Susan Gordon’s Journey from CIA Analyst to PDDNI
The Listening Post is a new Cipher Brief column specifically highlighting the experiences of women in the national security space, in both the public and […] More
CIA
US Foreign Policy and a ‘Bridge to the Unknown’
Cipher Brief Expert John McLaughlin is a distinguished practitioner in residence at the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies. He served as the Deputy […] More
Coronavirus Emergency Presents Opportunity for U.S.-China Diplomatic Cooperation
Ambassador Joseph DeTrani is former Special envoy for Six Party Talks with North Korea, as well as former CIA director of East Asia Operations. He […] More
The Man in the Kremlin is Still Smiling, So What Have We Really Learned?
Cipher Brief Expert and former CIA Deputy Director for Counterintelligence, Mark Kelton wrote for The Cipher Brief back in 2017 that, The Man in the […] More
In Espionage, Bigger Isn’t Always Better
Douglas London is a retired senior CIA Operations Officer and Adjunct Associate Professor at Georgetown University’s Center for Security Studies. Mr. London served 34 years […] More
Better Buying is Key to Russia-China Strategy
Cipher Brief Expert Robert Eatinger is former Deputy General Counsel and Acting General Counsel of the Central Intelligence Agency and retired Captain from the Navy’s […] More
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
The Pensacola Shooting: When Trust Among Allies Fails
The U.S. is considering whether it will expel more than a dozen Saudi Arabian military students after a shooting at a naval base in Pensacola, […] More
What’s Next for Iran?
The killing of Iranian Quds Force chief Qassem Soleimani has drawn sharp condemnation from Iran. American politicians – while agreeing that Soleimani was a threat […] More
Extreme Inequality Will Fuel Middle East Turmoil in 2020
OPINION — As the Middle East bids farewell to 2019 and welcomes the new year, the peoples of the region have precious little to celebrate. […] More
The Most Tiresome Truths on Syria
OPINION — It has been several years since I thought deeply about Syria. And that is a shame, given my long time affection for the […] More
Media and State Control in the Middle East
As street protests continue unabated in Lebanon, Iraq, Iran, Algeria, and other Middle Eastern countries, regimes have used the social media platforms and traditional media […] More
A Note to the IC Workforce on the Whistleblower
OPINION — It is common for the leadership of the Intelligence Community to send notes to the workforce. The leaderships’ thoughts on all sorts of […] More
A View of Trump’s America from the Birthplace of Democracy
OPINION — Traveling in Greece on personal business during late October, it was remarkable to hear from a variety of Greeks, their unvarnished views of […] More
Lebanon’s Arab Spring
The Cipher Brief’s Expert Take column highlights the thinking of our experts based on their areas of expertise. Emile Nakhleh is a former member of […] More
No Longer Worried About ISIS? Think Again.
The killings of ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi and his possible deputy by U.S. special operations forces are major losses for the extremists, ones that are likely […] More
Putin’s Perfect Cover
This week, Russia test-fired an intercontinental ballistic missile from its new nuclear submarine, as Facebook says Moscow is stepping up its efforts to spread disinformation […] More
A Very Decent Spy Behind Home Plate
MOVIE REVIEW: The Spy Behind Homeplate (a documentary) by James Periard James Periard served over 25 years in the Central Intelligence Agency as a Case […] More