UNIVERSITY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA POLITICAL SCIENCE 333B (001)

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1 UNIVERSITY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA POLITICAL SCIENCE 333B (001) Intelligence and Public Policy in Canada, with selected international comparisons. Winter term 2007 Instructor: Alan Breakspear Office: Buchanan C413 Phone: Office hours: Tuesday 2:00-4:00pm, or by appointment Classroom: Buchanan B313 Class Time: Tuesday 4:00-7:00pm Objective: To examine the discipline, practice and application of intelligence in government and other settings, principally in Canada but with comparative reference to selected other countries (USA, UK, etc) and to the emerging role of intelligence at multilateral institutions (esp. the UN). Course Description: Content: The course will begin with an appreciation of the nature and purpose of intelligence as a knowledge discipline, with its recognized sequence of activities, skills and processes (the intelligence cycle). Consideration of the evolving theory of intelligence will serve to illustrate the intelligence policy frame. The course will then examine the collection techniques, analytical approaches and management issues that arise in the several settings of intelligence (government policy, national security, law enforcement, business, etc.); in the landscape of intelligence subjects (foreign affairs, defence, security, terrorism, scientific, technological, economic, financial, competitive, business, market intelligence, etc.); and in the range of collection sources (signals, communications, imagery, and other technological means of collection; open sources; human sources; etc.). These matters will take about two-thirds of the course. In its last part, the course will focus on the relationship between intelligence agencies and their decision-making clients; on management issues such as domestic and international information sharing, intelligence fusion, foreign intelligence collection, privacy, ethics and oversight; and on other issues likely to arise as intelligence organizations, collection techniques and technologies, skills, resources and relationships continue to evolve in future. Background: Intelligence has evolved over several centuries, largely unexamined, as an externally focused service of future-oriented decision support. The younger, broader discipline of Knowledge Management (KM), itself still evolving, provides a conceptual framework for intelligence studies, especially in terms of information, knowledge, complexity and emergence. Intelligence and Knowledge Management, co-evolving in business and other nongovernmental organizations as well as in governments under the influence of ubiquitous information and communications technology (ICT), have also given rise to other related quasi-disciplines such as competitive intelligence, business intelligence, marketing Page 1 of 12

2 research intelligence, foresight, sense-making and social networking. These and other functions will be briefly examined in the opening and closing sections of the course, with particular reference to the future evolution and issues of intelligence. Legislative frameworks for the conduct and oversight of intelligence activities, a fairly recent phenomenon, along with greater availability of information in the Internet Age, legislated access to information and particularly the War on Terror since 9/11, have all, in their way, stimulated public, media and academic awareness of the need for better understanding of intelligence. This course will provide students with an understanding of the intelligence function (how intelligence is collected, analyzed and applied) in several settings; of the intelligence community and its relationship with public policy; and of the management issues associated with intelligence, including accountability, privacy and effectiveness. It will also provide an introduction to the small but rapidly growing body of intelligence studies literature, and a critical approach to its further examination, especially on-line. Textbook & Readings: Mark Lowenthal Intelligence: From Secrets to Policy, Washington, DC. CQ Press; 3rd edition, October 1, 2005 (Lowenthal) Michael Herman Intelligence Services in the Information Age, Frank Cass (Studies in Intelligence Series), 2001 (Herman) Herbert E. Meyer Real-World Intelligence, Storm King Press, 1991 (Meyer) For additional reading instructions, see "Readings" on page x. Assignments: There will be two written assignments. One will be a literature review, to be completed by each student individually. The other will be group work (five to eight students collaborating) on a task to be agreed by the instructor, such as analysis of an intelligence policy issue, leading to a class presentation as well as a written report. Notes on First Assignment The First Assignment is a literature review, concerned more with research skills and evaluation of sources than with content and logical development and defence of a thesis. Nonetheless, the material found through the review must be presented not only in such a way as to identify sources, each with a brief summary and possibly key topic sentences, but also in a way that reflects and indicates the argument that would be developed if the project were to be completed as a written report. Topics for the First Assignment will be selected within broad parameters, as illustrated in the following examples: Compare and contrast the approach and performance of one intelligence organization in each of three countries, where all the organizations share a similar subject mandate; or operate in a similar setting; or exploit primarily the same general source type. The First Assignment will be carried out individually, but you might want to consider the potential benefit of forming a coalition that will become a syndicate group for the teambased Second Assignment, and coordinating your topic selection for the First Assignment Page 2 of 12

