Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Welcome! Log in to stay connected and make the most of your experience.

Input clean

Pakistan’s Election Stunner - and the Dangers Ahead 

Pakistan’s Election Stunner - and the Dangers Ahead 

WAHGRIAN, PAKISTAN - FEBRUARY 08: Pakistan voters queue to cast their ballots at a polling station ahead of the start of voting in Pakistan's general election on February 08, 2024 in Wahgrian, Pakistan. Pakistan's general elections are of importance not only for the country's internal stability but also for its geo-political significance. The elections have direct implications for Pakistan's global credibility, particularly in strategic and economic relationships, making it a focal point of international attention and concern as tensions remain high both within the country and in the region. (Photo by Rebecca Conway/Getty Images)

SUBSCRIBER+EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW – It was a stunning result that few saw coming: a clear victory at the polls for Pakistan’s jailed ex-Prime Minister Imran Khan, despite an aggressive campaign by the country’s military to discredit Khan, weaken his party, and - according to many observers - rig the vote. 

It’s also a moment of high anxiety and potential danger for a Pakistan, a nuclear-armed nation that was already home to rising extremism and an economic crisis. 

Keep reading...Show less
Access all of The Cipher Brief’s national security-focused expert insight by becoming a Cipher Brief Subscriber+ Member.

Related Articles

A Good NATO Summit, Though Russia Won a Round

EXPERT Q&A — NATO leaders convened in The Hague this week for a summit aiming to strengthen the alliance's defenses, with the ever encroaching threat [...] More

NATO Wins Will Have an Impact

CIPHER BRIEF EXPERT Q&A — NATO leaders convened at The Hague this week and agreed to raise the alliance’s defense spending target to 5% GDP, marking [...] More

Dead Drop: June 27

THIS WEEK: SURPRISES, SECRETS AND SPY COCKTAILS: This week’s best collection of national security gossip is filled with surprises, secrets and a [...] More

NATO Lures Trump Back - at a Cost

NATO Lures Trump Back - at a Cost

CIPHER BRIEF REPORTING – The stakes at this week’s NATO summit were sky-high – support for Ukraine, a shoring up of Europe’s defenses, and the [...] More

Report for Friday, June 27, 2025

8:11 America/Chicago Friday, June 27 [...] More

The Zbig Biography: No Small Feat!

BOOK REVIEW: Zbig: The Life of Zbigniew Brzezinski, America's Great Power Prophet by Edward LuceAvid Reader Press / Simon & SchusterReviewed by: [...] More

Report for Thursday, June 26, 2025

8:18 America/Chicago Thursday, June 26 [...] More

North Korea’s Sticking Points: Abduction and Uranium Enrichment

OPINION — In September 2002, North Korea’s supreme leader, Kim Jong-il, admitted to Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi that North Korea had [...] More

Report for Wednesday, June 25, 2025

9:20 AM America/New York Wednesday, June 25 [...] More