|
President Trump’s
Strange Russia Strategy
|
|
Photo: iStock
As the world focuses on the Singapore summit between President Donald
Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, the President’s Treasury Secretary
announced sanctions against
five Russian entities and three individuals for their ties to Russian
cyber activities, prompting some to question the
Administration’s mixed signals on Russia over the past seven days.
- The
announcement of sanctions came on the heels of President Trump’s
unexpected suggestion last week that Russia to
be reintegrated into the G7 group of world leaders.
- Just
days before - and days after - the President made those
remarks, members
of his own administration were condemning Russian behavior and
warning of the global divide that Russia is seeking to create, primarily
via cyber attacks.
- “The
Russian threat in particular has awakened Europe to the need to
reinvigorate NATO and bolster our collective defenses,” said
Director of National Security Dan Coats. “The Russians are actively
seeking to divide our Alliance and we must not allow that to
happen.”
- “It’s kind of puzzling isn’t
it, that Trump, on the one hand, is inviting
people into the G7 and here’s Mnuchin piling sanctions on?”
said Cipher Brief Expert and
Former Acting Director of the CIA John McLaughlin.
- Is
it within the realm of possibility, however, that the mixed
messages are a part of the President’s style? Could they be a
good cop – bad cop approach to diplomacy? Or is it something
else?
Read the full analysis here…
|
|
The U.S. Intelligence
Mission Targeting North Korea
|
|
Shortly after he was sworn in as
Director CIA in January of 2017, now-Secretary of State Mike Pompeo made some bold
moves that put renewed focus on the North Korea threat. Cipher Brief Expert and
former CIA Chief of Station Dan Hoffman writes:
- Pompeo
oversaw the establishment of the CIA’s Korea Mission Center, meant to better bring
together the resources available to the Agency, and second, he
brought back an old CIA hand – a Korean-American named Andrew Kim –
to run it.
- While
serving as DCIA, Pompeo
began engaging with North Korea through the
CIA’s relationships with both North Korea’s intelligence service,
the Reconnaissance General Bureau, and South Korean National
Intelligence.
- With
Secretary Pompeo having created the framework for the onset of
negotiations, getting
here isn’t where the Intel mission ends. In fact, it’s just
the beginning.
And there’s another mission with
potential broad global
ramifications…
Read the full Expert View here…
|
|
In Case You Missed
It: North Korea’s Path to Denuclearization
|
|
Cipher Brief Expert and former Special
Envoy for Six Party Talks with North Korea, Ambassador Joseph Detrani
writes that the June 12th summit with North Korea could be an
important beginning to a process that eventually results in the Complete,
Verifiable and Irreversible Dismantlement (CVID) of North Korea’s nuclear
weapons and nuclear weapons facilities.
- This
is the goal, but there’s justified skepticism that this objective can be
achieved, especially after 2017, when North Korea launched an
Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) that can reach the
continental U.S. and successfully tested a hydrogen bomb. Thus, many
are asking: Why would North Korea give it up, after spending
billions of dollars over decades to accomplish this capability?
- It
all depends on Kim Jung-Un, the young leader who studied in Switzerland
and wasn’t groomed to replace his father, Kim Jong il.
- But
after almost seven years in power, Kim appears to have
consolidated power with the appointment of loyalists, who share his
vision, to leadership positions in the government and the
party. What is his vision?
Read the full column from Cipher Brief Expert Ambassador
Joseph DeTrani here….
|
|
Each week, we bring readers tidbits
of gossip from the world of national security and intelligence. The
Dead Drop is a source of fun or intriguing news you can’t get anywhere
else. Here’s a snippet of this week’s drop:
HAPPY BIRTHDAY,
MR. PRESIDENT... The CIA this week is releasing
declassified material in honor of President George H.W. Bush's 94th
birthday (today). The gift of goodwill includes two videos that
include speeches the former President gave to the workforce as well as
documents associated with his farewell visit to Langley during the final
month of his presidency. If you ever wondered how the CIA workforce
gets this 'classified' info delivered, check out the
invitation and notice that went out to the rank and file as well as
the internal funding request that made it happen. What the Dead Drop really
wants to know is... how long did it take to get that material
declassified?
Get the week’s full Dead Drop here…
|
|
From the CEO: Cipher
Brief News
|
|
Cipher Brief CEO & Publisher Suzanne Kelly is proud to
announce the launch of a Cipher Brief– Level One Membership for dedicated
readers of The
Cipher Brief. Stay tuned this week for more on how
to become a member as well as the announcement of a slate of in-person
live events featuring Cipher
Brief Experts…
…
|
|
|
