Cipher Brief Academic Incubator
The Michael V. Hayden Center for Intelligence, Policy, and International Security is excited to announce a strategic partnership with the Cipher Brief as part of its Academic Incubator program.
About the Cipher Brief
The Cipher Brief is a digital, security-based conversation platform that connects the private with the world's leading security experts. It delivers relevant analysis of news and events to help readers accurately anticipate and safely navigate the complex, unstable, global security environment. The Cipher Brief was founded by former CNN Intelligence Correspondent Suzanne Kelly.
Free Cipher Brief Subscription
As part of the Academic Incubator partnership with the Hayden Center, all Schar School students are eligible for a free Level 1 Membership (normally a $120 annual cost). To receive your free membership, please fill out the form here with your:
- First Name
- Last Name
- George Mason University email address
- Degree program
- Anticipated graduation date
You will receive details about how to access the free subscription upon submission of the form.
Academic Incubator Column
In addition to the free subscription, Schar School PhD and Master's students have the opportunity to publish articles with the Cipher Brief for its Academic Incubator column. Launched in 2019, the Academic Incubator has featured students from Georgia Tech, Duke University, George Washington University, and the Schar School. Topics of previous articles in the column include a look back thirty years after the Cold War, disruptive and emerging technologies, regional instability in the Middle East, the geopolitical forces shaping conflict in Libya, and a retrospective on Indo-Pakistani tensions over Kashmir.
Articles submitted for the Academic Incubator column must meet the following criteria: 1) outline a national or global security issue with a call for action or proposed policy solution that addresses it; 2) be between 800 and 1200 words; and 3) have been reviewed by an appropriate Schar School faculty member with expertise on the topic in question. Students planning to submit a piece for considertation should ask the faculty reviewer to ensure that it: 1) has a clear argument or statement of a problem germane to national or global security stated in the first two paragraphs; 2) has a coherent structure that flows from and supports the argument; and 3) concludes with a clear policy recommendation or call to action. To get an idea of the style and content of Academic Incubator articles before submitting, take a look at past examples here.
To submit an article for consideration use the form here. Required information includes:
- First name
- Last name
- George Mason University email address
- Degree program
- 2-3 sentence bio
- Name of Schar School faculty reviewer
- Draft of the article (as attachment)
- Headshot to be published with article (as attachment)
The Hayden Center will conduct a final review of the article, return any proposed edits, and submit the draft to the Cipher Brief. Please note that the author will retain copyright to the article, but the Cipher Brief reserves the right to post and publish it in perpetuity and to use it in its promotional material. The Hayden Center will also feature it on our website and may use it in promotional material.
Previous Academic Incubator Columns
Alan Maubouche, "The Next World Order is a Gray One," February 19, 2020
Ameen Karim, "Why the U.S.-Taliban Peace Deal has Already Failed," October 8, 2020
Alexander Naumov, "Responding to the Belarus Uprising: Not Crimea 2.0," September 18, 2020
Karina MacLean, "Selling F-35s to Saudi Arabia Risks an Arms Race," July 3, 2020
Jake Ferguson, "Why the US Should Move on from Saudi Arabia," May 1, 2020
Youssef Elshamy, "The Problem with Erdogan's Grand Vision," April 17, 2020
Alexander Naumov, "A Window into Modern Russian Intelligence Culture," April 10, 2020
Jonathan Hoffman, "Geopolitical Conflict Underlying the War in Libya," January 17, 2020