OPINION — In 2011, after five and a half years in captivity and complex negotiations involving an Israeli activist, Israeli government officials, and outside foreign […] More
CIPHER BRIEF REPORTING – Nearly two weeks after Hamas militants invaded Israel, targeting, kidnapping and killing civilians in a bloody massacre, questions remain around just […] More
EXPERT PERSPECTIVE / OPINION — Intelligence agencies are a country’s first line of defense, and this means the stakes surrounding their actions are always high. […] More
OPINION — For national security and intelligence experts, one question continually resonates: how could Israel’s highly regarded intelligence infrastructure not predict and warn of Hamas’s […] More
OPINION — The history of intelligence in the modern era is closely intertwined with failures of early warnings and unexpected strategic events. These include the […] More
BOOK REVIEW: PALESTINE 1936: THE GREAT REVOLT AND THE ROOTS OF THE MIDDLE EAST CONFLICT By Oren Kessler / Rowman & Littlefield Publishers Reviewed by […] More
OPINION — Hamas’s surprise attack on Israel this morning Saturday October 7, 50 years plus one day since the October 1973 war, has every national […] More
OPINION — According to a White House statement last March, “President Biden has called the struggle to bolster democratic governance at home and abroad the […] More
SUBSCRIBER+EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW — The Biden administration is reportedly taking serious steps to push forward with efforts to negotiate a deal that would see official diplomatic […] More
OPINION — Over the course of his many decades in Israeli politics, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu earned a reputation as Israel’s premier statesman and the country’s most savvy politician. […] More
OPINION — “We believe that U.S. security aid must be used only to address to Israel’s genuine defense needs, and not to help implement or […] More
OPINION — Iran openly proclaims its goal of eliminating Israel. Maj. Gen. Abdolrahim Mousavi, commander of the Iranian Army, stated that Iranian forces are working […] More
The dynamics of the Middle East are changing. From a protracted pandemic to a rise in Chinese interest and influence in the region and a […] More
Pulitzer Prize Winning Journalist Walter Pincus is a contributing senior national security columnist at The Cipher Brief. He spent forty years at The Washington Post, writing on […] More
In the Biden Administration’s highest-level face-to-face visit, Secretary of State Antony Blinken is traveling to the Middle East to seize momentum created by last week’s […] More
Cipher Brief Expert Emile Nakhleh is a retired CIA Senior Intelligence Service Officer and founding director of the CIA’s Political Islam Strategic Analysis Program Office. […] More
President Joe Biden’s administration is aiming its Middle East agenda on adhering to campaign promises, examining current policies and undoing some that were enacted under […] More
Eldad Shavit, Sr. Researcher, INSS Eldad Shavit is a senior researcher at the Institute for National Security Studies (INSS) and previously served in senior roles […] More
The Cipher Brief is a non-political media outlet focused on publishing expert perspectives on national security issues. We are committed to presenting multiple opinions to […] More
The Cipher Brief is a non-political media outlet focused on publishing expert perspectives on national security issues. We are committed to presenting multiple opinions to […] More
Gary Grappo is a former U.S. ambassador who held senior positions including Minister Counselor for Political Affairs at the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad; U.S. Ambassador […] More
Cipher Brief Expert Emile Nakhleh is a retired CIA Senior Intelligence Service Officer and founding director of the CIA’s Political Islam Strategic Analysis Program Office. […] More
Cipher Brief Expert Emile Nakhleh is a retired CIA Senior Intelligence Service Officer and founding director of the CIA’s Political Islam Strategic Analysis Program Office. Nakhleh […] More
Cipher Brief Expert Marc Polymeropoulos served 26 years in the CIA before retiring from the Senior Intelligence Service in June 2019. His positions included field […] More