The University of Warwick
Department of Politics and International Studies
THE VIGILANT STATE:
THE POLITICS OF INTELLIGENCE AND SECRECY
PO382
Undergraduate Module Handbook, 2008-2009
Lectures Wednesday 11.00 MS B3.03
Seminars Thursday 10.00 SI.69
Thursday 11.00 SI.69
Thursday 2.00 SI.03
Module tutors: Richard J. Aldrich
Antony Field
Office hours: Tuesday 12.00-1.00 (Aldrich)
Wednesdays 12.00-1.00 (Aldrich)
Thursday 12.00-1.00 (Field)
Office BO.12
Tel: (024765) 74074
THE VIGILANT STATE *
THE POLITICS OF INTELLIGENCE AND SECRECY
Contents
Module aims 3
Assessment 4-5
Rules and regs 5-6
Lecture schedule 6
Seminar schedule 7
Approach to Reading and Key Material 8
Reading List 10
* The title of this module draws its inspiration from Bernard Porter, The Origins of the Vigilant State: The London Metropolitan Police Special Branch before the First World War (1991).
Module Aims
This module aims to investigate the nature of the 'vigilant state'. It focuses upon the apparatus developed by modern states to permit the surveillance of both international and domestic threats to their security. It will examine the major competing theories concerning the repeated failure of the vigilant state in the face of surprise attack at the international level, subjecting these to careful comparative analysis and reviewing the competing theoretical explanations. Consideration will be given to the role of domestic political monitoring within both democratic and authoritarian states. Attention will also be given to the problem of reconciling clandestine and/or covert methods, traditionally associated with operational efficiency, with the degree of transparency and accountability normally expected of the executive of a democratic state. The final section of the module will turn to look at the future development of some of these issues against a background of rapid technical change and globalisation.
In short, this module aims to introduce to the various debates that have characterised the use of secret service by the state in the international and domestic context. Although the terms 'espionage', 'intelligence' and 'secret service' are all central to the concerns of this module they have been deliberately avoided in the above module description given in the handbook. This is because this module aims to situate all these things in a broader governmental context, viewing them as aspects of international statecraft or as constitutional problems or as issues of civil rights. Accordingly, this module is as much about how policy-makers make use, or fail to make use, of intelligence, and how secret services might be regulated within a constitutional framework, as about the practice of secret service itself.
By the end of the module students should achieve -
1. A clear understanding of the competing definitions of secret intelligence.
2. An appreciation of the various explanations of the rapid expansion of secret service activity in the modern era.
3. An understanding of the problems confronting states who wish to avoid major diplomatic or strategic surprise.
4. Insights into the roles of (domestic) security intelligence within efforts to preserve social order and political stability across different types of states.
5. An appreciation of the problems of reconciling secret service with the transparency and accountability aspired to by some liberal states.
6. An awareness of the current debates over the future of secret service.
.
Learning Methods
There will be a weekly lecture and a weekly seminar running through the academic year. This is a lecture and seminar-based module, entailing a 40 min lecture by Richard Aldrich on Wednesdays. This will be followed on Thursday by a seminar discussion of the previous week's topic, led by Antony Field, with student presentations and structured student interaction (in the form of group discussion, for example). Students are expected to complete the essential reading for each week and to actively contribute to the discussion. Students are further expected to engage in independent study, employing the reading lists and other sources to deepen their knowledge of the subject.
MODULE ASSESSMENT
The mode of assessment for this module is via one of three methods:
(a) Two assessed essays (each equating to 50% of your final mark).
(b) A 3 hour, 4 question, unseen exam paper
(c) One assessed essay plus a 2 question, 1½ hour unseen exam (each equating to 50% of your final mark).
All students handing in assessed work should ensure that they are aware of the
relevant information in the Undergraduate Handbook.
For students taking options (a) or (c), the deadline/s for essay submissions are.
______
ESSAY GUIDELINES
- for the assessed essay, you can either choose a title from the essay titles in BOLD below under each topic, or alternatively you can negotiate your own title.
- if you negotiate a title with your tutor you must submit a title form to the office by the Negotiated Title Deadline listed in the PAIS Undergraduate Handbook 2008/2009.
