| Publication |
2013.
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| Summary/Abstract |
The mistaken October 2002 National Intelligence Estimate of Iraq's weapons of mass destruction (WMD) capabilities, 1 and the claims that it was biased by political pressures, again brought to light the issue of the politicization of analytical intelligence products in democratic states. Top-down politicization is usually defined as "the manipulation of intelligence to reflect policy preferences." 2 More precisely, it is any external intervention in the elements of intelligence work which should be kept objective, autonomous, and free of political influence. Included are three stages of the intelligence process-collection, processing, and production-as well as certain elements of the planning, direction, and dissemination stages, which should be carried out solely on the basis of professional considerations. "External intervention" implies that politicization can be done not only by politicians but also by other consumers of the intelligence product, such as military officers and diplomats.
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