Daniel N. Hoffman
Columns by Daniel N. Hoffman
Iran has nothing to fear, everything to gain from low-level proxy war
Last week, Iran marked the 45th anniversary of the end of its 1979 Islamic Revolution with a massive military parade, while crowds burned U.S. and Israeli flags and shouted retread slogans. Published February 22, 2024
CIA recruitment videos target Russians put off by Putin’s follies
Having served in the KGB and as director of Russia's Federal Security Service, Russian President Vladimir Putin naturally turns to cloak-and-dagger espionage to take the fight to his adversaries, foreign and domestic. Published February 8, 2024
For the U.S., going it alone is not an option
After spilling so much blood and treasure in the "forever wars" of Afghanistan and Iraq, many Americans want to avoid becoming entangled in world affairs. But just as in the 1920s and 1930s, storm clouds have gathered. Published January 25, 2024
Threat alert for U.S. is again ‘blinking red’ in Gaza
Iran's proxy terrorists in Iraq and Syria, such as Lebanon's Hezbollah and Yemen's Houthis, represent a real and present danger to the U.S., the region and the global economy. Published January 11, 2024
Better intelligence needed to keep a world in crisis from getting worse
At their recent meeting in San Francisco, Chinese President Xi Jinping reportedly told President Biden that China would one day reunify Taiwan with mainland China. Published December 28, 2023
What the CIA can teach us about caring for one another
A few years back, when I was serving as station chief in a South Asian war zone, my CIA colleague Sean visited our town house late one evening to drop off a present for my older son, who was celebrating his fifth birthday. Published December 14, 2023
Mideast war shines a spotlight on TikTok’s dangers
Over the past few weeks, the social media site TikTok has spread a plethora of disinformation and propaganda, including misleading posts about the war between Israel and Hamas. Published November 30, 2023
U.S. must be prepared to defeat Putin’s axis of tyranny
The great Prussian general and military strategist Carl von Clausewitz once described war as "the realm of uncertainty" where "chance makes everything more uncertain and interferes with the course of events." Published November 16, 2023
Tying shoes, shaping lives: Honoring an uncle and a Marine
Years ago, when my sons were both in elementary school, they knew my brother-in-law Paul as a kindhearted and patient uncle, one who made them tasty pancakes while their mother was in the hospital for cancer treatment. Published November 9, 2023
Learning from the Arab Spring to defeat Iran today
Back in 2010, when I was serving as deputy chief of the CIA's Near East Division, the Arab Spring engulfed the Middle East, bringing with it levels of popular unrest not seen since the fall of the Ottoman Empire. Published November 2, 2023
When a busy man makes time to support the noble cause of fighting cancer
It was a small gesture that spoke volumes. A couple of weeks ago, CIA Director William Burns was among those attending the annual Prevent Cancer Foundation gala at Washington's National Building Museum. Published October 19, 2023
After Hamas shock attack, good intel more vital than ever for Israel, U.S.
Israel is reeling from Hamas' unprecedented combined air, land and sea attack, in which hundreds of Hamas terrorists infiltrated as much as 15 miles into southern Israel across Gaza's 37-mile border. Published October 10, 2023
Lethal, centrally controlled autocracy like China cannot be trusted
Chinese President Xi Jinping demands unquestioning obedience to his dictatorial regime. Published October 5, 2023
With Putin’s vulnerability, insider reporting on Russia matters more than ever
In the Great Purge of 1936-38, Soviet dictator Josef Stalin ordered the NKVD, the KGB's predecessor, to liquidate his real and perceived enemies in the Communist Party leadership, the Red Army and Russia's security services. Published September 21, 2023
Response to Sept. 11 attacks embedded in U.S. national security strategy
On Sept. 11, 2001, I was in Tallinn, Estonia, when al Qaeda terrorists murdered nearly 3,000 people in Manhattan, at the Pentagon, and in southwestern Pennsylvania. Published September 7, 2023
With U.S. gone, terrorist groups thrive again in Taliban-ruled Afghanistan
Last month, the U.S. Central Command said it conducted 20 joint operations in Iraq and 11 in Syria, killing five Islamic State operatives and capturing 30 fighters. Published August 24, 2023
The critical work of CIA Director William Burns
CIA Director William Burns' high-value counsel to the president and his team, especially Secretary of State Antony Blinken and national security adviser Jake Sullivan, is critical for making informed foreign policy decisions. Published August 10, 2023
In intelligence, allies like Ukraine are the ultimate force multiplier
During my last overseas CIA assignment as a station chief in a South Asian war zone, we worked in close partnership with our colleagues in the intelligence community, State Department and U.S. military. Published July 27, 2023
How Ukraine’s campaign to defend Bakhmut weakened Putin
In May 2022, the Ukrainian city of Bakhmut found itself on the front lines of Russia's war of aggression, the unlikely focus of a ferocious offensive by Kremlin forces. Published July 13, 2023
CIA officer Ric Prado’s stellar career still inspires agents today
One of the great regrets of my decadeslong CIA career is that I never had the honor of serving under the legendary CIA senior clandestine services officer Ric Prado. Published June 29, 2023
