| ID | 079218 |
| Title Proper | Sources and methods in the study of intelligence |
| Other Title Information | a British view |
| Language | ENG |
| Author | Scott, Len |
| Publication | 2007. |
| Summary / Abstract (Note) | Since September 2001, jihadist attacks on the West and the war on Iraq have focused public attention on intelligence and invigorated academic interest in intelligence studies. Once neglected in academia, the subject is now increasingly firmly established in British and American universities. Common interest in understanding the value as well as the limitations of intelligence nevertheless disguises differing epistemological foundations. Until the late 1980s official British attitudes to secrecy, including opposition to any form of public accountability, inhibited and distorted public understanding. The last two decades have seen changing attitudes to both archival disclosure and parliamentary accountability, though the significance of these is contested. This article outlines these changes as well as how various authors have used various sources to represent the secret world. Two specific areas are explored: covert action and the joint intelligence machinery. The former presents particularly interesting challenges to academic and public scrutiny (in some contrast to the United States) while the latter has received unprecedented illumination in the wake of the failure to discover weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. While opportunities for understanding British intelligence remained constrained they are nevertheless more propitious than they have ever been |
| `In' analytical Note | Intelligence and National Security Vol. 22, No.2; Apr 2007: p185-205 |
| Journal Source | Intelligence and National Security Vol. 22, No.2; Apr 2007: p185-205 |
| Key Words | Intelligence ; British Intelligence ; Terrorism ; Jehad |