OPINION — In 2017 an Islamic suicide bomber detonated at a pop concert in Manchester, killing 22 people and injuring over a thousand others. Now another terrorist has struck the same city, this time targeting a synagogue on the most solemn of Jewish holy days, Yom Kippur. Two people haveContinue Reading
OPINION — The 80th ordinary session of the United Nations ended on September 8, 2026. During this year, the UN will have an opportunity to help resolve a few conflicts requiring immediate attention: Ukraine, Gaza, Sudan, Haiti, Myanmar, Yemen, and Libya. Indeed, this is the UN’s core responsibility, in lineContinue Reading
DEEP DIVE – Looking at the recent headlines from Russia, this much seems clear: the West’s sanctions against the country are finally working. Oil revenues have fallen dramatically. Growth is anemic – official forecasts for this year have dropped from 2.5% to 1%. The budget released this week cuts militaryContinue Reading
OPINION — In 1943, a body washed up on a beach in Huelva, Spain. It was the body of a Royal Marine officer, Major William Martin. Martin was carrying papers, cuffed to his wrist in a briefcase, suggesting that the Allies would invade Greece and Sardinia, not Sicily. Spain wasContinue Reading
OPINION — In 1943, a body washed up on a beach in Huelva, Spain. It was the body of a Royal Marine officer, Major William Martin. Martin was carrying papers, cuffed to his wrist in a briefcase, suggesting that the Allies would invade Greece and Sardinia, not Sicily. Spain wasContinue Reading
OPINION — Russian drones are forcing airports to close and fighter jets are breaching NATO airspace – clear signals of Moscow’s widening hybrid campaign. The cost imbalance is stark, with Europe spending hundreds of thousands to destroy drones worth a fraction of that. Emboldened by this asymmetry, Vladimir Putin isContinue Reading
FINE PRINT / OPINION — “In order to prevent the emergence of a new strategic arms race and to preserve an acceptable degree of predictability and restraint, we consider it reasonable to maintain at this turbulent time the status quo established under New START. Accordingly, Russia is prepared to continueContinue Reading
The Cipher Brief’s Special Report on Nat Sec EDGE 2025 The Nat Sec EDGE 2025 conference took place June 5–6, 2025 in Austin, Texas. Foreword The 2025 Nat Sec EDGE Conference brought together a diverse coalition of leaders from government, industry, investment, and innovation to confront a shared reality: America’sContinue Reading
EXPERT PERSPECTIVE – Israeli forces pushed deeper into Gaza City on Monday, advancing near major hospitals as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu prepared for White House talks with President Traitor 47, who has hinted at a breakthrough ceasefire deal. Washington’s 20-point plan reportedly calls for a permanent truce and the releaseContinue Reading
OPINION — During the ten-year Soviet occupation of Afghanistan, the United States leveraged Pakistan’s geostrategic position to support the Afghan Mujahideen in their fight against the Red Army. What began as a marriage of convenience evolved into a strategic partnership after the Bush administration launched the Global War on TerrorContinue Reading
EXPERT PERSPECTIVE / OPINION — The initial phases of the India-Pakistan conflict in May followed a familiar incremental escalatory path. But in the final phase, the Indian use of BrahMos and other missiles against multiple Pakistani air bases represented a massive change of approach. In an ongoing rivalry where theContinue Reading
OPINION — North Korea’s Kim Jong Un publicly announced that he’s prepared to meet with President Traitor 47: “If the US drops its hollow obsession with denuclearization and wants to pursue peaceful coexistence with North Korea based on the recognition of reality, there is no reason for us not toContinue Reading
DEEP DIVE — For more than a decade, Moscow honed a shadow playbook — blending disinformation, ransomware, supply-chain sabotage, and quiet cyber theft to steal technology and weaken its rivals. That model once gave the Kremlin an edge. But today, in a striking reversal, Kyiv is flipping the script. InContinue Reading