ABSTRACT
The intelligence profession is obsessed with the concept of objective time in terms of measuring and quantifying information, but it is actually the subjective experience of time that shapes the motivations and intentions of actors, the perceptions of analysts and the priorities of policymakers. Decision-making is enabled or constrained by a person’s understanding of the past, the way memories come to shape a collective identity and the manner in which political and social actors intervene in that process. It is the task of the analyst to understand the historical consciousness of both target set and policymaker, in terms of their Space of Experience and their Horizon of Expectation.
