The Coronavirus Paradox
Tom Bossert is the Chief Strategy Officer at Trinity Cyber, and a national security analyst for ABC News. He served as homeland security advisor to two […] More
The Cipher Brief
Author Gordon Corera talks about the Russians Among Us
Long-time BBC security correspondent Gordon Corera recently published a new book, Russians Among Us: Sleeper Cells, Ghost Stories and the Hunt for Putin’s Spies. […] More
Yes, this is Panic, but do not Despair
Cipher Brief Expert Sean Roche served as the Associate Deputy Director of CIA for Digital Innovation serving as the second-in-command of CIA’s first new directorate in […] More
What is COVID-19 teaching us about US preparedness for pandemics?
We are literally waking up in a new world every day as we work to better understand the comprehensive threat of the coronavirus and how […] More
Afghanistan’s Hard Lessons. A British Perspective.
Tim Willasey-Wilsey is a former senior British diplomat and now a Senior Visiting Fellow at King’s College London’s Department of War Studies. The probability is […] More
Combatting Terrorism in West Africa and the Sahel
Cipher Brief Expert Emile Nakhleh is a retired CIA Senior Intelligence Service Officer and founding director of the CIA’s Political Islam Strategic Analysis Program Office. […] More
The Latest US Nuclear War Game Gets Real
OPINION — On February 20, during his visit to Strategic Command (STRATCOM) headquarters near Omaha, Nebraska, Defense Secretary Mark Esper took part in a mini-war-game […] More
Susan Gordon’s Journey from CIA Analyst to PDDNI
The Listening Post is a new Cipher Brief column specifically highlighting the experiences of women in the national security space, in both the public and […] More
The Coronavirus is worse than the System Blinking Red
Norman T. Roule served for 34-years in the Central Intelligence Agency, managing numerous programs relating to Iran and the Middle East. He served as the […] More
The Syria Scorecard 14 Months On
OPINION — On 19 December 2018, President Donald Trump announced a withdrawal of American Troops from Syria, setting off fierce criticism that led to the […] More
Why We Need More Leaders Like Edward Gabriel
OPINION — When Edward Gabriel passed away unexpectedly this January, I lost one of my closest friends, but America—in the throes of coronavirus panic—lost a […] More
What Our Nuclear Future Looks Like
OPINION — Last Friday, the Associated Press and Reuters both reported that an un-named senior administration official said that the U.S. told Moscow that President […] More
US Foreign Policy and a ‘Bridge to the Unknown’
Cipher Brief Expert John McLaughlin is a distinguished practitioner in residence at the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies. He served as the Deputy […] More
The US Deal with the Taliban
The United States signed a peace agreement with Taliban leaders on Saturday that is intended to end the US’ 18-year involvement in Afghanistan. The deal […] More
Behind the Headlines in Munich
Several Cipher Brief experts attended this year’s Munich Security Conference, which concluded last weekend. The annual event is an opportunity for Atlantic allies to share […] More
Russia’s New Middle East Chessboard
On the sidelines of last weekend’s Munich Security Conference, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo sat down to talk. […] More
Coronavirus Emergency Presents Opportunity for U.S.-China Diplomatic Cooperation
Ambassador Joseph DeTrani is former Special envoy for Six Party Talks with North Korea, as well as former CIA director of East Asia Operations. He […] More
How Will Investigations Into Russian Interference Move Forward?
OPINION — President Trump is actively trying to excise the criminal fallout from investigations into Moscow’s 2016 covert support for his presidential election and have […] More