Today's Insight
Japan and the EU Show That Free Trade Will Not Wait for Trump | Fritz Lodge, The Cipher BriefAs Trump and his team push a more nationalist trade policy for the United States, Japan and the European Union demonstrate that international resolve remains to pursue trade liberalization - with or without the United States. Expert CommentaryFree Trade's New Champions | Desmond Lachman, Former Deputy Director, Policy Development and Review Department, International Monetary FundThe recently agreed framework for a Europe-Japan free trade agreement could not provide a clearer indication as to the changing of the guard in terms of free trade leadership. Tokyo and Europe Take a Stand Against Protectionism | Mireya Solis, Co-Director, Center for East Asia Policy Studies, Brookings Institution"This is one of the so-called mega free trade agreements – one of the first that is really coming online. However, we must remember that this is just a broad political agreement, it’s an important milestone but we do not yet have a finalized Japan-EU free trade agreement."
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Today's Column: Agenda Setter
“We are Decades Behind” in Countering Russian Propaganda | Mackenzie Weinger, National Security Reporter, The Cipher BriefThe Cipher Brief profiles Bill Evanina, the U.S. government's "counterintelligence chief" with responsibility for combating insider threats, developing macro-level strategy to counter Russian propaganda and intelligence-gathering activities, and much more.
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Must Read On The Cipher Brief
Permitting North Korea Even a Few Nuclear Weapons is a Mistake | Joseph DeTrani, Former Director, National Counterproliferation Center
Accepting North Korea as a nuclear weapons state, even with a limited nuclear arsenal, would be a mistake. A nuclear North Korea would result in significant nuclear proliferation in East Asia, with South Korea, Japan, Taiwan, and others likely seeking their own nuclear weapons, regardless of extended nuclear deterrence commitments from the U.S.
Tillerson Not Happy About Russia Sanctions Bill, Wants Better Relations | Verdi Tzou, National Security Web Editor, The Cipher Brief
In a surprise appearance at Tuesday’s State Department briefing, Tillerson discussed a wide array of foreign policy issues, covering topics from Russia to North Korea to Venezuela, as he marked six months as secretary.
Tearing up the Iran Nuclear Deal: A Fool’s Errand | John Nixon, Former Senior Leadership Analyst, CIA
Hardliners in both countries appear to be getting the upper hand as both countries decide what to do next regarding, what has been until now, an unprecedented breakthrough in relations between the two adversaries.
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The Cipher Brief Special Reports
Be sure to check out The Cipher Brief's Special Reports, offering deep insight on specific national security topics.
American Dilemma: Security vs. Privacy
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The Cipher Brief's Annual Threat Report
The Annual Threat Report includes the highlights of our first annual Threat Conference - plus, the results of polling 70+ national security experts on the top five threats in the coming year.
Available for purchase - click here for more information. |
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Podcasts
The Cipher Brief Daily PodcastGet a daily rundown of the top security stories and previews of the exclusive content available on The Cipher Brief. Listen now - on iTunes or on our website15 MinutesThis week, The Cipher Brief brings you a special best of episode of one of our most fascinating guests, Jason Matheny, Director of IARPA, the research branch for the intelligence community that works on ways to tell the future - among other projects. The Cipher Brief’s CEO and Publisher, Suzanne Kelly, spoke with Jason about what exactly IARPA does, what keeps him up at night, and if there’s ways to predict political instability and unrest. Listen to 15 Minutes: Best of Special with Jason Matheny, Director of IARPA - or get it on iTunes
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The Cipher Take
Iran Accuses U.S. of Breaching Nuclear DealIn response to U.S. sanctions levied against six Iranian companies connected to the country’s ballistic missile program this July, Iranian Speaker of the parliament, Ali Larjani, told Tasnim News Agency on Tuesday that “Iran’s JCPOA [Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action] supervisory body assessed the new U.S. sanctions and decided that they contradict parts of the nuclear deal.” According to Larjani, “Iran has complained to the [JCPOA] Commission,” a joint commission created by the P5+1, Iran, and the European Union to police the JCPOA. The Cipher Take: During the 2016 presidential campaign, U.S. President Donald Trump railed against the JCPOA and, just last week, called it “the worst deal ever” - but his administration has stated that Iran is in compliance with the agreement and instead pursued new sanctions in other areas. On the Iranian side, rhetoric against the deal and the new administration has been similarly hot, but this is the first formal action by Tehran against the United States under the aegis of the nuclear agreement. Reporting from the New York Times last week suggested that President Trump is looking for a way out of the JCPOA; the Iranians just might beat him to it.Want more of The Cipher Take? Read the rest of our analysis on today's headlines at thecipherbrief.com.
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