Intelligence and Democracy: Issues and Conflicts

Catalog description

This course examines the conduct of intelligence activities by demo- cratic states, focusing on the inherent conflict between the secret nature of intelligence and “open society. ” Using a case study approach, students will review the intelligence organizations in the U.S. and other democ - racies as well as cases where there has been a clash between democratic values and intelligence activities. The course analyzes the requirements for effective intelligence operations and the impact of oversight and control of those operations. Students will examine Government “con- trol” of intelligence operations; Judicial and Congressional oversight, management, and intervention; and the role and influence of media and public opinion on intelligence activities. Moreover, as a result of 9/11 and the war on terror, students will explore the conundrum of deter -