Putin May be the Victim of his own Reaping Whirlwind
OPINION — “He who sows the wind will reap the whirlwind, as the saying goes,” said Russian President Vladimir Putin during his multi-hour lecture and press conference on world […] More
Putin
As Xi Consolidates Power, Nationalism Gains Ground
EXPERT Q&A Read also Is a US-China Face-off Over Taiwan Looming for Subscriber+Members The Cipher Brief: At the 20th CCP Congress, what stood out amid the […] More
Despite moves, Putin loses ground in Ukraine
EXPERT Q&A Read also How Dirty and Dangerous will Putin Get in Ukraine for Subscriber+Members The Cipher Brief: What do you see as the significance of […] More
How Low Is Putin Willing to Go in Ukraine?
EXPERT Q&A The Cipher Brief: Several media assessments suggest that within Ukraine, Russia will turn “dirtier and more dangerous,” replaying to a certain degree past tactics […] More
Putin’s Nuclear Risk Calculus
OPINION – Russian President Vladimir Putin is making his threats to use nuclear weapons clear. He recently elaborated on those threats after Russia’s recent humiliating […] More
Should We Worry About Putin’s Nuclear Threats?
OPINION — In an interview published by Al Jazeera last Thursday, Russian Lt. Gen. Leonid Reshetnikov (ret.) described as “impossible and would make little military […] More
What the CIA Director Knows About the Russian President
OPINION — No one has described today’s Russian President Vladimir Putin better than CIA Director William J. Burns did last Wednesday at a security forum […] More
The Biggest Winner in Ukraine is Beijing
Toby Esterhase: “You’re an old spy in a hurry, George. You used to say they “The Cipher Brief has become the most popular outlet for […] More
The Unraveling of Russian Spies
OPINION — Last Thursday, Russian President Vladimir Putin congratulated the illegal intelligence department [Division S] of his Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) on its 100th anniversary in […] More
This is How Putin’s Strategic Patience May Pay Off in Ukraine
EXPERT PERSPECTIVE — Russia is gradually beginning to prevail in Ukraine and the West is just starting to lose focus. Neither France and Germany nor […] More
How Lessons from Afghanistan are playing out in Ukraine
OPINION — How much has the United States learned from past history about undertaking major, large-scale military assistance efforts such as the one now underway […] More
The Nuclear Threat Advantage
OPINION — The use of nuclear weapons has drawn much questionable talk since Russian President Vladimir Putin began making threats to use them following Russia’s […] More
The Core of Putin’s Weakness
OPINION — In 2017, I wrote a short piece for Foreign Policy asking if Putin was more a product of his KGB background and personal […] More
Former CIA Officer Alex Finley and her Oligarch Yachts
AUTHOR INTERVIEW — When The Cipher Brief last crossed paths with author Alex Finley, we delved into the exploits of Victor Caro, the central character […] More
Chinese President Xi Jinping’s New Role in Ukraine
And China’s Dissemination of Russian Disinformation OPINION — On February 4th, President Xi Jinping signed a Joint Statement while in Beijing at the Winter Olympics, […] More
What History Teaches Us About Putin
OPINION — As a long-time student of European history and a former SIS officer and senior executive in the CIA’s Directorate of Analysis, I have […] More
Ukraine is Putin’s Forever War
OPINION — Like millions of others, I have been riveted to the unfolding tragedy in Ukraine as the world tries to make sense of this […] More
Putin Isn’t the First Dictator to Invade Ukraine
OPINION — Vladimir Putin is the third modern dictator, after Napoleon and Hitler to make the mistake of invading Ukraine, albeit the first to try […] More