Trump, Russia, and the CIA: Allies and Adversaries Confused
When asked by The Cipher Brief about how both allies and adversaries might view President-elect Donald Trump’s early, contentious relationship with the CIA, former Acting […] More
Trump
Tillerson’s Task: Mastering Mind-Numbing Expectations at State
Exxon Mobil Chief Rex Tillerson, like almost all post World War II Secretary of State nominees, if confirmed, will come to the job with extensive […] More
Trump's Attacks Do Not Bode Well for the CIA, Former Officers Say
What impact will President-elect Donald Trump’s attack on the Intelligence Community have on the CIA as it steels itself to deal with its already contentious […] More
Fmr. CIA Acting Dir. Michael Morell: "This Is the Political Equivalent of 9/11"
The Washington Post report on a secret CIA assessment concluding that Russia intervened in the U.S. Presidential election with the intention of helping President-elect Donald […] More
Playing the Taiwan Card
On November 25th, six Chinese aircraft—two nuclear-capable H-6K bombers, two Su-30 fighters, and two surveillance planes—participated in an exercise near Taiwan’s airspace. Four of the […] More
Catching China Off Guard
The December 2nd phone call between President-elect Donald Trump and Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen is the first such communication between a U.S. president or president-elect […] More
A Challenging Four Years for the Media
Don’t be fooled that there is a new Donald Trump now that he is president-elect. As I have written before, this Trump presidency is going […] More
Job Creation in the Age of Globalization: Trump and Xi's Shared Challenge
President-elect Donald Trump and President Xi Jinping have more in common than they currently realize. Both want to make their countries “great again,” and both […] More
The Security Clearance Process Might Need a Revamp
As the security clearance process comes under the microscope during President-elect Donald Trump’s transition, some experts and former intelligence community members say the system for […] More
Oversight Needed on Trump's Global War Against Islamic Terror
Prepare yourselves for a stepped-up, worldwide war against Islamic radical terrorists directed from the White House by President-elect Donald Trump and his closest aides, who […] More
Keane: I Can't Go Back to Public Service
As President-elect Donald Trump assembles his national security team, The Cipher Brief met with one prospective nominee, General Jack Keane, former Vice Chief of Staff […] More
Trump Taps Three Conservative Loyalists for Security & Law Teams
President-elect Donald Trump is compiling his national security and law enforcement teams and, so far, has tapped three conservative Trump loyalists – retired Lieutenant General […] More
Is a Trump Presidency Music to Russian Ears?
Just hours after Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. president-elect Donald Trump spoke for the first time since the election, Russia launched a major offensive […] More
The Test Facing Congress and the Incoming Trump Administration
“The accumulation of all powers, legislative, executive, and judiciary, in the same hands, whether of one, a few, or many, and whether hereditary, self-appointed, or […] More
Trump's Win Creates Uncertainty in Europe
The election of Donald Trump as the next U.S. President has created uncertainty among European leaders as they consider the future of defense and security […] More
Choppy Seas Ahead for U.S.-NATO Relations
Donald Trump’s win over Hillary Clinton for the presidency of the United States surprised a number of European leaders. Given Trump’s statements about NATO being […] More
Berlin Braces Itself for President Trump
9 November is a historic day for Germans. In 1989, the Berlin Wall came crashing down on that day, and in 1938, pogroms across the Deutsches Reich became the starting […] More
Keane on Trump
Donald Trump has been elected the 45th President of the United States and his most solemn responsibility is ensuring the safety of all Americans as […] More