- do not produce fact-hogging 'term papers' on 'topics' as they will get low marks
- pay attention to identifying where the schools of thought are
- make sure you produce an essay that answers the question directly
- get it in 24 hrs before the deadline to allow for computer problems
- DON'T MISS THE DEADLINES
Also note: Your essays should not be merely descriptive. They should aim at critical and nuanced analysis of a complex question, using examples to back up the points you are making. You must be able to situate your argument, backed by substantial evidence, within the academic literature on the topic.
Please be aware of University Regulation 13 which states that: “…failure to attend prescribed classes or to complete prescribed coursework may result in a student being required to submit additional assessed work, or to sit an additional written examination, or in the student being required to withdraw from his/her course of study.” (Regulation 13.1 Section 1)
Penalties for late submission of assessed work:
According to University rules, late submission of an assessed essay will, unless an extension has been granted in advance of the deadline, result in the following penalty deduction from your mark: 5 marks per day (with no upper limit).
Attendance and completion of work
Regulation 13: “…failure to attend prescribed classes or to complete prescribed coursework may result in a student being required to submit additional assessed work, or to sit an additional written examination, or in the student being required to withdraw from his/her course of study.” (Regulation 13.1 Section 1)
NB - Referencing and Plagiarism:
There are severe penalties for cheating of any kind in all forms of University test. Plagiarism is a form of cheating, as it attempts to acquire a benefit from the work of others unfairly. The Department’s policy on Plagiarism is fully explained in the PAIS Undergraduate Handbook 2008/2009, available both in hard copy and on the PAIS website. The handbook explains how the University’s published regulation may be accessed on the web.
'The PAIS Plagiarism Committee will submit all assessed work for a number of modules to plagiarism detection software. No announcement about the identity of these modules will be made'.
ESSAY QUESTIONS ARE LISTED UNDER EACH WEEK/TOPIC
QUESTIONS FOR ASSESSED ESSAYS ARE IN BOLD
MODULE TIMETABLE
LECTURES - WEDNESDAYS
A: INTRODUCTION
1 What is secret intelligence? 1 Oct
B: FOREIGN INTELLIGENCE
2 In the field: the gritty problems of collection 8 Oct
3 Estimates and interpretation: the problems of analysis 15 Oct
4 Intelligence at the top: producer-consumer linkage 22 Oct
5 Liaison: the delicate diplomacy of intelligence 29 Oct
6 Reading Week: No Lectures 3-7 Nov
C: COUNTER-TERRORISM AND SECURITY
7 9/11 - What kind of failure 12 Nov
8 Proliferation and WMD - the Iraq Case 19 Nov
9 Intelligence and the liberal state: counter-terrorism 26 Nov
10 Intelligence and counter-terrorism: the market state 3 Dec
11 Intelligence and Tyranny: the non-democratic State 7 Jan
D: CONTROLLING INTELLIGENCE
12 The problems of accountability and democratic control 14 Jan
13 The problems of civil rights and intelligence 21 Jan
14 Ethics and Espionage 28 Jan
15 Torture and Assassination 4 Feb
16 Reading Week 9-13 Feb
E. INTELLIGENCE AND THE NEW WARFARE
17 Covert Action 18 Feb
18 Intelligence and Deception 25 Feb
19 Intelligence for NGOs and Peacekeeping 4 March
F: THE FUTURE OF INTELLIGENCE
20 Intelligence in a globalising world 11 March
SEMINAR -THURSDAYS
A: INTRODUCTION
1 Meet to assign seminars and roles 2 Oct
2 What is secret intelligence? 9 Oct
B: FOREIGN INTELLIGENCE
3 In the field: the gritty problems of collection 16 Oct
4 Estimates and interpretation: the problems of analysis 23 Oct
5 Intelligence at the top: producer-consumer linkage 30 Oct
6 Reading Week: No Lectures 3-7 Nov
7 Liaison: the delicate diplomacy of intelligence 13 Nov
C: COUNTER-TERRORISM AND SECURITY
8 9/11 - What kind of failure 20 Nov
9 Proliferation and WMD - the Iraq Case 27 Nov
10 Intelligence and the liberal state: counter-terrorism 4 Dec
11 Intelligence and counter-terrorism: the market state 8 Jan
12 Intelligence and Tyranny: the non-democratic State 15 Jan
D: CONTROLLING INTELLIGENCE
13 The problems of accountability and democratic control 22 Jan
14 The problems of civil rights and intelligence 29 Jan
15 Ethics and Espionage 5 Feb
16 Reading Week 9-13 Feb
17 Torture and Assassination 19 Feb
E. INTELLIGENCE AND THE NEW WARFARE
18 Covert Action 26 Feb
19 Intelligence and Deception 5 March
20 Intelligence for NGOs and Peacekeeping 12 March
F: THE FUTURE OF INTELLIGENCE
21 Intelligence in a globalising world 23 April
22 Revision Sessions 30 April
APPROACH TO READING & KEY MATERIAL
1. Quantity and Quality of Reading
The module text books. You are expected to read widely, but selectively. As a broad guideline, for most essays, semester-time or exam-time, it is sufficient to look at the two course text books, two additional books and four articles. There is a lot of reading on this list because different books address different essay titles under each topic heading, and also because I wish to ensure an ample supply of literature.
