Assessing the Dangers of a ‘New Nuclear Age’
EXPERT INTERVIEWS — The arsenals of nuclear powers are growing, the number of nations with nuclear weapons may soon rise as well, and Russia has used […] More
Iran
To Defeat Iran’s Proxies in Iraq, the U.S. Should Use an Old Adversary
OPINION — The real war will begin where the last one never ended: Iraq. With President Donald Trump back in office and reaffirming his pledge to […] More
The Pathways to a New U.S.-Iran Nuclear Deal
BOTTOM LINE UP FRONT – In the early days of the Trump administration, talk of peace deals and ceasefires were focused on the wars in […] More
One Month Into U.S. Campaign, Assessing Damage to the Houthis
EXPERT INTERVIEW— For the past month, the United States military has been carrying out its most robust campaign yet against the Houthi militia, which is […] More
The Latest
Dealing with Nuclear Proliferation in a Dangerous Moment
OPINION — Numerous U.S. allies have expressed concerns regarding the nuclear weapons programs of Russia, China, North Korea, and Iran. Most of those concerns have come […] More
Intel Chiefs Detail Top Threats – and Get a Grilling Over Signal Leak
SPECIAL REPORT – The U.S. Intelligence Community’s (IC) annual assessment of threats facing the U.S. puts narcotics trafficking at the top of the list – […] More
Violence in Gaza, Yemen and Syria Tests Middle East – and the Trump Administration
EXPERT INTERVIEW – Just a few weeks ago, the Middle East seemed in a rare moment of relative calm: ceasefires were holding in Gaza and […] More
Oman’s Double Game in Yemen Has Dangerous Consequences
OPINION — For more than three decades, Oman has served in the role of mediator for the resolution of disputes in Yemen. This began after north […] More
Expert Q&A: The Options for Trump 2.0 on Iran
EXPERT INTERVIEW – Almost lost in the Trump administration’s push for an end to the conflicts in Gaza and Ukraine, and its tariff wars against […] More
The Global Shift To Authoritarianism
OPINION — Based on my numerous assignments abroad, my work for the late Director of Central Intelligence William Casey as his Special Assistant and subsequent work […] More
Iran, the Nuclear Program, and Trump 2.0
As the second Trump Administration took office, it found a Middle East landscape that had been transformed dramatically in the last year alone. Nowhere is […] More
How is War Fought in the Gray Zone?
Beth Sanner is a principal member of The Cipher Brief’s Gray Zone Group, a gathering of experts focused on raising awareness of adversarial activities that […] More
How Can the U.S. better manage the Gray Zone?
This is part three in a three-part series by Cipher Brief Expert and former Assistant Director of CIA for South and Central Asia Dave Pitts, who also […] More
Expert Q&A: Understanding the New Russia-Iran “Strategic Partnership”
EXPERT INTERVIEW — Russian President Vladimir Putin received his Iranian counterpart, Masoud Pezeshkian, in Moscow on Friday to sign a “comprehensive strategic partnership treaty.” Russian […] More
Expert Q&A: The Gaza Deal — and the ‘Trump Effect’
EXPERT INTERVIEW — On the day the Israeli cabinet voted to approve the long-awaited ceasefire-for-hostages deal in Gaza, The Cipher Brief spoke with a former advisor […] More
How a Gaza Deal Could Change the Middle East
BOTTOM LINE UP FRONT — Might a Gaza peace agreement bring benefit beyond the besieged Gaza Strip? That’s the tantalizing hope expressed by several U.S. officials […] More
Correcting the Record on the IDF and Lethal Targeting
OPINION — Just because they could, they did. That is the gist of a recent New York Times article suggesting the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) made […] More
What are our Adversaries trying to achieve in the Gray Zone?
This is part 2 of a 3-part series by Cipher Brief Expert and former Assistant Director of CIA for South and Central Asia Dave Pitts, who also […] More
The Hopes for a Gaza Ceasefire – and What Might Follow
EXPERT INTERVIEWS — The final days of the Biden Administration are coinciding with an all-out push to reach a ceasefire-for-hostage deal in Gaza. And in a […] More