A basic concept for my dissertation: 1. Has strategic-level international intelligence cooperation and/or intelligence liaison improved intelligence operations improved since 1944? Five eyes was intelligence sharing after World War 2 between US, UK, Australia, Canada and New Zealand. Now it is much larger. What are the difficulties in intelligence cooperation and/or intelligence liaison following the end of Cold War? Or 2. Has strategic-level international intelligence cooperation and/or intelligence liaison improved since 9/11 with regards to the war on terrorism? International intelligence cooperation appears to be a contradiction in itself and somewhat of an oxymoron. Intelligence services are fundamental to domestic self-interest. For instance UK legislature uses the words ‘national’ security, ‘British’ defence policy, and ‘British’ foreign policy. This wording substantiates that the prime concern for British intelligence agencies is directed towards the UK government particularly where rival country’s secrets are concerned. Consequently, international relations in intelligence cooperation appear to be competitive and at times even aggressive in their competitiveness. For instance intelligence allows countries to makes best use of their own military power by exposing the strengths and weaknesses of others. Additionally, international intelligence cooperation has the ability to be used in a selfish way by countries for their own political or strategic benefit. However, most importantly, it functions to protect and safeguard the populace of individual countries. Guiding questions: 1. Insider Threats: Remembering the Snowdon revelations, can we trust other countries when sharing information? 2. Is it strange to share information with other countries that you cant share with those in your own country? 3. Is there a difference between mutual interests sharing and general information sharing? 4. Counter Terrorism challenges: Are there concerns with sharing information with Pakistan and Afghanistan? 5. Are countries with conflict-ridden (supposed to act one way but has incentive to act in another way) interests capable of sharing intelligence? 6. Can countries overcome the secrecy surrounding intelligent collection to establish successful collaboration? 7. The budget for U.S. intelligence is more than any other country. Can the U.S. profit from collaboration when their capabilities are so vast? 8. Does organizational culture of intelligence agencies produce barriers to international information sharing? 9. Is concealing information an important part of the success of intelligence agencies? 10. Before the end of the “Cold War” there was NATO on our side and the Warsaw Pact on the other, there was transparency about your comrades and adversaries. Since then, that clarity has departed and states can now much more easily be allies on one issue and adversaries on another. Differences of European perspective on the Balkans in the 1990s or more recently on the war in Iraq make the point. How do we know other countries are living up to the terms of sharing information? Less trustworthy countries generally have more information to share such as Pakistan/Afghanistan Has the Wiki, Snowdon (insider attacks) and Al Jazeera leeks affected the trust of sharing information? Is the UK/U.S. special relationship still valid? Benefits of sharing information? i.e linguistic and cultural specific Importance of high payoff high risk information sharing Are liaison relationships passed over on moral grounds? i.e. those condoning torture
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