Thorns in the Bear’s Paw: Putin’s Vulnerabilities
Vladimir Putin is portrayed in the West as the master manipulator in foreign policy, creating turmoil in U.S. and European elections and outfoxing his rivals […] More
Putin
Putin vs. The Unknown
An explosion in the St. Petersburg metro on Monday tore open a subway car, killing at least 14 people and leaving dozens injured. Russian Prime […] More
Investigating Russia Bombing Links: U.S. May Cooperate
The Kyrgyz state security service identified Akbarzhon Dzhalilov, a 22-year-old Russian citizen born in Kyrgyzstan, as the assailant behind Monday’s explosion in the St. Petersburg […] More
St. Petersburg Blast Likely an Act of Terror
Monday’s explosion in a St. Petersburg metro car, which killed at least 14 people and left dozens injured, was described by Russian Prime Minister Dmitry […] More
The Man in the Kremlin Must Be Smiling
Vladimir Putin is smiling because he thrives on chaos, particularly in the camp of the “Main Enemy,” a term the Soviet and Russian intelligence services […] More
Explaining Russian Malfeasance to the American Public
As the House Intelligence Committee gathers on Monday to hold its first public hearing into Russian interference in the 2016 election, experts say this marks […] More
Watching a Three-Ring Circus
I’ve covered many political scandals over the past 50 years, including Watergate, Iran-contra, and the Clinton impeachment, but the past few weeks have convinced me […] More
Questions Remain Until Trump Makes Russia Intentions Clear
President Donald Trump has never shown much interest in foreign policy issues. The few consistent themes he has supported are to defeat ISIS, restructure trade […] More
It’s a Win-Win-Win Scenario for Russia
Even before the release of the unclassified version of the U.S. intelligence community’s conclusions regarding Russian hacking and involvement in the U.S. presidential elections, before […] More
The Many Faces of Vladimir Putin: A Political Psychology Profile
In 2000, Russia’s President Vladimir Putin, then a relative unknown outside of Russia, visited Japan. Part of his trip included a visit to the Kodokan, […] More
Mixed Signals to Moscow: The Trump Administration's Russia Policy Puzzle
In his first news conference since July, President-elect Donald Trump revealed he now agrees with the unanimous verdict of the U.S. intelligence community: Russia was […] More
Russia Will Continue Setting the Agenda
As Donald Trump prepares to take office, one of his earliest—and most important— foreign policy decisions will be how to move forward with the United […] More
Improving Relations with Russia – From a Position of Strength
Donald Trump will take office at the lowest point in Washington’s relations with Moscow since the end of the Cold War. He has consistently talked […] More
Putin’s Perfect Gift
Noon on January 20th provides an excellent opportunity for Russian President Vladimir Putin to give President-Elect Donald Trump the perfect inauguration gift – Edward Snowden. […] More
Putin’s Russia: Aspiring to a Place of Prominence on the World Stage
Let there be no mistake, President Vladimir Putin believes Russia’s military intervention has been an unqualified success. As with the annexation of Crimea, now almost […] More
Doubts about the Durability of the Latest Syrian Ceasefire
The Cipher Brief spoke with Network Member Rob Richer, former Associate Deputy Director for Operations at the CIA, about Russian President Vladimir Putin’s announcement of […] More
Watching Cybernorms Get Made
Butch Cassidy graphically demonstrated that there ain’t no rules in a knife fight. Well, so far, there ain’t no rules in cyberspace or precious few […] More
Putin Meets His Match?
Russian President Vladimir Putin, a leader known for his unpredictability, may have met his match: the new President of the United States, Donald Trump. Until […] More