Making Iraq Great Again
It is probably not a bad thing that U.S. President Donald Trump recently dispatched Jared Kusher, his son-in-law and his Administration’s jack-of-all-issues, to Iraq. As […] More
Iraq
Book Review: "Enhanced Interrogation"
Enhanced Interrogation: Inside the Minds and Motives of the Islamic Terrorists Trying to Destroy America is a firsthand account of the CIA’s controversial interrogation program […] More
The Interrogation of Saddam: An Opportunity of a Lifetime
This week, The Cipher Brief’s Executive Producer and Reporter Leone Lakhani speaks to John Nixon, author of “Debriefing The President: The Interrogation of Saddam Hussein.” […] More
Trump Signs Revised Travel Ban, Excludes Iraq
President Donald Trump signed a revised executive order on Monday, temporarily halting entry into the country for people without valid visas from six predominantly Muslim […] More
The Interrogation of Saddam and Dispelling Myths
This week The Cipher Brief’s Executive Producer and Reporter Leone Lakhani speaks to John Nixon, author of “Debriefing The President: The Interrogation of Saddam Hussein.” […] More
Trump Needs Political-Military Plan for ISIS
On January 28, President Donald Trump signed an order for the U.S. military to review the campaign against ISIS and develop a decisive plan to defeat it within 30 days. […] More
Mattis Needs Luck to Explain ISIS Options to Trump
President Trump wanted a military plan from his generals to “totally obliterate ISIS.” Instead, he is getting a series of political-military options put together not […] More
The Vice Closes on Mosul: What Next?
Last Sunday, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al Abadi appeared on Iraqi television to announce “a new phase in the operation” to retake Mosul. “We are […] More
Mosul: One Battle, Six Campaigns for the Trump Administration
Last October, I published a summary of the coalition battle to liberate Mosul from ISIS in The Cipher Brief, stressing that inside the one battle […] More
Mosul: Winning the Battle and the War
The Trump Administration has inherited a complex set of problems in Iraq. Most pressing among them is the ongoing campaign to recapture Mosul, Iraq’s second-largest […] More
Blinken on Challenges in Syria, Iraq, and the Road Ahead
Syrian opposition officials are meeting in the Kazakh capital of Astana to begin talks on a final peace agreement. Representatives from Russia and Turkey are […] More
ISIS Is Producing Weapons Like an Industrial State
Islamic State (ISIS) has engaged in weapon manufacturing on an industrial scale, with output running into the tens of thousands, according to a new report […] More
Living Under the Heavy Hand of ISIS
MOSUL, IRAQ — Ahmed Salam received a printed citation signed by an Islamic State fighter for shaving his beard and wearing tight-fitting, Western-style clothes. Considering […] More
Re-Thinking Iraq: A Problem Can Become a Solution
Should we think of Iraq as a solution rather than a problem? For most Americans, Iraq is immediately associated with words like: disaster, problem, mess, […] More
The Price of Turkish Posturing in Iraq
As Iraqi Army forces enter Mosul proper and anti-ISIS coalition forces encircle the city, the complex and bloody operation to safely wrest a city of […] More
Erdogan and Abadi: Making a Mess
Over the past month, the exchange of words between Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al Abadi has reached a bitter […] More
Ankara's Influence: Asset or a Liability?
The Mosul operation, launched on October 17, has once again highlighted the complicated nature of Turkey’s involvement in the fight against the Islamic State (IS). […] More
Iraq’s Grim Prospects Post ISIL
In the coming months, and possibly weeks, the Iraqi Security Forces, with the help of a diverse group of fighters spanning the Iraqi political spectrum, […] More