An Intelligence Officer's Guide to Dissent
This column was originally published in December, 2016 in The Cipher Brief and served as a guide to outline the ways in which intelligence officers could responsibly respond to what they considered...
Iran, Tankers and the Threat of Greater Destruction
New audio of the seizure of a British-flagged tanker indicates the vessel was too far away from help to avoid being forced to change course by Iranian Paramilitary forces last week.  In audio...
Iran's Next Surprise
When he became Secretary of Defense in early 2001, Donald Rumsfeld publicly expressed his concern about the inevitability of surprise. He often reminded other officials that “The only surprising...
Restoring Deterrence with Iran
Former Senior CIA Analyst Steven Ward provides important context for understanding how the U.S. can best deter Iran and achieve its goals while de-escalating rising tensions. This is Cipher Brief...
How an Escalation to War Could Happen with Iran
A series of events last week led to escalating tensions between the U.S. and Iran. While tensions had seemed to ease somewhat on Friday, President Trump tweeted on Sunday ‘If Iran wants to fight,...