ABSTRACT
Understanding changes in the international system is a key to formulating proper policy responses to the changing atmosphere. While much time and theoretical effort has been expended examining the changing nature of threats in order to formulate more appropriate responses; far fewer resources have been expended documenting these responses and attempting to integrate and coordinate them. Intelligence-sharing is a fundamental part of the response to numerous threats to international security, and proper coordination and integration requires a comprehensive and accurate picture of the various agencies and entities that are, and should be, involved. State-level law enforcement and intelligence agencies are widely examined and studied across much of the world, as are, increasingly, the international bodies and norms that enable these organizations to interact. Both “national security” agencies and the arrangements that allow for “international security” coordination are becoming increasingly well theorized and contextualized within the schools of thought in international politics. Unfortunately, a relatively small, but arguably quite important, element of this security response has remained under-documented and essentially un-theorized: local law enforcement and security integration.
