Dealing with a Difficult Iran: Get Smart
Like it or not, the Trump Administration will have to pay attention to Iran. The President’s predecessors, beginning in 1979, have taken multiple paths, usually […] More
foreign policy
Defining Objectives for the U.S.-Iran Relationship
U.S. President Donald Trump and his Administration have been quick to use forceful rhetoric when discussing U.S. policy towards Iran during their first five weeks […] More
Sticking with the Complicated U.S.-Iran Relationship
U.S.-Iran tensions are likely to rise in the coming months. The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) nuclear agreement between Iran and the P5+1 (United […] More
Adm. Stavridis: U.S. Needs Hard & Soft Power for Security
The Trump Administration’s proposal to hike military expenditures at the expense of foreign assistance is being challenged by a group of former military leaders. “We […] More
Why Trump Should Keep Obama’s Cuba Policy
On Feb. 3, White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer announced “we are in the midst of a full review of all U.S. policies towards Cuba.” […] More
Cuba Lingers in Limbo
In an historic proclamation, then President Barack Obama announced in December 2014, “the United States of America is changing its relationship with the people of […] More
Why Trump May Reverse Cuba Policy
President Donald Trump has indicated he will reverse the Obama administration’s policy on Cuba, despite previously saying the deal was fine. The Cipher Brief asked […] More
Trump’s Options for an Unchanging Cuba
I remember remarking to Cuban American friends in Miami some 20 years ago and in the wake of the passage of the Helms-Burton Act (which […] More
America First Equals America Last
The world got a taste last week of what “America First” means: insulting Iraqis who’ve risked their lives with U.S. forces; blacklisting dual-citizen legislators in […] More
Bush, Obama, Trump and American Power
George W. Bush and Barack Obama were, in many ways, polar opposites in world view. The former saw black and white and an eternal struggle […] More
Is a Better Relationship with Eritrea Possible?
The U.S. and Eritrea do not have strong bilateral relations. Ever since UN sanctions were imposed in 2009 and again in 2013, doing business in […] More
Principles to Guide U.S. Military Engagement in the Middle East
Some of the most significant challenges the Trump administration will face are in the Middle East. These include the threat of salafi-Jihadist terrorism, Iran’s efforts […] More
Top Officials Said to Leave State Department Raising Concerns
Four top State Department officials were reported Thursday to have resigned, and the head of the U.S. Border Patrol left his job. The Washington Post […] More
Power and the U.S. Presidency
Today, President-elect Donald J. Trump and Vice President Michael R. Pence will take the oath of office on the western steps of the Capitol building. […] More
Checks on Presidential Power Are Stronger Than You Think
Donald Trump today enters the most powerful office in the United States, and probably the world. Just how powerful, however, is an area of much […] More
Tillerson’s Task: Mastering Mind-Numbing Expectations at State
Exxon Mobil Chief Rex Tillerson, like almost all post World War II Secretary of State nominees, if confirmed, will come to the job with extensive […] More
The Fable of Foreign Policy
The story of the Tortoise and the Hare is well-known across cultures. In some countries, the plot is adjusted and the animals change and become, […] More