Intelligence in an Insecure World

by Peter Gill (Liverpool John Moores University); Mark Phythian (University of Wolverhampton)

• ISBN13: 9780745632452
• ISBN10: 0745632459
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2006-08-01
• Publisher: Polity Pr

Summary

The role of intelligence in the contemporary world is ubiquitous: individuals, groups and organizations as well as states seek information in order to increase their sense of security. The events of 9/11 and subsequent 'war on terror' have made intelligence more central to the study of government and international affairs than at any time previously, reviving old debates and generating new ones. But what exactly is intelligence? Who seeks to develop it and how? What happens to the intelligence that is produced? This timely new book explores these and other key questions. Concentrating on the role of states and organizations, and using the post-9/11 security agenda as its key focus, it offers an authoritative and accessible guide to the relationship between intelligence and processes of public and private governance. Drawing on a range of contemporary examples, the book examines the limits of intelligence and asks whether the 9/11 attacks, the bombings in London and the failure to find weapons of mass destruction in Iraq may be seen as intelligence 'failures'? It concludes by discussing the need for democratic control of intelligence to prevent its future abuse by unaccountable state or corporate agencies.

Author Biography

Peter Gill is Professor of Politics and Security at Liverpool John Moores University.


Mark Pythian is Professor of International Security at the University of Wolverhampton.

Table of Contents

List of Figures, Tables and Boxes	x
Preface	xi
Abbreviations	xiv
1 What is Intelligence?	1	(19)
Defining Intelligence	1	(7)
Evolution	8	(7)
Limitations	15	(1)
Significance	16	(2)
Conclusion: Towards a Theory of Intelligence	18	(2)
2 How Do We Understand Intelligence?	20	(19)
Introduction	20	(1)
The Critique of Positivism	21	(2)
The Challenge of Postmodernism	23	(3)
Critical Realism: Neither Positivist nor Postmodernist	26	(1)
Agency and Structure	27	(2)
Surveillance: Knowledge and Power	29	(6)
Levels of surveillance	29	(2)
Producing knowledge	31	(1)
Exercising power	32	(2)
Secrecy and resistance	34	(1)
Conclusion: A Map for Theorizing and Researching Intelligence	35	(4)
3 Who Does Intelligence?	39	(23)
Introduction: Security Networks	39	(2)
Mapping Intelligence Networks	41	(16)
State sector	42	(10)
Corporate sector	52	(2)
Communitarian sector	54	(1)
Cross-sectoral networks	55	(2)
Making Security Networks Work	57	(3)
Conclusion	60	(2)
4 How Do They Gather Information?	62	(20)
Introduction	62	(1)
Planning and Direction	62	(1)
Open Sources	63	(1)
Secret Sources	64	(13)
HUMINT: human intelligence	64	(6)
SIGINT: signals intelligence	70	(4)
IMINT: imagery intelligence	74	(3)
HUMINT versus SIGINT: The Post-9/11 Debate	77	(1)
Gathering and Hunting: An Erosion of Boundaries?	78	(3)
The Predator: a vision of the future?	79	(1)
Extraordinary rendition	79	(2)
Conclusion	81	(1)
5 What Do They Do with the Information Gathered?	82	(21)
Introduction	82	(2)
Analysis	84	(4)
'No good will come of this': Problems with Dissemination	88	(7)
What is produced and when	88	(2)
To whom is it disseminated, and how?	90	(5)
Where Intelligence Turns into Action: The Intensification of Surveillance	95	(6)
Conclusion	101	(2)
6 Why Does Intelligence Fail?	103	(22)
Introduction	103	(1)
The Limits of Intelligence	104	(1)
Failure Located in Collection and Analysis	105	(8)
The Policymaker-Intelligence Interface as a Site of Intelligence Failure	113	(3)
Vietnam	113	(2)
Iran	115	(1)
Politicization of Intelligence	116	(3)
The 9/11 Commission Report: Explaining Intelligence Failure?	119	(2)
The 7 July 2005 London Bombings: An Intelligence Failure?	121	(2)
Conclusion	123	(2)
7 Intelligence on Iraqi WMD: What Kind of Intelligence Failure?	125	(23)
Introduction	125	(1)
US Senate Select Committee on Intelligence	126	(10)
Failures in collection	128	(1)
Failures in analysis	128	(3)
Failures in management and organization	131	(1)
SSCI conclusions on the nature of the US intelligence failure	132	(4)
The Butler Inquiry	136	(5)
Political pressure on the JIC	139	(2)
Australian Inquiries	141	(5)
Conclusion	146	(2)
8 Can Intelligence be Democratic?	148	(24)
Introduction	148	(3)
Defining Control, Review and Oversight	151	(1)
The Legal and Ethical Bases for Oversight	152	(4)
Organizing External Oversight	156	(5)
Parliamentary Oversight: The Case of the UK Intelligence and Security Committee	161	(5)
Extra-Parliamentary Oversight	166	(2)
Media, NGOs and Citizens	168	(1)
Conclusion	169	(3)
9 Conclusion: Intelligence for a More Secure World?	172	(8)
Notes	180	(24)
Bibliography	204	(19)
Index	223