Articles

What explains the biggest U.S. terror attack since 9/11? By Peter Bergen, CNN National Security Analyst   Updated 12:00 PM ET, Sat December 5, 2015 Story highlights Peter Bergen: A married couple, committed to radical ideology, did not arouse suspicion as they planned deadly attack They fit a profile of ISIS sympathizers in U.S. who […]

Why terrorists target hotels By Peter Bergen, CNN National Security Analyst   Updated 1928 GMT (0328 HKT) November 20, 2015 Story highlights Bergen: There’s a long track record of terrorists striking at hotels with American brand names or that cater to Western visitors Bergen: Safety measures are needed to prevent the kind of attacks we […]

Syrian refugees are not a threat to U.S. By Peter Bergen, CNN National Security Analyst   Updated 9:29 AM ET, Sat November 21, 2015 Story highlights Peter Bergen: The process of entering the U.S. as a refugee is so laborious that terrorists would likely choose other routes He says visa waiver program needs some rethinking […]

Paris explosives are a key clue to plot By Peter Bergen, CNN National Security Analyst Updated 12:21 PM ET, Tue November 17, 2015 Story highlights Peter Bergen: Terrorists used an unstable compound made from household ingredients He says authorities in the United States and other Western countries need to be on the lookout for bulk purchases […]

Bergen: ‘End of the beginning’ of ISIS? Story highlights Peter Bergen: Jihadi John may have been killed in drone strike. That and Kurds seizure of Sinjar would be two tactical victories against ISIS He says gains, like slowing of ‘foreign fighter’ flow may mean ‘the end of the beginning,’ but it will be years to […]

How ISIS threatens the West By Peter Bergen, CNN National Security Analyst, Courtney Schuster and David Sterman     Story highlights Peter Bergen: Data give clues about estimated 4,500 Westerners who have joined ISIS, other militant groups in Syria They are usually young, including teens, often with familial ties to other jihadists, Bergen says A […]

Airport security lapse: Can it happen in the U.S.? By Peter Bergen, CNN National Security Analyst   Story highlights Metrojet disaster has put new focus on airport security around the world Peter Bergen: Airports are vulnerable to militants who can get access through their jobs Peter Bergen is CNN’s national security analyst, a vice president at New […]

What empowers ISIS Story highlights Peter Bergen: ISIS leaps from obscurity to lead global jihadist movement in 18 months He says ISIS preys on the weaknesses of regimes in Iraq, Syria, Egypt and Libya Bergen: Supporters will see group moving closer to its goals if indeed an ISIS bomb blew up Russian plane in Sinai […]

How to defeat ISIS: 10 ideas By Peter Bergen, CNN National Security Analyst   Updated 12:14 PM ET, Mon September 28, 2015 Story highlights Peter Bergen says there are many ways to make progress in the fight against ISIS and a number of those aren’t military in nature The anti-ISIS effort seems to be at […]

Obama vs. ISIS = stalemate? By Peter Bergen, CNN National Security Analyst   Updated 8:15 AM ET, Mon September 28, 2015 Story highlights President Barack Obama will meet with key leader of nations involved in effort against ISIS Top administration officials paint a mixed picture of how the fight against ISIS has gone so far […]