Syria’s Rebellion Could Be a Turning Point for Axis of US Adversaries
OPINION — The Ukraine war has often been characterized as a precipitating factor in the growing alignment of the United States’ key adversaries—China, Russia, Iran, and […] More
Iran
8 Global Security Questions For 2025
SPECIAL REPORT — Given how unpredictable 2024 proved to be – did anyone foresee the fall of Bashar Al-Assad, the decapitation of Hezbollah, an invasion of […] More
2024: 10 Great Cipher Brief Conversations
SPECIAL REPORT — In a year of world-changing events – from the Middle East to Ukraine, cyberattacks to undersea cable attacks, and much more – The […] More
Memo to the 47th President: A New and Dangerous Middle East
EDITOR’S NOTE — Since Donald Trump’s victory in the November 5 election, The Cipher Brief has reached out to our network of experts for thoughts on what the […] More
Supreme Leader Khamenei’s Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Year
“Fate is a wheel that turns; in our pride, we sometimes forget how swiftly it can crush us beneath it.” – Attributed to Shah Ismail […] More
Syria, One Week Later: Reflections on a Revolution
BOTTOM LINE UP FRONT — In the week since Syrian rebels captured the capital, Damascus, ending the half-century rule of the Assad family in stunningly rapid […] More
Memo to the President: A ‘Perfect Pressure Campaign’ Against Iran
MEMO TO THE PRESIDENT — Since Donald Trump’s victory in the November 5 election, The Cipher Brief has reached out to our network of experts for their thoughts […] More
After Syria’s Revolution, Turkey Holds Keys to What Comes Next
EXPERT INTERVIEWS — The stunning uprising in Syria will have ripple effects that reach far from Damascus and the other cities that the rebels captured […] More
Post-Assad Syria: ‘Now Comes the Hard Part’
EXPERT INTERVIEW — The headlines would have seemed fanciful two weeks ago: “Rebel Army Ousts Assad” – “The Fall of Assad” – “Assad Flees to Russia” […] More
Syria’s Political Earthquake – and What Comes Next
DEEP DIVE – The Assad family – Hafez al-Assad and then his son Bashar – ruled Syria for 53 years. Their regimes were known for […] More
In Syria Rebellion, Questions for Assad, the US and the Middle East
DEEP DIVE — Even by the standards of the Middle East, it’s been a volatile and violent year – from Gaza to Lebanon to the […] More
The Consequences of the Syrian Rebellion
EXPERT INTERVIEW — An already volatile Middle East has a new frontline: Syria. Actually, it’s an old frontline that’s returned to the fore, as Syrian rebels […] More
Memo to the 47th President: A Roadmap for the US and the Middle East
MEMO TO THE PRESIDENT — After Donald Trump’s victory in the November 5 election, The Cipher Brief invited experts from our network to offer advice for […] More
The ‘New Middle East’ That Awaits Donald Trump
EXPERT INTERVIEW — Less than two months before the inauguration of Donald Trump as the 47th U.S. president, the headlines from the Middle East are […] More
Inside Iran’s Alleged Plots to Kill Donald Trump
DEEP DIVE — For years, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has tried and failed at all sorts of half-baked schemes to eliminate enemies living in […] More
Memo to the 47th President: The Psychology of America’s Adversaries Matters
MEMO TO THE PRESIDENT — Since Donald Trump’s victory in the November 5 election, The Cipher Brief has reached out to our network of experts for their thoughts […] More
Iran’s ‘Ring of Fire’ Is In Trouble. What Comes Next?
DEEP DIVE — It may be the most consequential change to the Middle East since the October 7, 2023 Hamas attacks against Israel, and the wars […] More
How Trump’s Win Alters the Landscape in the Middle East
DEEP DIVE — The Middle East has changed dramatically since President Donald Trump left office in 2021. An always-tense part of the world has seen an […] More