Short Half-Life for Peaceful Korean Peninsula after Olympics
Bottom Line: North and South Korean Olympians may be marching together come February after Tuesday’s breakthrough talks – the first between the two sides in […] More
Asia
Korea Talks: Warm Front Before Winter Games
North and Sound Korea have held their first high-level meeting in two years – agreeing to send North Korean athletes to the upcoming Olympics in […] More
China & US Play North Korea ‘Confidence’ Game
Cipher Brief expert Gordon Chang says the U.S. has leverage over China that it isn’t using to defuse the challenge from North Korean leader Kim […] More
Will Trump’s Tough Talk on Pakistan Yield Results?
Bottom Line: U.S. President Donald Trump has threatened to cut off aid to Pakistan to force Islamabad to take a harder line on terrorism. But […] More
Can Xi’s Rising Power Head Off War on the Korean Peninsula?
For this last week of 2017, we asked our experts to predict what they see for the year ahead. CIA veteran and Asia hand Amb. […] More
The Kremlin Is Having a Very Good Christmas. Here’s Why…
For this last week of 2017, we asked our experts to look back on key topics for this year, and predict what they see for […] More
View: Taiwan Teeters Amid Chinese Threats and Lukewarm U.S. Backing
TAIPEI, Taiwan – The recent public threat by a senior Chinese diplomat to invade Taiwan, should U.S. naval vessels dock on the island, illustrates the […] More
China’s Economic-Led Foreign Policy: to “Get Rich, with Purpose”
China’s burgeoning economic and political interests in the developing world – particularly in the Middle East and Africa – will compel Beijing to undertake a […] More
Pakistan’s Military: The Fire Brigade and the Arsonist?
Tensions that mounted during a deadly, Islamist protest in Pakistan last month were resolved not by the country’s civilian government, but by leaders of its […] More
Trump’s North Korea Policy? Tillerson, McMaster Diverge
Conflicting signals about whether the U.S. is prepared to resume talks with North Korea raise questions about what conditions, if any, might be imposed and […] More
North Korea’s Latest ICBM Launch Could Put D.C. In Range
North Korea launched an intercontinental ballistic missile on Tuesday, another step towards its goal of becoming a nuclear power in the world – prompting an […] More
Tentative Deal May See Myanmar’s Rohingya Go Home—But To What?
Are Bangladesh and Myanmar poised to make progress to address the refugee crisis involving hundreds of thousands of ethnic Rohingya? Maybe. “The Cipher Brief has […] More
A Wolf in Mercenary Clothing? Russian Contractors as Gray Zone Tool
Moscow may increasingly look toward private military companies (PMCs), known in Russia as Chastnye Voennie Companiy (ChVK), to exert plausibly deniable and economically and politically […] More
Tillerson: Myanmar Guilty of “Ethnic Cleansing”
Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said Myanmar is guilty of “ethnic cleansing” in its crackdown on minority Muslim Rohingya, driving more than half a million […] More
Trump Tightens Diplomatic Noose on Pyongyang, Hoping to Avoid War
U.S. President Donald Trump announced on Monday that the U.S. government has designated North Korea as a state sponsor of terrorism in a move that […] More
U.S.-Philippine Relations Rebound Under Trump
In the Philippines Monday, President Donald Trump will try to maintain momentum as the U.S. rebuilds its relationship with Manila amidst rising Chinese influence. Ties between the two nations […] More
Miliband: Rohingya Survival Demands Long Term Global Effort
The Cipher Brief spoke with David Miliband, President of the International Rescue Committee (IRC) and former British Foreign Secretary, about how the international community should […] More
Trump and Xi Click But National Rivalries Simmer
U.S. President Donald Trump responded to a flamboyant welcome by Chinese President Xi Jinping with effusive praise, as the two leaders presented a united front […] More