Assessing the ISIS-K Threat: Could It Happen Here?
SUBSCRIBER+ EXCLUSIVE ANALYSIS – For months, U.S. officials have sounded vague but ominous alarms about the threat of terrorism in the U.S. – most noteworthy, […] More
Afghanistan
The U.S. Withdrawal From Afghanistan – and Lessons for Ukraine
OPINION — “I think one of the lessons [of the August 2021 U.S. military withdrawal from Afghanistan], if you want to call it a lesson, […] More
Terrorist Groups are Again Thriving in Taliban-ruled Afghanistan
OPINION — Last month, the U.S. Central Command said it conducted 20 joint operations in Iraq and 11 in Syria, killing five Islamic State operatives and capturing […] More
The British Betrayal of an Afghan Special Police Commando Force
OPINION/EXPERT PERSPECTIVE — Two years ago, on August 28, 2021, the final British evacuation flight took off from Kabul airport. So ended 20 years of […] More
The Latest
A Life of Secrets: A Candid Conversation with Michael Vickers
Subscriber+Exclusive Interview — In his new book, By All Means Available: Memoirs of a Life in Intelligence, Special Operations, and Strategy, former Undersecretary of Defense for Intelligence […] More
We Know Afghanistan’s Past but Where is it Headed?
The United States’ policy errors which led to the chaotic exit from Afghanistan were only surpassed by Pakistan’s blunder in championing the Taliban and the […] 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 Ghosts of Afghanistan Haunt Ukraine
OPINION – The world is watching with dread, Russia’s multi-pronged campaign against Ukraine that includes major military operations, cyberattacks, propaganda, misinformation screeds, and possible sabotage […] More
The Afghan Debacle Should Prompt China to Revise its South Asian Policy
This piece was first published by RUSI in London. The views do not represent those of RUSI. EXPERT PERSPECTIVE — While China has tried to rebalance its […] More
What Stands Between the Taliban and Recognition
This piece was first published by RUSI in London. The views do not represent those of RUSI. EXPERT PERSPECTIVE –The international community is coming under increasing […] More
Mapping Afghanistan’s Many Terrorist Groups
EXPERT PERSPECTIVE – The on-going bloody terrorist violence against Shia mosques in Afghan cities like Kunduz, Kandahar, and elsewhere have highlighted the murky issue of […] More
Out of Afghanistan, an Opportunity for Acquisition
Cipher Brief Expert Robert J. Eatinger is former senior deputy general counsel at the CIA. He has 35 years of experience practicing law in the […] More
America Needs Accountability on Afghanistan
Cipher Brief Expert Laura E. Thomas is a former CIA case officer and Chief of Base in Afghanistan, who led sensitive CIA programs at CIA […] More
Wars are not Won by Evacuations
Mark Kelton, Former Deputy Director, CIA’s Counterintelligence, National Clandestine Service Cipher Brief Expert Mark Kelton is a retired senior Central Intelligence Agency executive with 34 […] More
What the CIA’s Fight Against Terrorism Looks Like Now
Cipher Brief Expert Daniel Hoffman is a former senior officer with the Central Intelligence Agency, where he served as a three-time station chief and a senior […] More
Reflections on Ending an Endless War
Cipher Brief Expert Robert Cardillo served as the sixth Director of the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA). Prior to that assignment, Mr. Cardillo served as the […] More
Applying What We Learned from Iraq in Afghanistan
Cipher Brief Expert Vice Admiral Kevin Donegan, USN (ret), served as Commander of the U.S. Navy’s Fifth Fleet and Commander of the 32 Nation Combined Maritime […] More
Why We’re Much Safer from Terrorism Now than We Were After 9/11
Cipher Brief Expert Mike Leiter served in several senior national security positions in the federal government, to include as the Director of the National Counterterrorism […] More
An Afghan View Through the Eyes of an American
Major (Retired) Jason Criss Howk is a former Infantry Sergeant turned Engineer Officer. He has worked with the Afghanistan mission since 2002 assisting the most […] More