The Challenge of Liaison Operations in Autocratic Regimes
As Turkish officials continue to release details that draw a gruesome picture of the apparent murder of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi, the level of […] More
CIA
Erdogan Positioning Turkey as the Center of the Muslim World
Bottom Line Up Front The disappearance and likely murder of Jamal Khashoggi in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul is the latest episode in an on-again, […] More
An Interview with the CIA’s former Magic Man
In “Under Cover” we bring readers reviews of current books on national security matters, news about new releases, and Q’s & A’s with authors, publishers, […] More
Who is CIA’s New Number 2?
Not surprisingly, the man who President Trump is appointing as the next Deputy Director of the CIA managed to maintain a low public profile during […] More
Prepping the President for the Helsinki Summit
For decades, former secretary of state and White House chief of staff James Baker has touted his version of a salty military catchphrase as a good-government […] More
U.S. – Russia Summit Likely to Kick Spying Efforts into High Gear
As details are released about the upcoming summit between the U.S. and Russia, Intelligence Officers are expected to ramp up collection efforts in order to […] More
The U.S. Intelligence Mission Targeting North Korea
Shortly after he was sworn in as Director CIA in January of 2017, now-Secretary of State Mike Pompeo made some bold moves that put renewed […] More
The Russia Threat is More Comprehensive than you Think
Russia. We hear and read about it every day in the mainstream media, but the news seems almost exclusively focused on the various investigations of […] More
Are We Headed for a ‘Cyber Cuban Missile Crisis’ with Russia?
Bottom Line: The risk posed to U.S. national security by what are believed to be Russian-backed hacking groups, is similar to the October 1962 Cuban […] More
In Defense of the CIA’s Moral Compass
In a recent op-ed published in the Wall Street Journal, titled ‘At the CIA, Immorality Is Part of the Job’, a retired lawyer and former […] More
The Tasks & Opportunities Facing Gina Haspel
Gina Haspel assumes the position of D/CIA admirably prepared in all possible respects — in general, of course, given 33 years with the agency, and specifically, having […] More
Best Of: Gina Haspel, Unfiltered
On Thursday, May 17, the Senate voted 54-45 to confirm Gina Haspel as Director of the Central Intelligence Agency, despite concerns over her role in […] More
A Personal Plea in Support of Haspel’s Nomination
Observers counting potential Senate votes for the nominee to become the next Director of the Central Intelligence Agency say Gina Haspel’s prospects look pretty good. […] More
Inside Haspel’s Hearing Room
If you watched the questioning of the President’s nominee for Director of Central Intelligence on C-SPAN, you probably missed the significant display of U.S. Intelligence […] More
Exclusive: 72 Former CIA Officers Endorse Haspel for CIA Director
It’s finally Gina Haspel’s turn to be heard after weeks of back and forth between supporters and critics of her nomination as the next Director […] More
Hard Questions about Gina Haspel’s Appropriateness to Lead CIA
As the senate prepares for what is expected to be a close vote this week on the nomination of Gina Haspel to become the next […] More
Banning Transgender Soldiers Will Damage National Security
“Who is a Homo?” ponders an internal CIA document written in 1980 to help investigators identify and purge gay CIA officers. “The homosexual is a […] More
Why Intelligence Matters
Former Acting CIA Director Michael Morell is debuting season two of his popular podcast ‘Intelligence Matters’ in partnership with CBS News this week. The Cipher […] More