Trump Needs Political-Military Plan for ISIS
On January 28, President Donald Trump signed an order for the U.S. military to review the campaign against ISIS and develop a decisive plan to defeat it within 30 days. […] More
Syria
Mattis Needs Luck to Explain ISIS Options to Trump
President Trump wanted a military plan from his generals to “totally obliterate ISIS.” Instead, he is getting a series of political-military options put together not […] More
The Mideast’s Front Burner Issues
The Middle East went through maelstrom developments during the Obama Administration. Some of these were put into motion by the 2003 American invasion of Iraq. […] More
Change Has Not Come to the Middle East
At first glance, it would appear that the Middle East President Donald J. Trump now faces is far different than the region which confronted President […] More
The Haunting Images from Syria: A review of "A Whole World Blind"
The fighting in Syria – and ever-rising death toll of civilians caught in the middle – is so horrifying that many seemingly have chosen to […] More
Syria Talks Were Just "Theater”
Russia, Iran and Turkey on Tuesday pledged to jointly enforce the fragile ceasefire in Syria, wrapping up two days of peace talks in Astana, Kazakhstan. […] More
Blinken on Challenges in Syria, Iraq, and the Road Ahead
Syrian opposition officials are meeting in the Kazakh capital of Astana to begin talks on a final peace agreement. Representatives from Russia and Turkey are […] More
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
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
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
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
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
At the Crossroads Between East and West: Turkey 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
Putin Praises Trump, Downplays Arms Race
Russian President Vladimir Putin took to the stage for a marathon end-of-year press conference on Friday, declaring Russian’s military might, denying accusations of hacking in […] More
Aleppo: Russian Barbarism and American Dereliction
The “complete meltdown of humanity” in Aleppo, as recently described by the United Nations, is an indictment of Russian/Syrian/Iranian barbarism, Arab indifference, and American dereliction […] More
An Extremely Vulnerable Turkey
One day after Russia’s ambassador to Turkey was killed in Ankara, foreign ministers from the two countries met in Moscow to discuss the crisis in […] More
Obama’s Legacy in the Middle East: One Size Doesn’t Fit All
As the United States prepares for a new administration, The Cipher Brief‘s Leone Lakhani sits down with Ambassador Dennis Ross, Counselor at the Washington Institute […] More