3 accordingly. Note that coordinating does not mean duplicating; independent variety and rigour in the First Assignment will add strength and quality to the Second. Notes on Second Assignment In the Second Assignment, up to eight or nine students will work collaboratively to research an intelligence topic and to present their group findings, first in a brief audiovisual class presentation and then in a written report. Group size will be largely determined by total course enrolment. Each group must meet the challenge of equitable participation. As in real work life, and in academic programs which regularly feature teamwork (business, law, etc.), unresolved arguments about shared level of effort will only harm the outcome. A portion of the project mark available to individuals, worth up to 5% of the course mark, will be assigned by vote of the group members, based on each person s participation and contribution. Topic selection for the Second Assignment must relate to the focus of the course, by illustrating how intelligence relates to public policy. Topics may be drawn from a broad range of considerations. One possible approach would be to base your Second Assignment on two or more projects from the First Assignment. The challenge here, given the work already done, is to convince the instructor that you are adding sufficiently challenging scope and depth to make a worthwhile Second Assignment. If you choose to examine the British IC, for example, and to start with a look back to ancient history, a useful start point might be Daniel C. Waugh s Etherton at Kashgar: Rhetoric and Reality in the History of the "Great Game" (Seattle: Bactrian Press, 2007; 76 pp. This online publication, based on extensive work in collections of the British Library, is a reassessment of British Intelligence activity and in particular the career of the British Consul P. T. Etherton at Kashgar (Xinjiang) in the aftermath of the Bolshevik Revolution. The project might strive to identify key threads in the British approach to intelligence and to trace these to the present day. If you want to focus on, or include among other subjects, the Israeli IC, you might start with The Volunteer; a Canadian s secret life in the Mossad, by Michael Ross with Jonathan Kay (McClelland & Stewart, 2007). Ross reportedly lives in Victoria, and some have doubted his veracity, but the book raises interesting points about the process of intelligence ( called the intelligence cycle in the course) and the relationship between intelligence and users (the issue we call separation in the course). Another focus area might be intelligence in the business arena, looking either at the ways the non-governmental organizations, especially corporations, collect, analyze and use intelligence (CI, BI, SCIP, MRIA, etc.) (or abuse it, as in industrial espionage, such as the recent case of Air Canada and WestJet), or at the non-governmental organizations, like RAND and Stratfor, which supply intelligence to their clients. The instructor can help you find collected examples of free Stratfor intelligence product, for example, which might not be readily available otherwise. Page 3 of 12

4 Another, rather different, approach would be to explore an intelligence management issue, such as separation, accountability, ethics or privacy, as exemplified in the IC of one or more nations, or of an international body, with a view to identifying strengths, weaknesses, causal factors and potential improvements or solutions. Other assignment considerations: 1 Written assignments must conform to accepted standards of university writing and scholarship. 2. Assignments must be submitted through TurnItIn as well as by paper copy. See Appendix for instructions 3. Assignments must be submitted by the deadline or risk 10% per day reduction in marks. Extension of the deadline may be requested, preferably not less than one week ahead of the deadline. 4. Assignments, late and otherwise, may not be given to Department staff, nor will staff date-stamp assignments. Tests: There will be 50-minute mid-term exam in October. There will be a final exam in the December exam period as scheduled by the University. Please note that for the mid-term and final exams, students may not have any electronic devices on the desk with them except a watch. This means cell phones are not allowed on desk tops and may not be consulted. Nor may students use headphones of any kind, such as those connected to a personal stereo or an ipod. Assignments and Grading: 1. Literature review 15% 2. Mid-term Exam (time tbd) 15% 3. Group project presentation 15% 4. Group project written report 15% 5. Group participation, judged by the group 5% 6. Final Exam (time tbd) 35% Class Sessions: Classes for this course will take the form of one three-hour session each week. Each session will include three one-hour (50 minutes) segments. Each segment will be devoted to a lecture, or a test, or a class discussion (tutorial), or to student presentations. Preparatory requirements (readings, research, other tasks), to be completed prior to each class, are specified as Prep in the class descriptions below. Other requirements will be identified by the instructor. Course Content: Class 1: 04 Sep 2007 Topics: This first class introduces the concept and techniques of intelligence, and its varying forms in different national, organizational and sectoral settings, as well as such common language of intelligence as concerns the intelligence cycle. It also affords an interactive opportunity to understand the instructor s approach to the course and expectations of students. Prep: Read Lowenthal, ch. 1 & 4; Herman, ch. 1, 2, 3; Meyer, ch. 1, 2, 3. Page 4 of 12

