Podcast: Does Putin have skills to be hired by CIA? John Sipher explains

I talked to John Sipher. He is a senior non-resident fellow at the Atlantic Council, and the co-founder of Spycraft Entertainment, a production firm providing content to the entertainment industry. He retired in 2014 after a 28-year career in the CIA’s National Clandestine Service, which included serving in Moscow and running the CIA’s Russia operations. (This podcast was recorded before the Yevgeny Prigozhin’s mutiny). If you enjoy what I do, please support me on Ko-fi! Thank you.

Russian President Vladimir Putin. Credit: kremlin.eu

Shoot ’em up: What do we (probably) know about the flying objects downed by the US?

What is going on, as the US downed a couple of objects in the last few days, also in the Canadian airspace. Is this the UFO? 🙂 To quote Democratic Senator Jon Tester: What’s gone on the last two weeks or so, 10 days, has been nothing short of craziness. Read a few comments. If you enjoy what I do, please support me on Ko-fi! Thank you.

Chinese balloon photographed from Billings, Montana. Credit: Chase Doak

Trump simply rejects information he does not like. But you don’t bury coronavirus

According to The Washington Post report U.S. intelligence agencies were issuing warnings in January and February about the global danger posed by the coronavirus, albeit  they didn’t predict when the virus might land on U.S. shores or recommend particular steps that public health officials should take. “Donald Trump may not have been expecting this, but a lot of other people in the government were — they just couldn’t get him to do anything about it,” one official said. “The system was blinking red.” While we all know that intelligence report are not always perfect in predicting the future, it seems Trump really paid very little attention to it. So from your perspective, how usual or unusual was President Trump’s response, or lack of it, taking into account that he red same intelligence reports? Read few comments.

Will James Bond fight Donald Trump? ;-)

James Bond writers suggested that with people like US President Donald Trump, the Bond villain has become a reality. So we have Trump, we have Brexit, we have fake news (Tomorrow Never Dies comes to my mind). Do you think the next James Bond movie will be/should be influenced by this geopolitical reality and why and how? Read few comments.

The Geographies, Genders and Geopolitics of James Bond by Lisa Funnell, Klaus Dodds

WikiLeaks CIA leaks not a big surprise but…

TVs turned into covert microphones is the usual headline after new WikiLeaks revelations of CIA practices. If you look at these news revelations how do you read CIA capabilities, any big surprise for you, and why? Read few comments.

CIA seal. Credit: https://www.cia.gov/

Trump vs US intelligence agencies?

How PEOTUS Donald Trump openly challenging, mocking own intelligence agencies is probably unprecedented and we may also expect some changes in the intelligence structure. How do you read this, what kind of effect this my have on US intelligence services and their work? Read few comments.

Paris attacks: We fight ISIS but what comes next?

On November 13,  2015 terrorists linked to Islamic State killed 130 people in Paris.

What will new NATO intelligence chief do?

As NATO has appointed its first intelligence chief, do you think this kind of position is really needed and what is the best way how to improve NATO’s intelligence capabilities? Read few comments.

Will the torture report change CIA?

With the releasing of CIA torture report we hear a lot about CIA’s ineffectiveness and mismanagement. CIA fights against the report, but no matter what both sides are saying, what’s your view on what should be the lesson learned for CIA from the report and from what happened after 9/11? Any particular changes you would suggest? Read few comments.

US-German relations are in a state of uncertainty

Germany demands top US intelligence officer to leave. In the light of current spying scandals how do you perceive US-Germany relations, can we expect any lasting impact on Berlin-Washington relations? Read few comments.