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
North Korea
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
5 Hours That Shook South Korea – and What Comes Next
EXPERT INTERVIEW — It was a shock that few saw coming – and which brought memories of South Korea’s days as a military dictatorship, a generation […] More
Memo to the 47th President: There’s a Way Forward on North Korea
MEMO TO THE PRESIDENT — To the President-elect: North Korea spent almost thirty years trying to normalize relations with the U.S., knowing it would legitimize the […] More
The Latest
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
The World Trump Will Face: No Stability Here
OPINION — The so-called “Axis of Authoritarian” states – Russia, China, Iran and North Korea – pose an immediate threat to the international world order. […] More
The Danger of War on the Korean Peninsula
OPINION — North Korea’s enhanced allied relationship with Russia, and leader Kim Jong Un’s decision to send troops to aid Russia in its war of aggression […] More
Ex-Ukraine Defense Minister: Russia ‘Trying to Grow the War’ with North Korean Troops
EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW — The Pentagon said Monday that North Korea has sent some 10,000 troops to Russia to train and deploy to the battlefield in Ukraine […] More
North Korean Deployment Sparks Fears of Escalation – Even ‘World War’ – in Ukraine
DEEP DIVE — North Korea’s deployment of thousands of troops to Russia – presumably for use in the war against Ukraine – has stunned policymakers and […] More
The Threat from North Korea
OPINION — North Korea is now aligned unmistakably with a revanchist Russian Federation, providing artillery shells, ballistic missiles and now troops on the ground to […] More
The Axis of Authoritarians – and A Dangerous World
OPINION — The October 1 debate between Senators Tim Walz and JD Vance dealt with just one foreign policy question: the widening war in the Middle […] More
Russia’s Dangerous Nuclear Partnership with North Korea
OPINION — On September 13, North Korea publicly announced the visit of its leader, Kim Jong-Un, to a secret facility to produce weapons-grade uranium. Pictures showed […] More
North Korea and Iran – A Proliferation Nightmare
OPINION — As tension in the Middle East increases, with the likelihood that Iran will strike out at Israel for the July assassination of the […] More
U.S. Adversaries Create a Web of Threats
EXPERT Q&A — Closer collaboration between China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea – increasingly referred to as the ‘Axis of Authoritarians’ – requires a more holistic […] More
Americans Need to Understand We’re Living in a New Era of Global Threats
EXPERT Q&A – Experts have been concerned in recent times, about national security threats emanating from China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea but a new […] More
Dealing with ‘Axis of Authoritarians’ Requires Greater U.S. Policy Risk
BOTTOM LINE UP FRONT — Individually, China, Russia, Iran and North Korea consistently rank high on the U.S. list of global threats but national and […] More
China’s Party Plenum: About Much More Than Economics
OPINION — The third plenum of the 20th Congress of the Chinese Communist Party Central Committee, from July 15-18, normally discusses major economic policy initiatives […] More
Dear Presidential Candidates: North Korea is Part of Putin’s Strategy
OPINION — The mutual defense pact that Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean Chairman Kim Jong Un signed on June 19, was a victory […] More
A Dark Path Ahead for North Korea
OPINION — As Russian President Vladimir Putin visits North Korea, it’s important to keep in mind the weapons including artillery shells and ballistic missiles, that […] More