On its face, covert action—which I define for my students as “secret attempts by one country to alter conditions and events in another country”—is immoral and violates international law. For citizens of nations that are targets of covert action, such operations reek of arrogance. Just ask those Americans who accept the evidence that Russia attempted…
Tag: central intelligence agency
H-Diplo|RJISSF Roundtable 14-24 on Cormac, How to Stage a Coup
Whether by design or default, or perhaps a little of both, Rory Cormac has written a book on ‘covert action’ that captures, in ways one might not imagine, the Zeitgeist, or perhaps more aptly, the Daemon, of our times. Whether we like it or not, all [hi]stories do this; some just do it better than…
H-Diplo|RJISSF Roundtable 14-20 on Reynolds, Need to Know
I must confess I love anniversaries. Particularly, I should add, the historical kind. And 2022 was a banner year, in this regard. Not only was it the 50th anniversary of the Watergate burglary, the 60th Anniversary of the Cuban Missile Crisis, the 75th anniversary of the passage of the National Security Act and the formation…
H-Diplo | ISSF Roundtable 14-5: Zegart, Spies, Lies and Algorithms: The History and Future of American Intelligence
Amy Zegart’s book Spies, Lies and Algorithms: The History of Future of American Intelligence, provides a well-written and easy to read overview of the multiplicities of American intelligence; everything from what intelligence is, to intelligence in classrooms and the effects of “spytainment,” and of course, intelligence of the digital age. Zegart describes the initial concept…