Tom Nagorski

Managing Editor @TheCipherBrief; Previously Global Editor @TheMessenger & Grid; EVP @AsiaSociety; Managing Editor @ABC; Author “Miracles on the Water"

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Articles

Why Poland is Critical – For Ukraine and Europe’s Defense

2 weeks ago | thecipherbrief.com | Tom Nagorski

Poland has won praise for its military, and for “getting Russia right” Posted: May 21st, 2025 EXPERT INTERVIEWS – Sunday’s presidential election in Poland, and the country’s growing role in NATO, have put a fresh focus on Poland as a critical part of European efforts to defend the continent against Russian aggression.
Trump’s Gulf Tour: The Money Deals, the Diplomacy and What Comes Next

3 weeks ago | thecipherbrief.com | Tom Nagorski

Cipher Brief experts assess the consequences of an unusual Mideast tour EXPERT ANALYSIS Posted: May 16th, 2025 BOTTOM LINE UP FRONT – President Trump headed home Friday after a whirlwind four-day tour of the Persian Gulf that featured multibillion-dollar deals, an unprecedented AI data partnership, and some unexpected diplomatic developments as well.
Trump's Mideast Wish List: $1+ Trillion in Investments

3 weeks ago | thecipherbrief.com | Tom Nagorski

EXPERT INTERVIEWS – President Donald Trump embarks this week on the first scheduled overseas trip of his second term (the funeral for Pope Francis having obviously not been in the “scheduled” category), a four-day visit to Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Qatar.
Assessing Putin and the 'Axis of Authoritarians'

3 weeks ago | thecipherbrief.com | Tom Nagorski

A former CIA leader and Ukrainian Prime Minister worry about Putin's ambitions beyond Ukraine Posted: May 11th, 2025 CIPHER BRIEF REPORTING – On Friday, as Russian President Vladimir Putin welcomed more than a dozen world leaders, including China’s Xi Jinping, for a Victory Day parade in Moscow and a collective stand against the West, a global gathering in Kyiv heard a very different message: a high-level assessment and critique of Putin — from leaders who have observed him from different...
Who’s Winning the Intelligence War in Ukraine?

4 weeks ago | thecipherbrief.com | Tom Nagorski

CIPHER BRIEF REPORTING – It’s often lost in all the news from the battlefield in Ukraine, and the various negotiations underway in pursuit of a peace deal: Who is winning the intelligence war in Ukraine? That question and others related to the way in which spycraft has impacted the conflict were the subject of a special session at the opening day of the Kyiv Security Forum Thursday.
New York Chief Cyber Officer: U.S. ‘Falling Behind’ - and Adversaries Aren’t Waiting

1 month ago | thecipherbrief.com | Tom Nagorski

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW – As the U.S. government considers restructuring and staff reductions to its cybersecurity departments, officials at the state level are watching closely – and hoping that the federal cuts and changes don’t damage their ability to deal with an unprecedented level of threats. Access all of The Cipher Brief’s national security-focused expert insight by becoming a Cipher Brief Subscriber+ Member. Sign Up Log In
Waltz, Rubio and the National Security Shakeup

1 month ago | thecipherbrief.com | Tom Nagorski

The world has grown more dangerous since Henry Kissinger held two top national security posts Posted: May 2nd, 2025 CIPHER BRIEF REPORTING – The announcement was made on the 101st day of the second Trump administration, and while some insiders said they saw it coming, it caught even some administration officials by surprise.
Can India and Pakistan be Brought Back from the Brink of War?

1 month ago | thecipherbrief.com | Tom Nagorski

A deadly attack in Kashmir raises fears of escalation between two nuclear powers Posted: April 30th, 2025 EXPERT INTERVIEW – One week after a deadly terror attack, India and Pakistan stand at the precipice of military conflict, and as one scholar and editor noted Tuesday, “the risks of escalation…are higher than ever.” The catalyst for the crisis is last week’s attack in the long disputed territory of Kashmir, in which gunmen opened fire on a group of tourists in Pahalgam, in the part of...
Space: A Final Frontier for National Security?

1 month ago | thecipherbrief.com | Tom Nagorski

EXPERT INTERVIEWS — The domain of space has become essential to 21st-century life, given the extent to which communications and navigation are now reliant on space-based systems. That reliance has made space a strategic domain as well — one where geopolitical competition on Earth is increasingly projected, and which is being weaponized in preparation for potential conflicts. It’s a future that not long ago would have seemed the stuff of science fiction; today, experts say, it’s all too real.
The Pathways to a New U.S.-Iran Nuclear Deal

1 month ago | thecipherbrief.com | Tom Nagorski

BOTTOM LINE UP FRONT – In the early days of the Trump administration, talk of peace deals and ceasefires were focused on the wars in Ukraine and in Gaza. Nearly 3 months later, the Russia-Ukraine negotiations are faltering, and a Gaza cease-fire has collapsed, but there is fresh hope on a third geopolitical front: negotiations for a new agreement to ensure that Iran does not obtain a nuclear weapon.