Fighting in Sudan has Far-Reaching Implications
SUBSCRIBER+EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW – Hundreds of Americans fled Sudan over the weekend in two convoys headed for port cities. The U.S. government led evacuations some two […] More
Latest Africa Briefs
Members Only Today’s Global Threat from Terrorism
EXPERT PERSPECTIVE — The US – Europe Group on Afghanistan, which includes special envoys and representatives for Afghanistan from France, Germany, Italy, Norway, the UK, […] More
Members Only An Expert Brief on Economic Security, Investment and Jurisdictional Risk
A rarely discussed but high impact trend that seems to have been amplified by the COVID-19 virus is affecting investment in countries that have traditionally […] More
Members Only Ambitions Driving Ankara’s Actions
A considerable amount of quiet, intense diplomacy is underway regarding conflict between Greece and Turkey over energy resources in the Eastern Mediterranean. US Secretary of […] More
Members Only The OSINT Global Trendline Report
The Cipher Brief’s Open Source Trend Line Report utilizes open source data to track trends around the world that impact national and global security. We break the world […] More
Members Only OSINT Global Trendline Report: The Middle East and Africa
The Cipher Brief’s Open Source Trend Line Report utilizes open source data on a quarterly basis to track trends around the world that impact national and global […] More
Members Only OSINT Global Trendline Report: COVID and the Americas
The Cipher Brief’s Open Source Trend Line Report utilizes open source data on a quarterly basis to track trends around the world that impact national and global […] More
What we’re learning about National Security from COVID-19
As of this writing, Johns Hopkins, is reporting more than 432,438 confirmed cases of coronavirus in the US, and nearly 1.5m confirmed cases worldwide. While […] More
Members Only Profile of a Private Sector Intelligence Analyst
Angela Lewis, Manager of Global Intelligence and Threat Analysis Team at The Walt Disney Company “The Cipher Brief has become the most popular outlet for […] More
Members Only Piecing Together a Fragile Libya
Representatives from Libya’s warring parties began talks in Geneva on Monday. The discussions, known as the Libya Military Joint Commission are led by the UN, […] More
Members Only OSINT Global Trendline Report
The Cipher Brief’s Open Source Trend Line Report utilizes open source data on a quarterly basis to track trends around the world that impact national […] More
Members Only The Cipher Brief’s OSINT Trend Line Report
The Cipher Brief’s NEW Open Source Collection Report (OSINT) uses open source data to track trends around the world that impact national and global security. […] More
Members Only NGA’s Focus Forward Intelligence Mission
The National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency has long relied on a range of technological tools to provide geospatial intelligence (GEOINT) like commercial imaging, remote sensing and human […] More
Members Only Terrorists Stalk Dark Web for Deadlier Weaponry
Bottom line: Terrorists are turning to the dark web’s crypto-bazaars, social media channels and e-commerce sites to buy more coveted military equipment than the usual […] More
Members Only Where Al Qaeda and Affiliates Stand Today: A Conversation with David Shedd
While not in the headlines every day, al Qaeda operatives are still the targets of somewhat regular military operations in places like Yemen. The U.S. […] More
The Global Threat Posed by Al-Qaeda
A United Nations report delivered to the Security Council last month offered a stark reminder that al Qaeda remains a serious threat around the world. […] More
Members Only Infighting Threatens Mali Peace, Creating Space for Al Qaida
Bottom Line: A 2015 peace accord between the Mali government and ethnic Tuaregs in the north of the country has failed to produce economic or […] More
Members Only Diminished at Home, Durable Boko Haram May Go Global
Bottom Line: Terrorist group Boko Haram has lost most of the territory it claimed as a “caliphate” within Nigeria back in 2015. But the group […] More
Members Only Africa in 2018: China Flexes Muscles & Leaders Shuffle Decks
For this last week of 2017, we asked our experts to look ahead at key national security issues. CIA veteran and Africa hand Frank Archibald […] More
Members Only Too Many Generals, Not Enough Troops or Cash to Catch Terrorists in Sahel
A crisscrossing patchwork of African joint security forces have marshalled in North Africa to stamp out terrorism on the continent, with particular focus on the […] More
Members Only African Migration: Scourge or Solution?
Marrakech, MOROCCO — Most African migration is taking place inside the continent, despite the headlines that give the impression that Africans trying to flee their […] More
Members Only Making a Killing: The Nexus of Terrorism and Wildlife Trafficking
The role of wildlife trafficking in funding militancy and terrorism has received intense attention from conservationists globally as well as from members of the U.S. […] More
Members Only AMISOM: A Decade into the Fight Against Al Shabaab
The multinational peacekeeping force known as AMISOM has been losing the momentum in its battle against al Shabaab in Somalia, as evidenced by the massive […] More
Members Only ISIS Eyes Sahel As Next Safe Haven
ISIS has lost approximately 95 percent of the territory it once controlled across Syria and Iraq. The group may now set its sights on establishing […] More