ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on the implications of technological trends and addresses these questions in four steps. First, the chapter reviews the conceptual foundations of counter-intelligence in order to distinguish them from those of positive intelligence and security. Second, it discusses the lessons and legacies of the Cold War in shaping modern counter-intelligence practices. Third, it discusses the technological and societal trends that pose particularly stiff challenges for counter-intelligence professionals. It concludes by summarizing the chief consequences of the challenges posed, and offers recommendations for practical steps to improve counter-intelligence in the coming decades. The purpose of counter-intelligence is to gain advantages over competitors by preventing them from acquiring decisive information. The twenty-first century is likely to be one in which transnational threats are accelerating, and law enforcement will be taking a larger place in the pantheon of national security agencies.
