ABSTRACT
International Intelligence cooperation is something of an oxymoron. Intelligence services and intelligence collection are at heart manifestations of individual state power and of national self-interest. The very language used about the work makes the point. British legislation talks about ‘national security’ and the UK’s ‘defence and foreign policies’. The role of the UK agencies is, thus, essentially to support and supplement other government activities where adversaries’ secrets are involved. In terms of international relations, the role is, therefore, necessarily competitive if not aggressive. Intelligence is able, to pull out a few examples, to (a) maximise the effectiveness of your own armed forces by illuminating others’ capabilities and dispositions; (b) to secure comparative political or strategic advantage internationally by disclosing others’ intentions; or (c) to protect the safety and well-being first and foremost of your own citizens, if necessary at the potential expense of someone else’s (e.g. action against people smuggling and the deportation of terrorists). The competitive nature of intelligence work is from time to time reflected in international political debate and in press speculation.
