St. Petersburg Blast Likely an Act of Terror
Monday’s explosion in a St. Petersburg metro car, which killed at least 14 people and left dozens injured, was described by Russian Prime Minister Dmitry […] More
Terrorism
Former Officials Raise Concerns on Trump Review of Drone-Strike Restrictions
Three former national security officials have raised concerns about President Donald Trump’s reported plans to loosen restrictions on drone strikes. The former officials were responding […] More
Cipher Brief Expert View: Why Electronics Ban Only In Middle East
New rules go into effect this weekend that restrict electronic items in passenger cabins on U.S.-bound flights. The measures are being taken as a security […] More
Network Take: A Lone Lunatic Attack or a Broader Conspiracy?
The man who carried out a deadly terrorist attack in London was British-born and had been previously known to authorities, UK Prime Minister Theresa May […] More
How Al Qaeda Exploited The Syrian Civil War
The Cipher Brief sat down with Charles Lister, Senior Fellow at the Middle East Institute, to discuss al Qaeda in Syria’s latest rebranding, how the […] More
Al Qaeda Takes Advantage in Syria
While the U.S. remains focused on defeating ISIS in Syria and Iraq, al Qaeda in Syria is accumulating strength at an alarming pace and may […] More
Al Qaeda in Syria Can Change Its Name, But Not Its Stripes
Following recent infighting with other Syrian rebel groups in the northwestern part of the country, al Qaeda in Syria appears to have recognized the need […] More
Objective: Raqqa
Despite its fearsome codename, Operation Wrath of Euphrates, the campaign by U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) to capture Raqqa from ISIS has progressed in fits […] More
A Very Long and Nasty Fight
As Iraqi forces close in on ISIS fighters stranded in eastern Mosul – the group’s last urban bastion in Iraq – U.S.-backed Syrian rebels are […] More
No Clear Road to Raqqa
Supported by coalition weapons, airstrikes, military advisers, and now several hundred U.S. Marines, the predominantly Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) have advanced to within 50 […] More
Hawala Networks: The Paperless Trail of Terrorist Transactions
An integral component of U.S. counterterrorism strategy has centered on disrupting terrorist finances. Terrorist groups have exploited resources and industries in various countries – poppy […] More
Minimizing Abuse of Hawalas
Hawala networks and terror finance are in the news again. These networks have been used by ISIS in war-torn Syria and Iraq, and were reportedly […] More
U.S. Efforts to Combat Illicit Financial Networks
The Cipher Brief sat down with Celina Realuyo, Professor of Practice in the William J. Perry Center for Hemispheric Defense Studies at National Defense University, […] More
Tunisia Confronts the Next Phase in Its War Against Jihadi-Salafism
Tunisia is on the front lines of an evolving war against Jihadi-Salafism. The ideology espoused by al Qaeda and ISIS, has already drawn thousands of […] More
Bureaucracy and Jihadism
A number of trends now seem to be accepted truths after nearly 16 years of fighting against jihadi terrorism. We have achieved concrete victories in […] More
What in the World is Happening in Pakistan?
The last couple of weeks have seen almost daily terrorist attacks across Pakistan from a variety of bad actors: February 13: A suicide bombing during […] More
Three Ideas to Consider in Defeating ISIS
After a 30 day review, the Department of Defense has delivered to the White House a preliminary plan to defeat ISIS. While this is an […] More
Understanding the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt
President Donald Trump and his cabinet are pondering an executive order to add the Muslim Brotherhood to the United States’ Foreign Terrorist Organization list. Yet […] More