Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

cipherbrief

Welcome! Log in to stay connected and make the most of your experience.

Input clean

Opinion

How the Iran War Is Reordering the World, Second and Third-Order Effects

Chip Usher

How the Iran War Is Reordering the World, Second and Third-Order Effects

OPINION — Five weeks into the US-Israeli war against Iran, the immediate military picture — decapitation strikes, missile exchanges, and the grinding [...] More

Chip Usher

The Latest

Where crime and terror meet: Australia’s illicit tobacco market

Rohan Gunaratna

Where crime and terror meet: Australia’s illicit tobacco market

OPINION – The unearthing of IRGC’s involvement in Australia’s firebombing incidents in 2025 has subsequently brought into question - the extent by [...] More

Media Literacy Isn’t Enough Anymore

Jennifer Ewbank

Media Literacy Isn’t Enough Anymore

OPINION — For years, media literacy has been treated as the solution to misinformation. I've advocated that position as well.Teach people to question [...] More

Confidence, Interoperability, and the Limits of U.S. Decision Systems

Masoud Andarabi

Confidence, Interoperability, and the Limits of U.S. Decision Systems

OPINION — In recent months, U.S. policy debates have increasingly acknowledged that the decisive contests of the 21st century will not be fought [...] More

Standing Up to a Spy: My Run-In with Aldrich Ames

Renee Pruneau Novakoff

Standing Up to a Spy: My Run-In with Aldrich Ames

OPINION — I had an unpleasant episode with Aldrich Ames which taught me some life lessons. I was a mid-level CIA analyst working Caucasus and Central [...] More

Renee Pruneau Novakoff

The 2026 National Defense Strategy: No Surprises but Plenty of Mandate

Renee Pruneau Novakoff

The 2026 National Defense Strategy: No Surprises but Plenty of Mandate

OPINION — The 2026 National Defense Strategy (NDS) follows closely the 2025 National Security Strategy, as it should. It also falls in line with the [...] More

AmericasNorth AmericaRenee Pruneau NovakoffUnited States

They're Coming for Our Kids: How Extremists Target Children Online

Dexter Ingram

They're Coming for Our Kids: How Extremists Target Children Online

OPINION — September is National Preparedness Month - when we check our emergency kits, review evacuation routes, and prepare for natural disasters. [...] More

Tech/Cyber

The Next FATF Test: Can the West Demand Results from Pakistan?

Siddhant Kishore

The Next FATF Test: Can the West Demand Results from Pakistan?

OPINION — In the shadow of Mexico City's historic Palacio de Bellas Artes, global financial watchdogs will convene in February 2026 for the Financial [...] More

Alternative PerspectivesAsia

The Coast Guard's Mission in the Gray Zone

Harrison Kass

The Coast Guard's Mission in the Gray Zone

OPINION — U.S. defense planning rests on the assumption that wars are fought abroad, by expeditionary forces, against defined adversaries. For [...] More

Alternative Perspectives

What U.S. – China Cooperation Means for the World

Ambassador Joseph DeTrani

What U.S. – China Cooperation Means for the World

OPINION -- China was very critical of the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro last week. The spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign [...] More

ChinaAmbassador Joseph DeTraniAsia

Remembering Aldrich Ames and the Lives He Destroyed

Mark Kelton

Remembering Aldrich Ames and the Lives He Destroyed

“I would never wish death upon anyone, but I have read some obituaries with great satisfaction.” - Winston ChurchillOPINION -- I associate myself [...] More

Ruling Venezuela with a 2,000 Mile Hammer is Not Likely to End Well

Michael C. Casey

Ruling Venezuela with a 2,000 Mile Hammer is Not Likely to End Well

EXPERT OPINION — Rule by proxy just isn’t as simple as the Trump Administration wants to make it sound. While the long-term goals of the [...] More

AmericasLatin America

Why Labeling Muslim Brotherhood “Chapters” as Terrorist Groups Is Problematic

Emile Nakhleh

Why Labeling Muslim Brotherhood “Chapters” as Terrorist Groups Is Problematic

OPINION — The White House this past November issued a Presidential action statement designating certain Muslim Brotherhood “chapters” as terrorist [...] More

Emile NakhlehMiddle East