International Intelligence Systems

The collection and use of intelligence have been functions of the state for thousands of years and an essential element of the national security and foreign policy systems of the modern nation-state. However, it has long been apparent that different states conduct intelligence activities differently. What accounts for these differences? Until recently, the secrecy surrounding the activities, structure, and impact of the specialized organizations involved in the intelligence process has made them difficult to study on a comparative basis. Recent advances in the unclassified literature have now made the such study possible.   The comparative study of foreign intelligence systems provides important insights into the foreign policy priorities and goals of the states in question, relevant to the work of both the national security and wider foreign policy communities in the U.S. and elsewhere.

Moreover, the extent to which intelligence systems reflect the political culture of their host societies is also a subject of interest.   This course will begin with an introduction to intelligence systems as an academic subject.   It will continue with a comparative treatment of several Western and non-Western intelligence systems, including those of major international actors and small powers. For each intelligence system, we will examine the historical, institutional, and cultural factors that make it unique. Finally, the course will examine several functional intelligence challenges and compare how different states address these. Particular attention will be paid to the identification of pathologies that can have a negative impact on the role of intelligence organizations within a given state and the reform of intelligence systems to facilitate an appropriate role within a democratic or democratizing society.

In addition to acquiring a strong factual grounding in the status and role of intelligence systems in a wide range of countries, students will become acquainted with salient questions in the field of intelligence studies through the application of comparative methodologies. Future practitioners will gain a grounding in the structure of intelligence organizations and steps of the intelligence cycle as applied across countries with different political systems. This foundation will facilitate an informed understanding of the roles and impact of these intelligence systems in the national security process/decision-making of these countries. This foundation