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1 month ago | 
thecipherbrief.com | Tom Nagorski |Ethan Masucol
SPECIAL REPORT – The U.S. Intelligence Community’s (IC) annual assessment of threats facing the U.S. puts narcotics trafficking at the top of the list – ahead of menaces involving China, Iran, Russia, Islamic terrorism and cyberattacks. It also paints a portrait of Russia that’s much darker than the image promoted by President Trump and his negotiators.
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1 month ago | 
thecipherbrief.com | Eric Geller |Ethan Masucol
Experts argue that the benefits of global cyber defense programs far outweigh the costs DEEP DIVE Posted: March 20th, 2025 DEEP DIVE — President Donald Trump’s foreign aid freeze will kneecap U.S. efforts to build alliances around cybersecurity issues and help Russia and China seize the upper hand in global battles over internet governance and communications infrastructure, according to several experts interviewed by The Cipher Brief. The White House’s aid restrictions have already shut down...
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1 month ago | 
thecipherbrief.com | Tom Nagorski |Ethan Masucol
Keith Kellogg also acknowledged the damage Russia has done to Ukraine
Posted: March 6th, 2025
DEEP DIVE — The Trump administration envoy for Ukraine and Russia blamed Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky Thursday for the U.S. pauses in military aid and intelligence sharing with Ukraine. The Ukrainians “brought it on themselves,“ Ret. Lt. Gen.
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1 month ago | 
thecipherbrief.com | Tom Nagorski |Ethan Masucol
The Trump Administration's suspension of aid is one more devastating blow to Ukraine
DEEP DIVE
Posted: March 3rd, 2025
DEEP DIVE — For months it was a hypothetical question: Could Ukraine continue to fight if the Trump administration ends its support?
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Jan 17, 2025 | 
thecipherbrief.com | Ethan Masucol
Hostage releases and humanitarian relief for Gaza would come first; major regional ripple effects may follow
EXPERT ANALYSIS
Posted: January 17th, 2025
BOTTOM LINE UP FRONT — Might a Gaza peace agreement bring benefit beyond the besieged Gaza Strip?
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Jan 16, 2025 | 
thecipherbrief.com | Ethan Masucol
EXPERT INTERVIEW — As the U.S. prepares for its transfer of power, there is one global security issue on which the Biden and Trump Administrations would agree: China represents the most profound long-term threat to U.S. national security. That’s an opinion shared by officials in the intelligence community, the diplomatic corps, and the national security teams for both leaders — though they may differ markedly when it comes to what to do about the threat.
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Jan 14, 2025 | 
thecipherbrief.com | Ethan Masucol
EXPERT INTERVIEWS — The final days of the Biden Administration are coinciding with an all-out push to reach a ceasefire-for-hostage deal in Gaza. And in a rare case of what might be called transition diplomacy in the U.S., senior officials from the current administration – CIA Director William Burns and Middle East special envoy Brett McGurk – have been joined by the Trump Administration’s Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff in the efforts to bring Israel and Hamas to an agreement.
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Jan 14, 2025 | 
thecipherbrief.com | Ethan Masucol
The divest-or-ban law weighs the potential national security threat against the platform's First Amendment defense.
EXPERT ANALYSIS
Posted: January 14th, 2025
EXPERT ANALYSIS — Does Chinese ownership of the wildly popular TikTok app pose a national security risk to the United States? And if so, what should be done about it?
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Jan 13, 2025 | 
thecipherbrief.com | Ethan Masucol
A Biden administration official sees "magical thinking" in the promise of peace in 100 days' time
EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW
Posted: January 13th, 2025
EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW — One week from today, the incoming Trump administration will take the reins, and it is already preparing to act when it comes to the Russian war against Ukraine.
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Jan 12, 2025 | 
thecipherbrief.com | Ethan Masucol
BOTTOM LINE UP FRONT — Two very different events in two very different parts of the world have raised concerns about a resurgence of the Islamic State terror group: the New Year’s Day attack in New Orleans which killed 14 people and wounded 35 more, and which was inspired by the Islamic State; and a power vacuum in Syria in the wake of the rebellion that overthrew the regime of Bashar al-Assad last month.
