Issues in International Relations

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Issues in International Relations

• Intelligence and International Relations III
• Issues and Agendas

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Issues and Agendas

• Issues
• Role of Technology in intelligence
• Ethical questions
• Agendas
• Economic intelligence
• Post Cold War (new) threats
• Current agenda

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Technology and Intelligence

• Technology has always played a vital role in
  intelligence.
• Collection of intelligence
• Signals and communications
• Surveillance
• Records
• Communications security
• Cryptography (codes and ciphers)
• Covert action
• Weapons

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Echelon

• The UKUSA Community (1948)
• Includes UK, USA, Canada, Australia and New
  Zealand
• Echelon bases in Greenland and Japan
• Other members of Echelon are Turkey, Norway and
  Spain.
• The most powerful intelligence gathering
  organisation in the world

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Menwith Hill, N. Yorkshire
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Ethical questions

• Surveillance and civil liberties?
• 2000 RIP Act
• ID cards/ Biometric passports?
• Should torture be used to gain information from
  suspects?
• Guantanamo Bay, Cuba
• Iraq?
• Is assassination an acceptable part of
  intelligence?

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US and assassination?
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Agenda economic intelligence

• The hottest current topic in intelligence
  policy -CIA director James Woolsey, 1993
• Economic intelligence involves the gathering of
  sensitive or secretive economic, commercial,
  financial, scientific or technological
  information including the acquisition of data,
  products, unpublished information and
  technologies.

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Why economic intelligence?

• Cost effective -let others carry out research,
  design and experimentation then acquire
  technology.
• To find out what rivals are doing (trade talks?)
• To compete economically, militarily,
  technologically and commercially.
• Priorities for RUSSIA, CHINA and FRANCE.

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Agenda New threats?

• International organised crime (drugs, money
  laundering, people smuggling)
• Rogue states (Libya, Iraq, N. Korea)
• Proliferation of WMD?
• Proliferation of small arms
• Threats from cyberspace?
• International terrorism...

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11th September 2001
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Current issues in intelligence

• The war on terror
• 1993 attack on World Trade Centre
• Taliban and al-Qaeda
• 9/11
• Terrorist threat?
• Iraq
• Threat to regional and international security?
• Iraq and al-Qaeda?
• Aftermath of Iraq war (2003)

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Summary

• Since the end of the Cold War, Western
  intelligence agencies have sought to justify
  themselves.
• Many ethical, legal and political issues are
  raised by intelligence.
• Western intelligence agencies are first line of
  defence against global terrorists.