CIA

List of CIA articles

Protesters gather in London on Oct. 1 in solidarity with people protesting across Iran.
Protesters gather in London on Oct. 1 in solidarity with people protesting across Iran.

A Chance to Be on Right Side of History in Iran

Britain and the United States overthrew the country’s last democratic government. Supporting pro-democracy protesters is an opportunity for redemption.

The wreckage of Dag Hammarskjold’s plane
The wreckage of Dag Hammarskjold’s plane

What Really Happened to Dag Hammarskjold’s Plane

More than 60 years after the deaths of the U.N. chief and his team, the victims’ families believe the answer may lie in Washington’s and London’s archives.

Afghan security forces escort suspected Taliban fighters
Afghan security forces escort suspected Taliban fighters

U.S. Officials Make Last-Minute Push to Get Afghan Spies Out Before Withdrawal

Intelligence assets who worked for the CIA now face deadly reprisals.

CIA Director-designate William Burns testifies during his Senate Select Intelligence Committee confirmation hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington on Feb. 24.
CIA Director-designate William Burns testifies during his Senate Select Intelligence Committee confirmation hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington on Feb. 24.

Biden’s Pick for CIA Director Singles Out China as ‘Biggest Geopolitical Test’

Bill Burns, a veteran diplomat, will helm the spy agency in an era of renewed great-power competition.

Security officials wait in front of the gate door of the Saudi Arabian consulate on October 17, 2018 in Istanbul, Turkey two weeks after Jamal Khashoggi was assassinated inside the building.
Security officials wait in front of the gate door of the Saudi Arabian consulate on October 17, 2018 in Istanbul, Turkey two weeks after Jamal Khashoggi was assassinated inside the building.

Biden Should Release the CIA Report on Jamal Khashoggi’s Killers

Trump has protected Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman despite the U.S. intelligence community’s conclusion that he ordered the assassination of a U.S. resident. The new administration should reveal the truth.

William Burns, the then-undersecretary of state for political affairs, testifies before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee in Washington on March 17, 2011.
William Burns, the then-undersecretary of state for political affairs, testifies before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee in Washington on March 17, 2011.

Under Burns, the CIA Gets a New Focus

Biden’s pick for the agency’s director shows that diplomacy is back.

U.S. President-elect Joe Biden gestures to the media as he leaves the Queen Theater after participating in a virtual roundtable with frontline health care workers on Nov. 18, in Wilmington, Delaware.
U.S. President-elect Joe Biden gestures to the media as he leaves the Queen Theater after participating in a virtual roundtable with frontline health care workers on Nov. 18, in Wilmington, Delaware.

Progressives Target Biden Cabinet Picks

Left-wing groups want to ensure Biden doesn’t pick Michael Morrell, seen as linked to post-9/11 counterterrorism policies, as CIA director.

President-elect Joe Biden speaks to the media in Delaware.
President-elect Joe Biden speaks to the media in Delaware.

And the Top Contenders for Biden’s Cabinet Are…

Biden’s final picks could ultimately hinge on two runoff Senate races in Georgia, which will determine who controls the upper chamber.

Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Donald Trump talk at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation leaders' summit in Danang, Vietnam, on Nov. 11, 2017.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Donald Trump talk at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation leaders' summit in Danang, Vietnam, on Nov. 11, 2017.

This November, America’s Safety Is on the Ballot

Americans are already less safe because of growing distrust in their intelligence. Dangers will multiply without a change in political leadership.

A man walks across the seal of the CIA at the lobby at CIA headquarters in McLean, Virginia, on Feb. 19, 2009.
A man walks across the seal of the CIA at the lobby at CIA headquarters in McLean, Virginia, on Feb. 19, 2009.

CIA Recruitment Has Joined the Social Media Age

A new video tries to make spying for the United States attractive for today’s youth—but cuts some corners along the way.

U.S. Vice President Joe Biden sits with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu before a dinner at the prime minister's residence in Jerusalem on March 9, 2010.
U.S. Vice President Joe Biden sits with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu before a dinner at the prime minister's residence in Jerusalem on March 9, 2010.

How to End the Special Relationship With Israel

The peace process died of natural causes. Washington’s most extraordinary alliance should too.

Supporters of Democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg
Supporters of Democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg

No, Pete Buttigieg Is Not a CIA Asset

The agency’s history of bloody-handed bungling abroad has come back to haunt U.S. politics.

Rioters run in the streets of Tehran in August 1953.
Rioters run in the streets of Tehran in August 1953.

Don’t Just Blame Washington for the 1953 Iran Coup

Declassified evidence shows that Iranians, including clerics, played a significant role in the events of Aug. 19, 1953—and that after an earlier failed coup attempt, the CIA was left in the dark.

A policeman secures Terminal 1 after a scuffle with pro-democracy protestors at Hong Kong's International Airport on August 13, 2019.
A policeman secures Terminal 1 after a scuffle with pro-democracy protestors at Hong Kong's International Airport on August 13, 2019.

Beijing’s Paranoia Sees the CIA Under Every Rock

Chinese propagandists are throwing around wild allegations in Hong Kong—but the leadership may really believe them.

U.S. President Donald Trump speaks to reporters about Iran and Mexico after signing an executive order establishing a White House Council on eliminating regulatory barriers to affordable housing, in the Oval Office at the White House on June 25, 2019 in Washington, DC.
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks to reporters about Iran and Mexico after signing an executive order establishing a White House Council on eliminating regulatory barriers to affordable housing, in the Oval Office at the White House on June 25, 2019 in Washington, DC.

Trump’s Ego Is Officially a Foreign Policy Crisis

Throughout American history, a lack of presidential empathy has triggered international calamity.

Protesters demonstrate bill on June 16, 2019 in Hong Kong.
Protesters demonstrate bill on June 16, 2019 in Hong Kong.

Beijing Blames Foreigners When Hong Kongers March

Belief in foreign spies is projection about the Party's own overseas activities.

A screen grab from a propaganda video released April 29 purportedly shows Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi for the first time in five years at an undisclosed location.
A screen grab from a propaganda video released April 29 purportedly shows Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi for the first time in five years at an undisclosed location.

‘Let’s Kill This Baby in the Crib’

That’s what the CIA said when it had Osama bin Laden in its sights after 9/11. Instead, America veered off into Iraq, and the result is Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, who appeared in a new video this week.

Then-Deputy CIA Director Gina Haspel speaks at the Office of Strategic Services Society's annual William J. Donovan Award Dinner in 2017. (YouTube/The OSS Society)
Then-Deputy CIA Director Gina Haspel speaks at the Office of Strategic Services Society's annual William J. Donovan Award Dinner in 2017. (YouTube/The OSS Society)

CIA Lies Low, Waiting for Trump Storm to Pass

With Dan Coats’s job as director of national intelligence on the line, senior CIA officials avoid criticizing the president.

(Toshifumi Kitamura/AFP/Getty Images)
(Toshifumi Kitamura/AFP/Getty Images)

The China Syndrome

On the podcast: A former CIA analyst on Beijing’s interference in the affairs of other countries.

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