Intelligence Tradecraft for the Third Millennium

Abstract

INTELLIGENCE TRADECRAFT FOR THE THIRD MILLENNIUM Argument The fifteen years that have already elapsed of the third millennium have posed new challenges to intelligence organizations. Old methods, concepts and approaches have gradually become obsolete as the nature of the threats faced by modern states evolved from the classical to the asymmetric. Further, technological developments, new actors, social movements and the growing need for accountability have changed intelligence organizations beyond anything known at the end of the previous century. Yet, while the outside world has evolved, intelligence theory remains anchored in approaches developed over the second half of the twentieth century. The classical confrontation of state actors, the overriding need for secrecy, the absence of private organizations in the intelligence field, all of these coupled with national perspectives still dominate conceptualization within intelligence theory. When confronting the practitioner of today, intelligence theory fails to represent a meaningful depiction of the reality that he or she interacts with on a daily basis. Within this context, the publication of a volume containing reflections on the interaction between third millennium realities and the intelligence organization becomes imperative. Issues of management and resilience, intelligence collection and analysis, counterintelligence and cyber-warfare, cooperation among states and with the business sector will be addressed in separate chapters of this book. Moreover, given the revival of debates on oversight and legality, the volume will offer meaningful responses to these challenges. This publication aims to construct a trans-Atlantic bridge, bringing together a Romanian and an American editor, engaged in a dialogue on topics central to the existence and role of intelligence organizations in the twenty-first century.