Expert Analysis: Fissures Between U.S., Europe and Iran at United Nations
President Donald Trump largely followed the U.S. policy script on Iran when he addressed the United Nations on Wednesday. So what exactly, did the key […] More
Trump
Can John Brennan Really Sue the President?
Cipher Brief Expert and Former CIA Senior Deputy Counsel Robert Eatinger weighs in on the realities of a potential lawsuit. On last Sunday’s Meet the […] More
Slow and Unsteady Progress with North Korea Helps Kim Jong Un
Cipher Brief Update: On August 23, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced a Special Representative for North Korea. Steve Biegun will “direct all U.S. policy […] More
Taking the Chill out of the Security Clearance Issue
OPINION — Don’t believe that President Trump’s retaliatory act of revoking former-CIA Director John Brennan’s security clearance “will have a potentially chilling effect on the […] More
Another Perspective on the Security Clearance Debate
The backlash over President Trump’s decision last week to revoke the security clearance of former CIA Director John Brennan has gotten plenty of media attention […] More
Space Force: Help Wanted
OPINION — Congress has to take a serious, long, hard, public look at President Trump’s June off-the-cuff idea of a Space Corps, and turn down, […] More
Trump’s Threats Against Iran Ignore Middle East Realities
By threatening a devastating war against Iran, President Donald Trump’s recent response to Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani’s benign statement about “the mother of all peace” […] More
Why a Russia Strategy Matters
In a press conference on Monday, President Donald Trump reiterated his view that meeting with other world leaders is important, and again characterized his recent […] More
A Very Personal Take on Threats to Strip Security Clearances
I served the United States for 48 years in various national security roles that required me to hold a security clearance. I saw it as […] More
Nuclear Message to the World
OPINION — President Trump’s repeated message that Russia’s possession of nuclear weapons requires him to have better relations with Vladimir Putin, should encourage China to […] More
What is Putin’s Plan Now?
As most of the President’s men and women in senior roles re-iterated and even provided more detail about the Russian threat to U.S. national security […] More
The Government Strikes Back
In the four days since the Trump-Putin summit, we’ve seen a parade of justified emotion as Republicans joined the chorus of critics speaking out against […] More
Dispatches from Helsinki: A Shocking Summit Press Brief
Cipher Brief Expert and former CIA Station Chief Dan Hoffman was in Helsinki filing question and answer dispatches for Cipher Brief members. Here’s a look at […] More
What Did Putin Get From Helsinki Summit?
The Cipher Brief spoke with Jill Dougherty, Global Fellow at The Wilson Center and CNN’s former Moscow Bureau Chief, about what Putin will be able […] More
Dispatches from Helsinki
Cipher Brief Expert and former CIA Station Chief Dan Hoffman is on the ground in Helsinki filing question and answer dispatches for Cipher Brief members. […] More
Inside Putin’s Head
UPDATED: As U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin emerge from their summit meeting in Helsinki, Finland, in which no aides were allowed […] More
President Trump’s NATO Summit and Prep for Russia
The White House put out a statement this morning as President Donald Trump and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg offered comments to reporters before breakfast, […] More
The Perils of a Putin-Trump Summit
As a former member of the CIA’s Senior Intelligence Service, I’m worried about the upcoming summit between the Chekist former KGB officer, President Vladimir Putin, […] More