DHS Head Warns Terror, Organized Crime Ties Tightening
Department of Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly warned against the “real” and increasingly sophisticated threat from the nexus between criminal and terrorist networks as he […] More
Terrorism
Dropping the MOAB: A Blow to ISIS’ Ambitions in Afghanistan
On Thursday, the United States carried out an airstrike targeting ISIS in Afghanistan, dropping a Massive Ordnance Air Blast bomb (MOAB) on a tunnel and […] More
AQIS Fits Into al Qaeda’s Global Strategy
While al Qaeda’s affiliate in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS) may be regionally focused, Daveed Gartenstein-Ross, Senior Fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, says […] More
Al Qaeda Quietly Expands in South Asia
While al Qaeda’s affiliates in North Africa, Somalia, Syria, and Yemen continue to grab headlines, the terrorist network has surreptitiously expanded eastward, entrenching itself throughout […] More
Stop the "al Qaeda-is-Degraded" Rhetoric
The Cipher Brief sat down with Michael Kugelman, Deputy Director and Senior Associate for South Asia at the Woodrow Wilson Center, to discuss the threat […] More
The Beginning of the End of Putinism?
On Sunday, March 26, widespread protests broke out in more than 80 cities in the Russian Federation, apparently in response to the government’s inability or […] More
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
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
Cipher Brief Expert View: Why Electronics Ban Only In Middle East
New rules go into effect this weekend that restrict electronic items in passenger cabins on U.S.-bound flights. The measures are being taken as a security […] More
Al Qaeda Takes Advantage in Syria
While the U.S. remains focused on defeating ISIS in Syria and Iraq, al Qaeda in Syria is accumulating strength at an alarming pace and may […] More
How Al Qaeda Exploited The Syrian Civil War
The Cipher Brief sat down with Charles Lister, Senior Fellow at the Middle East Institute, to discuss al Qaeda in Syria’s latest rebranding, how the […] More
Tunisia Confronts the Next Phase in Its War Against Jihadi-Salafism
Tunisia is on the front lines of an evolving war against Jihadi-Salafism. The ideology espoused by al Qaeda and ISIS, has already drawn thousands of […] More
What in the World is Happening in Pakistan?
The last couple of weeks have seen almost daily terrorist attacks across Pakistan from a variety of bad actors: February 13: A suicide bombing during […] More
Understanding the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt
President Donald Trump and his cabinet are pondering an executive order to add the Muslim Brotherhood to the United States’ Foreign Terrorist Organization list. Yet […] More
Doubling Down Against the Jihadist Message
With the recent U.S. military raid in Yemen and the ongoing campaign in Mosul, the Trump Administration is so far continuing the United States’ longstanding […] More
The Power of Persuasion in Countering Terror
As part of the State Department’s Bureau of Counterterrorism and Countering Violent Extremism (CVE) during the Obama administration, Michael Ortiz helped develop and launch a […] More
Countering Extremism: A Problem for Civil Society
The Cipher Brief‘s Executive Producer and Reporter Leone Lakhani, spoke with Haras Rafiq, CEO of Quilliam, to discuss how the organization works to counter the […] More