Stratfor is an American geopolitical intelligence platform and publisher founded in 1996 in Austin, Texas, by George Friedman, who was the company's chairman. Chip Harmon was appointed as president in February of 2018. Fred Burton is Stratfor's chief security officer.
Other executives include Vice President of Global Analysis Reva Goujon, Senior Vice President of Strategic Analysis Rodger Baker, former U.S. Special Operations Command officer Bret Boyd, vice president of custom intelligence services.
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Products
Stratfor bills itself as a geopolitical intelligence platform, with revenues derived from individual and enterprise subscriptions to Stratfor Worldview, its online publication, and from custom advisory work for corporate clients.
Stratfor has published a daily intelligence briefing since its inception in 1996. Its rise to prominence occurred with the release of its Kosovo Crisis Center during the 1999 NATO airstrikes over Kosovo, which led to publicity in Time magazine, Texas Monthly, and other publications. Before the end of 1999, however, Stratfor had introduced a subscription service through which it offered the majority of its analyses. At the time of the September 11, 2001 attacks, Stratfor made its "breaking news" paragraphs, as well as some notable analyses predicting likely actions to be taken by al-Qaeda and the Bush administration, available freely to the public.
Stratfor's publishing business includes written and multimedia analysis available online or through an API, as well as iPhone and Android mobile applications. Stratfor Threat Lens, an enterprise level product launched in September 2016, offers specific insight and analysis to support corporate security leaders. In April 2017, the company launched its core online publication under the name Stratfor Worldview. Some of Stratfor's work remains available free to the public.
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Books and media
Stratfor has published collections of analysis in paperback and as e-books on a variety of topics. Topics include user guides to personal security, the "devolution of jihadism," and the U.S. war in Afghanistan, according to a series of promotional videos on the company's YouTube channel. Apparently, at one point, the books were sold through a storefront on the company's website. Stratfor e-books and long form analyses are now available through a dedicated, on-site store.
A number of the company's top analysts have published books in their own name. Notable among these are founder George Friedman and vice president for intelligence Fred Burton. Kamran Bokhari, Stratfor's former vice president for Middle East and South Asian affairs, is the author (with Farid Senzai) of Political Islam in the Age of Democratization (Palgrave Macmillan, 2013). Reviewer Amani el Sehrawey called the book "an invaluable tool for those seeking to gain knowledge of the nuances of the political systems of the Muslim world from a historical perspective, as well as to understand the contemporary changes happening in the region."
Barron's once referred to Stratfor as "The Shadow CIA". Barrons' Jonathan Laing has called Friedman "one of our favorite experts on geopolitics," saying, "His judgments tend to be more nuanced and long-term than those of the press or Wall Street." More recently, The Atlantic's James Fallows referenced a Stratfor article on U.S. strategy in Iraq and Ukraine, following outbreaks of turmoil in those regions.
Friedman resigned from the company in 2015 to launch a new company, Geopolitical Futures.
Subscribers
The member and client list for Stratfor is confidential, but the company says it includes Fortune 500 companies, universities and international government agencies as well as professionals who purchase an individual membership.
Funding
In October 2015, Stratfor raised $12-million in funding through a growth equity investment by Dallas-based Teakwood Capital. Stratfor's plan for the funding includes expanding its intelligence networks, enhancing operational infrastructure and moving into frontier markets.
Events
In October 2017, Stratfor sponsored the 2017 Texas National Security Forum organized by Clements Center for National Security, the Robert Strauss Center for International Security and Law, and the Intelligence Studies Project at The University of Texas at Austin. The theme was "Alliances and Partnerships in American National Security." The event included a keynote address by Michael Pompeo, then director of the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency and later U.S. Secretary of State. Stratfor Chief Security Officer Fred Burton moderated a panel that included former Acting Director of Central Intelligence John McLaughlin and former Acting Director of the Defense Intelligence Agency David Shedd.
Incidents
2011 hacking incident
It was reported on December 24, 2011 that members of Anonymous had stolen e-mail messages from Stratfor's website. In November 2013, computer hacker Jeremy Hammond was sentenced to ten years in federal prison for his role in the Anonymous attack. An FBI informant, Hector Xavier Monsegur (also known as "Sabu"), initially faced 124 years in prison for his role in the attack, but his sentence was reduced to time served plus one year's supervised release in May 2014 in exchange for his cooperation as an FBI informant.
2012 leak
WikiLeaks announced the initial publication of more than five million of Stratfor's e-mail messages on February 26, 2012. Anonymous claimed to have provided WikiLeaks with the data. George Friedman stated that third parties may have forged or altered the e-mail messages, but that Stratfor would not validate either alterations or authenticity. Stratfor condemned the release as "deplorable".
References
Further reading
- Friedman, George (2005). America's secret war: inside the hidden worldwide struggle between the United States and its enemies. Random House. ISBN 978-0-7679-1785-8.
- Friedman, George, Torture and the U.S. Intelligence Failure, Stratfor, Geopolitical Weekly, April 20, 2009
- Judson, David, Geopolitical Intelligence, Political Journalism and "Wants" vs. "Needs", Stratfor, October 29, 2013
- Judson, David, Stratfor: The Test of Being a Rorschach Test, Stratfor Worldview, On Stratfor, August 28, 2016
- Judson, David, With a New Generation Comes a New Worldview, Stratfor Worldview, On Stratfor, May 21, 2017
External links
- Official website
- Stratfor: Inside the World of a Private CIA
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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