Nuclear Bargaining Chips in a Protracted Arms Race
OPINION — President Donald Trump’s recent threat to withdraw from the 1987 Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF) provides another false justification for adding to a […] More
Nuclear
Iran: Maximum Pressure and Perfect Storms
Last spring, two weeks after the Trump Administration withdrew from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) – the international arms control deal that curbed […] More
Analysis: The U.S.-Russia Disagreement over the INF Treaty – Do Svedanya
U.S. National Security Advisor John Bolton met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Tuesday to discuss the U.S. decision to withdraw from the […] More
North Korea’s Nuclear Strategy
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is touting his recent trip to Pyongyang as a success, saying that he was able to make ‘real progress’ toward […] More
North Korea Brief I: Path to Progress on Negotiations
Experts cited the lack of intercontinental ballistic missiles in North Korea’s 70th anniversary parade celebrations over the weekend as a sign that the nuclear nation […] More
Is Iran Defiantly Looking Toward a Deal?
President Donald Trump announced Monday that he would meet Iran’s leaders “anytime they want.” The President adding that he would meet Iranian President Hassan Rouhani […] More
Don’t Compromise Objectives with North Korea
We know from twenty-five years of negotiations that patience and persistence are required if we hope to resolve nuclear and other issues with North Korea. […] More
Nuclear Message to the World
OPINION — President Trump’s repeated message that Russia’s possession of nuclear weapons requires him to have better relations with Vladimir Putin, should encourage China to […] More
What’s Driving the War of Words Between the U.S. and Iran?
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s comments on Sunday about Iran and its leadership ignited a war of words between the U.S. and Iran with President […] More
Lessons Learned From 25 Years of Negotiating with North Korea
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is resetting expectations for a denuclearization timeline for North Korea, saying Monday that it will take ‘decades’ to get North […] More
Why the U.S. Must Trust but Verify with North Korea
As Secretary of State Mike Pompeo heads to North Korea seeking signs of progress after the recent Singapore summit, some of his colleagues in the […] More
Singapore a Success? Yes, by Mirroring Obama
Much initial reaction to the North Korean – American Singapore Summit has been negative, with critics targeting the concessions made by President Trump including; a […] More
The President’s Summit Adventure Through an Intelligence Lens
OPINION: The eyes of an intelligence officer are trained to look for what a person’s behavior uncovers about his or her motivations and aspirations, which […] More
N. Korea, the U.S. and the Strange Path to Singapore
One wonders what the alien creature Griffin, portrayed by Michael Stuhlbarg in Men in Black III, and capable of seeing all possible futures, would […] More
SOCOM’s New Challenge in North Korea and Beyond
As the U.S. President prepares to meet North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in Singapore, sources tell The Cipher Brief that U.S. Special Operations Forces […] More
Iran’s Hegemonic Quest
The Head of Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization is putting the IAEA on notice that Tehran is likely to begin producing centrifuges that are used to […] More
The Russia Threat is More Comprehensive than you Think
Russia. We hear and read about it every day in the mainstream media, but the news seems almost exclusively focused on the various investigations of […] More
Pakistan Reflects on Nuclear Achievement in Run Up to Election
Bottom Line: Pakistani citizens are heading to the polls next month in a public display of democracy and choice. Yet, with Pakistan’s military continuing to […] More