The phone rang at 3:45 pm on a Friday afternoon. We were winding down for the weekend when the caller ID lit up — it was the counterterrorism analyst in our office we affectionately called “CT Brian.” When he called, it was never good news. An al-Qaeda-affiliated group seized an American aid worker. Her captors were preparing to move her within the hour and special operations forces needed cyber t
Geopolitics War on the Rocks May 14, 2026