand to Lose?

EXPERT PERSPECTIVE“How Many Divisions has the Pope Got?” Josef Stalin’s sarcastic, contemptuous dismissal of an appeal by Pope Pius XI to a higher [...] More

How U.S. Adversaries are Eyeing Our Presidential Election

OPINION — Describing the conditions that set the stage for history’s largest, most costly war, Winston Churchill wrote in The Gathering Storm, “The [...] More

Honoring the Oath Taken by Intelligence Officers Means More than Politics

OPINION — A poster I recently saw at CIA Headquarters reminded me of a project on which my late colleague and friend, Patty Brandmaier, and I worked [...] More
The Return of 'Iron Felix' and the Future of Russia's Leadership

The Return of 'Iron Felix' and the Future of Russia's Leadership

After originally being removed in 1997, a replica statue of "Iron Felix" Dzerzhinsky, has now been placed outside the headquarters of Russia's [...] More