Strategic Intelligence

List of Strategic Intelligence articles

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.

United Nations headquarters
United Nations headquarters
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.

Japan’s presidential aircraft lands in Germany.
Japan’s presidential aircraft lands in Germany.

Germany Can Learn From Japan’s China Strategy

Berlin should import policies from another economic power in a similar predicament.

Supporters of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad wave a Syrian flag.
Supporters of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad wave a Syrian flag.

The Spy Who Could Have Saved Syria

An espionage thriller presents an alternative to former U.S. President Barack Obama’s failed policy toward the Assad regime.

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.

Avril Haines listens as Sen. Dianne Feinstein asks a question during her confirmation hearing before the Senate Intelligence Committee to be President-elect Joe Biden’s director of national intelligence in Washington on Jan. 19.
Avril Haines listens as Sen. Dianne Feinstein asks a question during her confirmation hearing before the Senate Intelligence Committee to be President-elect Joe Biden’s director of national intelligence in Washington on Jan. 19.
British writer John Le Carre attends a sreeening of "The Night Manager" at the 66th Berlinale Film Festival in Berlin on Feb. 18, 2016.
British writer John Le Carre attends a sreeening of "The Night Manager" at the 66th Berlinale Film Festival in Berlin on Feb. 18, 2016.

What Spies Really Think About John le Carré

The British novelist didn’t just write about the world of intelligence. He changed it forever.

A mock offer of "Novichok Tea" is seen in front of an image of Russian President Vladimir Putin outside the Russian embassy in Berlin during a protest on September 23, 2020. (Odd Anderson/AFP/ Getty Images)
A mock offer of "Novichok Tea" is seen in front of an image of Russian President Vladimir Putin outside the Russian embassy in Berlin during a protest on September 23, 2020. (Odd Anderson/AFP/ Getty Images)

Bellingcat Can Say What U.S. Intelligence Can’t

Open-source investigations enable officials and lawmakers to discuss Russian skullduggery without exposing sources and methods of U.S. intelligence

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