5 Also Gregory F. Treverton et al., Toward a Theory of Intelligence: Workshop Report, RAND Corporation, 2006 (available as pdf file at (RAND/Treverton workshop); Arthur S. Hulnick, What's wrong with the Intelligence Cycle, in INS v21, #6, December Also articles in an issue of Harvard International Review on Intelligence, Vol. 24 (3) - Fall 2002, viz.: Arthur S. Hulnick, Risky Business -- Private Sector Intelligence in the United States; Philip H. J. Davies, Ideas of Intelligence -- Divergent National Concepts and Institutions; Bob Graham, Searching for Answers -- US Intelligence After September 11; & Richard J. Aldrich, Dangerous Liaisons -- Post-September 11 Intelligence Alliances. See also Loch K. Johnson, Bricks and Mortar for a Theory of Intelligence, Comparative Strategy, 22:1 28, 2003; Len Scott, Peter Jackson, The Study of Intelligence in Theory and Practice, INS, Vol.19, No.2, Summer 2004, pp ; Michael Warner, Wanted: A Definition of "Intelligence" found at (accessed 10 April 2007); Jerry H. Ratcliffe, Intelligence-led Policing and the problems of turning rhetoric into practice, Policing and Society, 2002, Vol. 12, No. 1, pp Part 1: What is intelligence? Its nature, purpose & varieties Part 2: Intelligence Theory & The Intelligence Cycle Part 3: Objectives, Structure & Philosophy of the Course Class 2: 11 Sep 2007 Topics: This class continues the introduction of intelligence terminology & concepts, including its larger conceptual framework in knowledge management. It also provides an opportunity to plan course assignments. Prep: Complete the prep assigned for Class 1. Review the website of ODNI (at Find comparable information about the IC of Canada & two other nations, using Internet and library resources. Other prep material will be assigned in Class 1. Part 1: Intelligence Settings, Subjects, Sources Part 2: Intelligence & Knowledge Management; Information & Knowledge, Complexity, Emergence & Tacit Knowledge Part 3: Topic Selection for First Assignment, due by Class 5, & Group Formation for Second Assignment. Class 3: 18 Sep 2007 Topics: This class begins more detailed examination of the main elements of the intelligence cycle, and of the intelligence function. Prep: Lowenthal, ch. 5, 6, 9, 10; Herman, ch. 4-8, 12; Meyer, ch. 4, 5, 6. See also Christopher Andrew, Intelligence analysis needs to look backwards before looking forward, History & Policy, available online at www/histpol.hist.cam.ac.uk/archive/policy-paper-23.html, accessed 20 June 2007; The Art of Intelligence by NYTimes OP-ED Columnist David Brooks, Published: April 2, 2005, available online at accessed 20 June 2007; Gustavo Diaz, METHODOLOGICAL APPROACHES TO THE CONCEPT OF INTELLIGENCE FAILURE, UNISCI DISCUSSION PAPERS, January 2005, available online at (accessed 21 June 2007 Page 5 of 12

