Covert Action

Catalog description

When traditional diplomatic sanctions are insufficient and conventional military means inappropriate, the President has at his or her disposal covert action--the 'third option.' This course examines the definition, scope, legal foundations and implications of covert action as a tool of statecraft, including how it is authorized, implemented, debated and evaluated. In the United States, the Central Intelligence Agency possesses exclusive authority for the conduct of covert action in peacetime, as defined under Title 50 of the U.S. Code: '...an activity or activities of the United States Government to influence political, economic or military conditions abroad, where it is intended that the role of the United States Government will not be apparent or acknowledged publicly.' Contemporary and historical cases are used to illustrate these themes. As one example, the U.S. drone strike on Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps leader Qasem Soleimani (January 3, 2020) serves as the central case study through which students analyze the boundaries between covert and overt operations and assess the strategic, legal and ethical dimensions of covert action.