Syria's Tangled Trilateral Road to Peace
The December 30 ceasefire in Syria, brokered by Russia and Turkey, has for the most held throughout the country, despite violence undermining the pact. This […] More
Russia
Placating Patrons Who Control the Cards in Syria
As 2016 comes to a close, Russia and Turkey have cobbled together a ceasefire in Syria, paving the way for peace talks to end the […] More
Syria: A Tactical—Not Strategic—Ceasefire
The agreement between Turkey and Russia stipulates a halt to the fighting throughout Syrian territory from midnight on December 29, with the exception of areas […] More
U.S. Intel Leaders Resolute on Russian Hacking
Top United States intelligence officials on Thursday defended the intelligence agencies’ findings on Russian hacking and interference in the election, pushing back at the public […] 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
Intelligence, Trump, Putin, and Russia’s Long Game
The Russian hacking of the U.S. presidential campaign and the subsequent sanctions imposed by the Obama Administration continue to dominate the news this week, with […] More
Senate National Security Panels to Plan Response to Russian Hacking Allegations
Leaders of three top Senate national security committees are to meet Wednesday to discuss alleged Russian hacking of last month’s elections, and the Senate Foreign […] More
Time for Congress to Invoke Tougher Sanctions on Russia
Will Congress reassert itself by passing new economic sanctions against Russia for using hacked emails to disrupt the U.S. presidential election if President-elect Donald Trump […] 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
Sanctions Against Russia: Too Little, Too Late?
Whether President-elect Donald Trump will keep in place the Obama administration sanctions against Russia for its interference in the U.S. election remains to be seen. […] More
Putin Rules Out Retaliatory Expulsion of U.S. Diplomats
Russian President Vladimir Putin said in a statement Friday that he will not expel U.S. diplomats in response to U.S. sanctions imposed on Russia yesterday […] More
The Syrian Ceasefire: Faulty Foundation, Low Optimism
On Thursday, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced that a nationwide ceasefire in Syria would begin at midnight on Thursday night. This is the third such […] 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
Presidents vs. The Kremlin
New presidents often think they can redefine relations with Russia. But will Washington ever get along with Moscow if the Kremlin does not share Western […] More
Eyes on the Kremlin: Russia and the World in 2016
Editor’s Note: Over the coming days, The Cipher Brief presents some of our most incisive coverage on key issues of 2016 and a look ahead […] More
Why Putin Is Winning in Syria
After the fall of Aleppo, few would deny the influence that Russian President Vladimir Putin now wields in Syria and the Middle East – but […] More
Russia: Deception and Deniability
In July, Rob Dannenberg, the former head of security at Goldman Sachs and a 24-year veteran of the CIA, discussed Russia’s cyber strategy of information […] More