6 Part 1: Part 2: Part 3: Intelligence Collection, Analysis, Communication Intelligence Success, Failure, Surprise Accountability & Oversight Class 4: 25 Sep 2007 Topics: Beginning to compare/contrast the two main aspects of government intelligence intelligence in support of national security, which encompasses not only security threats such as terrorism but all the factors that add up to a nation s security & well-being, and intelligence for law enforcement, including intelligence-led policing with one another and with intelligence for business and non-governmental organizations. Prep: Peter Gill, Not Just Joining the Dots But Crossing the Borders and Bridging the Voids: Constructing Security Networks after 11 September 2001, Policing & Society, Vol. 16, No. 1, March 2006, pp ; Jerry H. Ratcliffe, Intelligence-led Policing and the problems of turning rhetoric into practice, Policing and Society, 2002, Vol. 12, No. 1, pp ; Randy Lippert & Daniel O Connor, Security Intelligence Networks and the Transformation of Contract Private Security, Policing & Society, Vol. 16, No. 1, March 2006, pp ; also re-read Hulnick s Risky Business, above. Part 1: National Security Intelligence Part 2: Law Enforcement Intelligence Part 3: Economic & Business Intelligence Class 5: 02 Oct 2007 Topics: An examination of collection source types. First Assignment due. Prep: Anthony G. Oettinger, Margaret S. MacDonald, Information Overload -- Managing Intelligence Technologies, in the issue of Harvard International Review on Intelligence, Vol. 24 (3) - Fall 2002 Part 1: Part 2: Part 3: Intelligence Collection Using Technological Means Open Source Collection Human Source Collection Class 6: 09 Oct 2007 Topics: Intelligence in Canada Prep: Review official websites of PCO, DND, CSE, CSIS, Justice Canada, etc. Review unofficial websites, such as CASIS. Read Stafford. Also read Jacques J. M. Shore, Intelligence Review and Oversight in Post-9/11 Canada, IJICI, 19: , Research S&T Foresight & Environmental Scanning in Canada s federal public service. Part 1: Canada s Intelligence Community (IC) Part 2: Other Canadian Intelligence Activities, Organizations Part 3: Topic selection & Group formation for Second Assignment (Presentations in Class 10, written reports due by Class 13) Class 7: 16 Oct 2007 Topics: After the mid-term test, this class will examine the intelligence communities of two of Canada s closest intelligence allies, and of other selected countries. Prep: Lowenthal, ch. 3, 4, 7, 8, 14, 15; Herman, ch. 4-8; Shulsky; Godson; Ross; Page 6 of 12

7 RAND/Treverton; RAND/Treverton Workshop. See also papers of the CIA s Center for Studies in Intelligence (CSI), available online at including; Curing Analytic Pathologies: Pathways to Improved Intelligence Analysis, by JEFFREY R. COOPER; ANALYTIC CULTURE IN THE US INTELLIGENCE COMMUNITY -- AN ETHNOGRAPHIC STUDY, by DR. ROB JOHNSTON; and other prep material assigned in earlier classes. For critical comment on the Cooper paper (above), see Steven Aftergood s Secrecy blog entries for 3 & 8 May 2006, at the website of the Federation of American Scientists, accessed 21 June See the UK booklet National Intelligence Machinery, published by The Stationery Office, Second Ed., 2001, available online at accessed 21 June See also Philip H. J. Davies, A Critical Look at Britain s Spy Machinery; Collection and Analysis on Iraq, CSIA/CSI Studies in Intelligence, vol49no4, available online at accessed 21 June 2007; Michael Herman, Intelligence After 9/11: A British View of the Effects, CSIS Commentary No. 83, July 2003, available online at accessed 21 June 2001 Using FAS Intelligence Resource Program, at as a starting point, research the intelligence community of Italy, Israel, Morocco, Mexico, Norway. Part 1: Mid-Term Test Part 2: US, UK Intelligence Communities (IC) Part 3: Other nations IC Class 8: 23 Oct 2007 Topics: Separation, Secrecy & Self-awareness Prep: Lowenthal, ch. 7, 8, 11-13; Herman, ch See also John D. Stempel, Covert Action and Diplomacy, IJICI 20: , 2007; Intelligence and Policy: The Evolving Relationship, CSI Roundtable Report 10 November 2003, Georgetown University, Washington, D.C. Part 1: Separation (intelligence agencies from their decision-making clients) Part 2: Secrecy & Security (what are they protecting, and how?) Part 3: Sophistication (self-awareness & professionalism) Class 9: 30 Oct 2007 Topics: Evolving forms of intelligence Prep: Read works by Walter Dorn Part 1: Peacekeeping Intelligence (PKI) Part 2: Intelligence in multilateral institutions Part 3: Commercial Intelligence & Security (STRATFOR, RAND, SCIP, etc) Class 10: 06 Nov 2007 Topics: Intelligence & Security Prep: RAND/Treverton. Part 1: Intelligence & Security in the West Page 7 of 12

