The Strategic Relationship Between Russia and Iran
The Trump Administration is increasing pressure on Iran since withdrawing from the JCPOA in May. Last month, the U.S. began pressuring other countries to halt […] More
Terrorism
Machine Learning and Tracking Terrorists
As the accused accomplices of terrorist Mohammed Merah stood trial in France in October 2017, aggregate web page traffic related to the location of the […] More
The Broader Implications of What’s Happening in Yemen
Pro-government forces backed by Saudi Arabia and the UAE, have launched an assault on rebels holding Yemen’s port city of Hodeidah. Potential humanitarian casualties are […] More
Terrorism and the Future Lone Wolf Threat in America
There is one truth in terrorism that intelligence officials and national security experts have seen proven over the past few years: terrorist tactics are continuously […] More
Threat Report 2018: Al-Qaida Patiently Rebuilding
As the United States relocated its embassy in Israel to the city of Jerusalem, al-Qaida leader Ayman al-Zawahiri used the occasion to call for jihad, […] More
Threat Report 2018: ISIS In the Spotlight
Over the weekend, ISIS claimed responsibility for two deadly attacks: in Paris, France, a Chechnyan-born man stabbed five people and released a video pledging allegiance to […] More
Syria’s Reality: A View from Amman
With increasingly confusing statements and actions from the White House and the Pentagon on U.S. policy toward Syria, The Cipher Brief presented a live briefing […] More
Has Pakistan Truly Tamed its Tribal Frontier?
Maligned as a bastion of extremism and a top terrorist safe haven, Pakistan’s Federally Administrated Tribal Areas (FATA), along the country’s northwestern border with Afghanistan, […] More
ThreatCon Day 3: Fighting Terror Beyond the Grid Square
On the final day of the Cipher Brief Threat Conference in Sea Island, Ga., three CIA veterans of the post-9/11 terrorism fight discussed the current […] More
Hayden: A World Both Dangerous and More Complicated
“The world has been more dangerous, but it has never been more complicated.” These were the words Michael Hayden, former director of both CIA and […] More
Threat Assessment #Fail: Al-Qaida Quietly Growing, By Design
The annual accounting to Congress of global threats to the United States made it sound like al-Qaida’s separate branches were managing to thrive independently of […] More
Israel Lost a Jet, but Proved it would Win the War
It was no surprise when two strategic vectors clashed this weekend on Israel’s northern front: The Iranian determination to build an advanced military force in […] More
Forged by Tehran: Two Navies, Ready to Challenge the West
Bottom Line: Tehran’s military doctrine seeks to deter a conventionally superior foe, the United States, from entering its territorial waters or borders through the threat […] More
Dark Money: How Militants Exploit Hawala to Fund Terror
Bottom Line: For terrorists, moving money covertly through hawala networks to circumvent institutionalized banking systems remains one of their leading methods of avoiding detection. The […] More
First Assad, Then the World: Al Qaida’s Strategy in Syria
Bottom Line: While ISIS’s territory has dwindled, al Qaida has managed to build a strong following in Syria, and may use the civil-war-torn country as […] More
ISIS Festers and Grows in Lawless Libya
Bottom Line: ISIS maintains a strong presence in Libya and remains a potent regional threat, despite domestic and international efforts to oust the group from […] More
Diminished at Home, Durable Boko Haram May Go Global
Bottom Line: Terrorist group Boko Haram has lost most of the territory it claimed as a “caliphate” within Nigeria back in 2015. But the group […] More
Turkey-U.S.: How to Rekindle a Win-Win Relationship
Bottom Line: Although the U.S. and Turkey engage in robust cooperation on the political, military, and economic fronts, Ankara has experienced significant changes under the […] More