Negotiate Like Putin
OPINION — Russia’s President Vladimir Putin never attended Harvard Business School’s esteemed negotiation course, but in the current Ukraine crisis, he has performed brilliantly, and […] More
Ukraine
How Putin’s Plans for Ukraine Could Pay Off
EXPERT PERSPECTIVE — If Russia ultimately launches military operations against Ukraine, U.S. President Joe Biden has signaled that the U.S. would respond not with direct […] More
Putin’s Asymmetric Blind Spot
OPINION — Perhaps it is just a reckless Khrushchevesque opening gambit, but Russia’s recent security demands suggest that Vladimir Putin’s condition for avoiding military action […] More
What Success Looks Like for Now in Ukraine
OPINION — Will past weeks of multi-national propaganda focused on military activity along the Ukraine/Russia border lead to a major conflict? Or is all this […] More
Why Boosting Ukraine’s Cyber Defenses Matters to All of Us
OPINION — The US is taking a more active role in the ongoing cyber war between Russia and Ukraine on the side of the Kiev […] More
The National Security Threat of Peddling Russian Disinformation
Bottom Line Up Front Senior U.S. officials have inexplicably parroted statements echoing the Kremlin’s talking points that Russia was a victim of a Ukrainian […] More
Why Ukraine Remains Hopeful but Uncertain
As the impeachment investigation continues, The Cipher Brief spoke with former CIA Director and retired Four-Star General David Petraeus about why Ukraine is such an […] More
Are We Headed for a Watergate Moment?
OPINION — Could there be a Hugh Scott in 2019? I refer to Sen. Hugh Scott of Pennsylvania, in office from 1958 to 1976, who […] More
Atkinson’s Dogged Push for Transparency
OPINION — Intelligence Community Inspector General Michael Atkinson deserves praise along with the Whistleblower for pushing within the law to get President Trump’s highly protected […] More
Sending Russia A Maritime Message
The U.S. Navy sailed the USS McCampbell close to contested waters in the Sea of Japan on Wednesday, according to CNN. A U.S. Pacific Fleet […] More
Russia’s Strategy of Escalation Against Ukraine
Ukraine’s President Petro Poroshenko says he is ready for four-country talks with Russia over the crisis in the Black Sea. Poroshenko declared martial law last […] More
Putin’s Strategy in Ukraine Fraught with Risk
President Petro Poroshenko now says that Ukraine is ready to consider talks with Russia. The Ukrainian leader told French broadcaster, France 24, that German Chancellor […] More
What Scares Vladimir Putin?
The U.S. is calling for more rigorous enforcement of sanctions against Russia after Russian ships fired on and seized three Ukrainian boats on Sunday, claiming […] More
A Dramatic Escalation Between Russia and Ukraine
Bottom Line Up Front After months of increasing restrictions, Russia recently blockaded the Sea of Azov at the Kerch Strait, denying Ukrainian ships the […] More
Increasing Tensions Between the U.S. and Russia in Ukraine
Bottom Line Up Front The armed conflict in Ukraine has received scant attention in the Western media lately, however, tensions have recently increased between […] More
The Russia Threat is More Comprehensive than you Think
Russia. We hear and read about it every day in the mainstream media, but the news seems almost exclusively focused on the various investigations of […] More
A Wolf in Mercenary Clothing? Russian Contractors as Gray Zone Tool
Moscow may increasingly look toward private military companies (PMCs), known in Russia as Chastnye Voennie Companiy (ChVK), to exert plausibly deniable and economically and politically […] More
How Putin’s Attempts at Deception Failed in Ukraine
Concealment, imitation and disinformation – tactics known as maskirovka – were part of a Soviet doctrine used by their military and intelligence services – namely […] More