Strategic Intelligence

List of Strategic Intelligence articles

A police officer wearing a uniform and hat is seen from behind as he stands guard outside the King Baudouin Stadium in Brussels. A police vehicle with headlights on is in front of him and lights and the roof of the soccer stadium are seen in the distance.
A police officer wearing a uniform and hat is seen from behind as he stands guard outside the King Baudouin Stadium in Brussels. A police vehicle with headlights on is in front of him and lights and the roof of the soccer stadium are seen in the distance.

After Hamas Attacks, Terror Threats Are on the Rise

Terror groups compete for funds and thrive on attention. That makes the world a much more dangerous place after Oct. 7.

U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez is seen in a circle inside the viewfinder of a camera as he speaks during a news conference. A blurry red recording light is seen to the right.
U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez is seen in a circle inside the viewfinder of a camera as he speaks during a news conference. A blurry red recording light is seen to the right.

The Rise of the New Spycraft Regimes

U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez’s indictment should remind the West not to underestimate the intelligence capabilities of smaller powers.

Palestinians run across a dusty landscape through a breach in a high wire fence topped with barbed wire on the Israel-Gaza border.
Palestinians run across a dusty landscape through a breach in a high wire fence topped with barbed wire on the Israel-Gaza border.

How Israel’s Spies Failed—and Why Escalation Could Be Catastrophic

The culture of intelligence agencies paved the way for disaster. Regional war could revive the nuclear specter that haunted the world in 1973.  

AI-war-predictions-technology-Brian-Stauffer-illustration-foreign-policy
AI-war-predictions-technology-Brian-Stauffer-illustration-foreign-policy

AI Has Entered the Situation Room

Data lets us see with unprecedented clarity—but reaping its benefits requires changing how foreign policy is made.

Front-line Ukrainian soldiers jump back and cover their ears as a mortar fires on targets near Ugledar, Donetsk, Ukraine, on April 18. Dirt flies in the foreground.
Front-line Ukrainian soldiers jump back and cover their ears as a mortar fires on targets near Ugledar, Donetsk, Ukraine, on April 18. Dirt flies in the foreground.

What AI Can Tell Us About Putin’s Next Steps in Ukraine

Be prepared for attacks on Kharkiv and Gazprom’s fighters joining the war.

Two white balloons float near a Chinese flag during a demonstration outside the Chinese Embassy in Washington.
Two white balloons float near a Chinese flag during a demonstration outside the Chinese Embassy in Washington.

Let’s Stop Pretending Spying Is a Big Deal

In great-power competition there is no such thing as minding one’s own business.

A man sells stickers picturing Taliban supreme leader Haibatullah Akhundzada at market in Kabul.
A man sells stickers picturing Taliban supreme leader Haibatullah Akhundzada at market in Kabul.

It’s Time To Recognize the Taliban

The absence of a U.S. diplomatic presence leaves Washington powerless and strengthens the extremists in Kabul.

An illustration of a gamer in front of an espionage ey.
An illustration of a gamer in front of an espionage ey.

How Gamers Eclipsed Spies as an Intelligence Threat

The latest leak has profound implications for counterintelligence.

A monument in the center of Tirana, Albania's capital.
A monument in the center of Tirana, Albania's capital.

How Albania Became a Target for Cyberattacks

A massive hack led to the expulsion of Iranian diplomats—but Tehran may have had help from Moscow.

A fighter jet flies past the remnants of a large balloon after it was shot down just off the coast of South Carolina.
A fighter jet flies past the remnants of a large balloon after it was shot down just off the coast of South Carolina.

In a World Awash in Satellites, Why Use Spy Balloons?

And what we know about China’s infamous eye in the sky.

U.S. President Joe Biden speaks to the press after arriving at Hagerstown Regional Airport in Hagerstown, Maryland, on Feb. 4, 2023.
U.S. President Joe Biden speaks to the press after arriving at Hagerstown Regional Airport in Hagerstown, Maryland, on Feb. 4, 2023.

Is the U.S. Reaction to China’s Spy Balloon Overdue or Overblown?

Beijing’s botched high-altitude surveillance has provoked a backlash among Biden administration officials and the American public.

Dongfeng-41 intercontinental strategic nuclear missiles during a military parade celebrating the 70th founding anniversary of the People's Republic of China in Beijing on Oct. 1, 2019.
Dongfeng-41 intercontinental strategic nuclear missiles during a military parade celebrating the 70th founding anniversary of the People's Republic of China in Beijing on Oct. 1, 2019.

The United States and China Still Need to Talk About Nuclear Weapons

Biden and Blinken must not let the spy balloon controversy stand in the way of talks on nuclear crisis management and arms control.

The Central Intelligence Agency headquarters are pictured in Langley, Virginia, on July 8, 2022.
The Central Intelligence Agency headquarters are pictured in Langley, Virginia, on July 8, 2022.

U.S. Rivals Are Facing Unrest. Is It Due to Luck or Skill?

Mass protests create a favorable environment for intelligence agencies—but the CIA should tread carefully in China, Iran, and Russia.

The exterior of the Russian Embassy in Stockholm, Sweden, is pictured on March 27, 2018.
The exterior of the Russian Embassy in Stockholm, Sweden, is pictured on March 27, 2018.

Sweden’s Espionage Scandal Raises Hard Questions on Spy Recruitment

Intelligence agencies debate whether foreign-born citizens are more targeted.

monkeypox vaccination
monkeypox vaccination

Kremlin Claims Monkeypox Could Be a Secret U.S. Bioweapon

Washington needs to stop being a pushover in the global info war.

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