John Sipher
The New York Times
Washington, DC, United States
Contact John
Discover and connect with journalists and influencers around the world, save time on email research, monitor the news, and more.
| Recent: |
|
| Past: |
|
Past articles by John:
Trump Creates His Own ‘Deep State’
The director of national intelligence is ending oral briefings with Congress — a significant step toward eroding oversight and expanding executive overreach. → Read More
The Russia Investigation Will Continue
Counterintelligence agencies must find it hard to believe the cupboard is already bare. → Read More
U.S. Engagement with Indonesia Can Help Prevent Tomorrow’s Crises
Why was Indonesia missing from the U.S. intelligence community's Worldwide Threat Assessment? → Read More
Paul Whelan Isn’t a Spy, and Putin Knows It
The American’s detention reminds us that Russia continues to perfect dirty tricks pioneered by the KGB. → Read More
Ryan Goodman
Ryan Goodman is co-editor-in-chief of Just Security. He served as special counsel to the general counsel of the Department of Defense. → Read More
Trump Is Repeating Soviet Leaders’ Intel Mistakes
Stalin ignored his spies when their findings contradicted his assumptions. Now the U.S. president is doing the same. → Read More
Why American Spies Worry When Trump Meets Putin
Just as the Russian leader has unleashed his intelligence and security services, the American president has kneecapped and undermined his own. → Read More
Recruiting Intelligence Sources: President Trump Makes a Hard Job Harder
At its heart, intelligence collection is a simple—yet fragile—process. And President Trump's recent actions will make it much more difficult for U.S. intelligence officers to develop and recruit new sources in the future. → Read More
The New York Times Company
She has the integrity and experience to stand up to a post-truth White House. → Read More
Ryan Goodman
Ryan Goodman is co-editor-in-chief of Just Security. He served as special counsel to the general counsel of the Department of Defense. → Read More
We’ve Been Here Before: Sticks Don’t Work Well with Pakistan
Sipher writes that the Trump administration's chastising of Pakistan for not fighting local Taliban forces puts at risk the vital U.S. interests of preventing Pakistan from becoming a nuclear failed state and defeating armed groups like ISIS that can threaten the U.S. → Read More
Collusion Doesn’t Have to be Criminal to be a Threat
During the hearing with Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein on Wednesday, some members of the House Judiciary Committee did not try to conceal → Read More
John Sipher
John Sipher is a retired 28-year veteran of the CIA’s National Clandestine Service. He served in the Senior Intelligence Service. → Read More
Taking Putin's Word For It
Trump wants to believe both the Russian president’s denial of election meddling, and the conclusions of his own intelligence agencies. But he can’t have it both ways. → Read More
Taking Putin's Word For It
Taking Putin’s Word For It By Ryan Goodman and John Sipher 6:18 AM ET When asked on Saturday about his conversation with Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific economic summit in Vietnam, President Donald Trump reported that the Russian president denied interfering in the 2016 U.S. presidential election. That, of course, directly contradicts the conclusions of the U.S. intelligence… → Read More
Don’t Muzzle Former C.I.A. Officers
Criticizing wrongheaded or shortsighted decisions by senior officials is very different from divulging classified information. → Read More
The Public Needs a Lesson in Russian Strategic Deception: It’s What You Want to Hear
Former senior CIA official John Sipher tells Americans what to look out for next--from a different chapter in the Kremlin's playbook. → Read More
How Expelling Russian Diplomats Backfired on the US
On Lawfare@FP, John Sipher argues that the U.S.’s recent effort to put diplomatic pressure on Russia undermined U.S. interests. → Read More
A Second Look at the Steele Dossier—Knowing What We Know Now
Former top CIA official reviews Steele Dossier in light of past 9 mos. of information. Bottom line: it's generally credible. A 5,500-word analysis. → Read More
Toward a Redefinition of ‘Winning’ in Afghanistan
Ultimate success in Afghanistan will depend on a wide variety of factors—including how we define success. → Read More