Please note that this is a new module at Warwick, confronting the Library with the problem of trying to acquire a lot of books that are now out of print. They have done wonders, acquiring all the core material marked with * and a great deal of the peripheral material. They do not yet have everything on the bibliography.
I have not removed the older/out of print books that we are still chasing from the reading list. This is because some of them are 'in process' and are likely to arrive this year. Others you may happen to obtain during the vacation if you use other libraries. Of course its vexing not to have everything, but on balance I have thought it better to keep some of these titles on the list even of we do not yet have them. None the remaining items we are chasing are vital. Material that I believe to be in the library at this moment (July 08) is marked with class mark or with 'L' but the situation changes daily.
This is a fast-moving subject, never more so than the last few years. Accordingly, journal articles are increasingly important. Warwick has everything we need here so if in doubt head for the journal articles. Many of the best ones are collected in the various edited collections that have been produced by Loch Johnson.
2. Case Studies
You may approach your essays in a variety of different ways. You may wish to write a broad generic essay (and this is a broad generic module) or you may wish to choose to answer a question by focusing upon one or a number of case studies.
HOWEVER, YOU MUST BE CLEAR THAT CASE STUDIES IN THIS MODULE ARE INTENDED TO THROW LIGHT UPON GENERAL IDEAS AND PRINCIPLES, NOT VICE VERSA.
3. Six text books are available -
Peter Gill and Mark Pythian, Intelligence in and Insecure World (Cambridge: Polity 2006)
M. Herman, Intelligence Power in Peace and War (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1996) & UB 250.H3
L. Johnson & J. Wirtz, Intelligence and National Security: The Secret World of Spies OUP L
M.M. Lowenthal, Intelligence: From Secrets to Policy (Third Edition -Washington DC: CQ Press, 2006) L
A. Shulsky, Silent Warfare: Understanding the World of Intelligence (NY: Brasseys, 2nd edition 1993)
These books are all very serviceable. Shulsky & Lowenthal both cover more topics but are less intellectually demanding - indeed first year texts really. Try and read one of these quickly as an intro. Herman is intellectually more rigorous but has a narrower focus. I would advise that you buy Herman. Herman is better value for money and you can read both Shulsky and Lowenthal in an evening. All these three texts suffer from being excessively focused on the English-speaking world or indeed on the US only. The Johnson/Wirtz collection is a good resource but it is has an excessively American focus and its structure is still tinged with the Cold War.
5. Journals
The key journal is - INTELLIGENCE AND NATIONAL SECURITY abbreviated INS
Another useful journal is THE INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF INTELLIGENCE AND COUNTERINTELLIGENCE
6. Key Handbooks
The major edited collections of essays for this subject are:
a. Loch Johnson (ed) Strategic Intelligence - 5 Volumes UB 250.S6385
b. Loch Johnson (ed) Handbook of Intelligence Studies JC 842.H2
7. Coursework Support
As your module co-ordinator for the Politics element please contact me if you have any difficulties with the course or the course work. We are available to see you in Room BO.12 in Politics on Tues at 12, Wednesday at 12 or Thursday at 1.00 You can also contact me us by e-mail at or
8. Module Evaluation
Feedback and evaluation are crucial to the success of any module. We want students to have their say on Politics modules. If there are problems with book availability please raise it with the tutors for the module immediately.
A: INTRODUCTION
1 What is intelligence?
1.1 To what extent does the nature and value of 'intelligence' differ from 'information'?
1.2 Why has secret intelligence constituted a growth industry since 1945?
1.3 How far do you accept Michael Herman's contention that it is useful to talk about secret intelligence as a form of 'state power', akin to economic or military power?