The Great Unraveling
In the past five years, the Middle East has suffered from a double collapse. First, having proven unable to provide capable political institutions or economic […] More
Syria
The End of the Beginning
A couple years ago, when the Middle East was in turmoil but considerably less complicated than today, I was at a small gathering of foreign […] More
Understanding the Syrian Ceasefire
The Cipher Brief spoke with Mark Kelton, former Deputy Director of the National Clandestine Service for Counterintelligence at the CIA, about the possible ceasefire deal […] More
Turkey blames Kurdish militants for Ankara bomb, vows response in Syria and Iraq
The Turkish Prime Minister has accused Kurdish militia groups of carrying out the bombing that killed 28 people in Ankara yesterday. According to Reuters, the […] More
Can Merkel Survive?
For seven of the last eight years, German Chancellor Angela Merkel has topped Forbes’ list of the world’s most powerful women. Last year, she was […] More
Kiev’s Two-Front War
Following the Euromaidan revolution, Ukraine is engaged in a two-pronged fight that integrates domestic and foreign components. The first battle is Russia’s desire to dismember […] More
The Battle for Ukraine
Russia, seemingly at will, ramps up the pressure in Ukraine. And it looks as if another uptick is underway. So far, the West has yet […] More
No End in Sight
Closely supported by Russian air power and artillery, Syrian army attacks against rebel forces near Aleppo, Syria coincide with a significant intensification of fighting in […] More
Trump and The Wizard of Oz
In this GOP presidential nomination campaign, when the issue is national security, Donald Trump reminds me of the Wizard of Oz. I thought of that […] More
Syrian Ceasefire: Total Subterfuge
The Cipher Brief reached out to General Jack Keane to get his thoughts on the Syrian ceasefire agreement announced on February 12. Keane dismissed the […] More