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
Middle East
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
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
The Clock is Ticking on U.S. leadership in The Middle East
OPINION – It’s no secret that President-elect Donald Trump will be laser focused on his stated domestic and economic agendas when he takes up occupancy […] More
How Trump 2.0 May Deal With Global Flashpoints
DEEP DIVE – As Donald Trump prepares to return to the White House, the U.S. faces an unusually broad set of global security challenges: wars […] More
Advice for Trump 2.0: Cipher Brief Experts Weigh In
EXPERT PERSPECTIVES — In the hours after Donald Trump was declared the winner of the 2024 presidential election, we turned to our network of experts for […] More
The Houthis are Deeply Unpopular in Yemen – and That’s An Opportunity
OPINION — It has been widely acknowledged that the Houthi attacks against Israel and international shipping that followed Hamas’s deadly October 7th attacks last year, were used to defuse […] More
Might Sinwar Killing Lead to Peace in Gaza?
DEEP DIVE — More than a year after Israeli leaders unleashed a punishing war to destroy Hamas, the end for Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar came in […] More
Lessons From Israel’s Operation to Dismantle Hezbollah
EXPERT OPINION — Many may have thought that the Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah was untouchable in Lebanon, and that an unprovoked Israeli attack on Nasrallah in […] More
CIA Director: ‘Very Real Danger’ of Wider Mideast War
EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW – CIA Director William Burns warned Monday of “the very real danger” of a wider war in the Middle East, and urged Israel […] More
Top Counterterrorism Official: Gaza War Has Inspired Dozens of Terror Plots
EXCLUSIVE — The acting Director of the U.S. National Counterterrorism Center (NCTC) Brett Holmgren told The Cipher Brief’s 2024 Threat Conference Sunday that Israel’s war […] More
After Nasrallah Assassination, Hezbollah and Israel Face Uncharted Territory
DEEP DIVE – Hezbollah has lost an experienced, deeply committed leader – and a lot more. Access all of The Cipher Brief’s national security-focused expert […] More
When Spymasters Talk: CIA and MI6 Chiefs On ‘Bully’ Putin and ‘Audacious’ Ukraine Raid
Spymasters rarely say much in public, and when they do, it’s usually a tightly scripted affair. That made this weekend’s joint appearance by CIA Director […] More
What the U.S. Military’s ‘Overwhelming Force’ Means for the Middle East
DEEP DIVE — As the war in Gaza rages, ceasefire talks founder, and the world waits for – and worries about – an Iranian retaliation for […] More
White House Says Gaza Deal ‘Closer Than We’ve Been’
SUBSCRIBER+ EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW – With talks on a ceasefire deal for the war in Gaza in what U.S. officials have called an “endgame,” phase and […] More
How Harris and Walz Would Deal With Global Hot Zones
SUBSCRIBER+ EXCLUSIVE REPORTING – In the tumultuous and often unpredictable 2024 U.S. presidential campaign, this much is clear: the next occupant of the White House […] More
What Happened to Iran’s Promised Revenge Against Israel?
BOTTOM LINE UP FRONT — Cipher Brief Experts suggest a range of possible explanations for Iran’s delay in delivering promised retaliation toward Israel after the killing […] More
U.S. Moving Big Guns to the Middle East to Deter, Protect and Defend
EXPERT Q&A — The U.S. began moving additional military assets to the Middle East in anticipation of a direct attack on Israel after the assassination […] More