A Century of Intelligence (1909-2009): International Perspectives

The rapid development of intelligence studies in Europe and beyond is a most welcome trend for students of history. Our comprehension of the past, like the spys understanding of his adversary, becomes richer when, as noted by Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke ofWellington, we view what was at the other sid...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Intelligence and national security 2013-06, Vol.28 (3), p.297-298
Main Authors: Alexander, Martin S., Dylan, Huw
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Belgium
Europe
Foreign affairs
France
Intelligence
Israel
National security
Peace
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:The rapid development of intelligence studies in Europe and beyond is a most welcome trend for students of history. Our comprehension of the past, like the spys understanding of his adversary, becomes richer when, as noted by Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke ofWellington, we view what was at the other side of the hill. It becomes doubly so when we learn how those already on the other side of the hill understand us and themselves. As our goal is to understand intelligence and its influence on international and domestic affairs in the most sophisticated and rounded fashion possible, it profits us greatly to wrap a stronger international context around the activities of the betterdocumented British intelligence services. Our contributions remind us that intelligence services in France, Israel, Belgium, and Germany were facing similar challenges to those encountered by their British counterparts in war and peace; they also remind us of the value of trawling adventurously far from familiar shores and casting wide our archival net. Not least, they serve to alert us not to consider current issues and problems in intelligence as unprecedented and exceptional. Most of the wheels of intelligence and policy machinery do not need to be reinvented by us. They do, on the other hand, frequently benefit from being imaginatively and innovatively re-conceptualised and re-contextualised. Reprinted by permission of Frank Cass & Co. Ltd.
ISSN:0268-4527
1743-9019
DOI:10.1080/02684527.2013.789633