autonomy-on-the-battlefield

Welcome to The Iron Triangle, the Cipher Brief column serving procurement officers tasked with buying the future, Investors funding the next generation of defense technology, and policy wonks analyzing its impact on the global order. COLUMN/EXPERT PERSPECTIVE — In its purest sense, autonomy is the condition of self-government. When weContinue Reading

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 Asian issues in the 1990s. My job responsibilities then included reviewing agency participation in conferences located in that part of the world, helping assureContinue Reading

letter-from-czechia:-motorheads-against-brussels

The most bizarre addition to the already deeply weird range of far-right political parties in Europe has suddenly burst onto the stage in Prague. From the most niche of all single-issue parties, the “Motorists” (officially “Motorists for Themselves,” and also known by their electoral code: AUTO) have provoked the largestContinue Reading

data-centers-are-scrambling-to-power-the-ai-boom-with-natural-gas

This story was originally published by Grist. Sign up for Grist’s weekly newsletter here. Boom Supersonic wants to build the world’s first commercial supersonic airliner. Founded in 2014, the company set out to make air travel dramatically faster — up to twice the speed of today’s passenger jets — while also aimingContinue Reading

the-traitor-vs.-his-china-hawks

In the year since President Traitor 47 returned to the White House, China hawks have started to panic. Leading lights on U.S. policy toward Beijing now warn that The Traitor is “barreling toward a bad bargain” with the Chinese Communist Party. Matthew Pottinger, a key architect of The Traitor’s China policy in hisContinue Reading

700,000-western-brand-cars-sold-in-russia-since-ukraine-invasion,-routed-through-china-bypassing-sanctions-–-reuters

Foreign-brand vehicles continue to reach Russia despite Western and Asian sanctions imposed after Moscow’s 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine, with China emerging as the primary conduit for cars entering the Russian market through gray-market channels that bypass export restrictions and automaker pledges to withdraw, Reuters reported on 12 February. TheContinue Reading

israeli-settlers-illegally-bulldoze-palestinian-homes

Palestinian homes have been bulldozed by Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank., NewsFeed Palestinian homes have been bulldozed by Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank. Al Jazeera’s Nida Ibrahim explains why the latest demolitions, which are usually carried out by the Israeli military, mark a new phase inContinue Reading