8 Part 2: Part 3: Intelligence & Security in the Developing World Intelligence Issues arising from learning to date Class 11: 13 Nov 2007 Topics: Presentations Prep: Group work on audiovisual presentations of Second Assignment Part 1: Class presentations by groups Part 2: Class presentations by groups, continued Part 3: Class presentations by groups, continued Class 12: 20 Nov 2007 Topics: Intelligence Policy Prep: Alice Lipowicz, Intel Fusion Centers are Catching On, Government Computer News, available online at accessed 20 June See also Part 1: Domestic and International Sharing of Intelligence Part 2: Intelligence Fusion Part 3: Foreign Intelligence Collection Class 13: 27 Nov 2007 Topics: Intelligence Ethics, Oversight, etc. Written reports of Second Assignment due Prep: Angela Gendron, Just War, Just Intelligence: An Ethical Framework for Foreign Espionage, IJICI, 18: , 2005 Part 1: Intelligence Oversight, Review & Accountability Part 2: Privacy & Ethics Part 3: Emerging & Future Issues Final Exam: TBA Readings A. Required 1. Mark Lowenthal Intelligence: From Secrets to Policy, Washington, DC. CQ Press; 3rd edition, October 1, 2005 (Lowenthal) 2. Michael Herman Intelligence Services in the Information Age, Frank Cass (Studies in Intelligence Series), 2001 (Herman) 3. Herbert E. Meyer Real-World Intelligence, Storm King Press, 1991 (Meyer) B. Recommended 1. Abram N. Shulsky, Gary J. Schmitt Silent Warfare: Understanding the World of Intelligence, Potomac Books; 3rd edition, May 15, 2002 (Shulsky) 2. Loch K. Johnson, James J. Wirtz (Eds) Strategic Intelligence: Windows into a Secret World, Roxbury Publishing Company, February 2004 (Johnson) 3. Roy Godson (Ed.) Comparing Foreign Intelligence, Washington, DC: Pergammon-Brassey's, 1988 (Godson) 4. Michael Ross with Jonathan Kay The Volunteer; a Canadian s secret life in the Mossad, McClelland & Stewart, 2007 (Ross) Page 8 of 12

9 5. Gregory F. Treverton Reshaping National Intelligence for an Age of Information, Cambridge University Press (RAND Studies in Policy Analysis), October 29, 2005 (RAND/Treverton) 6. Richard K. Betts, Thomas G. Mahnken (Eds) The Paradoxes of Strategic Intelligence; Essays in honor of Michael I. Handel, Frank Cass Publishers, 2003 (Betts) 7. David Carment, Martin Rudner (Eds) Peacekeeping Intelligence; New players, extended boundaries, Routledge, 2006 (Carment) 8. Ben de Jong, Wies Platje, Robert David Steel (Eds) Peacekeeping Intelligence: Emerging Concepts for the Future, OSS International Press, 2003 (de Jong) 9. Gregory F. Treverton et al., Toward a Theory of Intelligence: Workshop Report, RAND Corporation, 2006 (available as pdf file at (RAND/Treverton workshop) 10. David Stafford American-British-Canadian Intelligence Relations, , Routledge, September 1, 2000 (Stafford) 11. Daniel C. Waugh Etherton at Kashgar: Rhetoric and Reality in the History of the "Great Game" (Seattle, Bactrian Press, 2007) (online at 76 pp (Waugh) Other recommended readings will be identified during the course. C. Journals & On-line Resources Chief among academic journals about intelligence are the International Journal of Intelligence and CounterIntelligence(IJICI) and Intelligence and National Security (INS), both of which are available on-line in the university library (to be confirmed). The editorial boards of both of these journals include Canadian academics. On-line research should also not ignore the immensely useful Centre for Intelligence Studies (CSI) website of the CIA, including its journal, Studies in Intelligence (see: Other organizations, such as RAND Corporation, publish valuable intelligence studies, many of which are available on-line. Secrecy News, a blog from the Federation of American Scientists (FAS) Project on Government Secrecy (see: offers critical analysis of current developments in intelligence (mainly American, of course). On-line resources for non-governmental intelligence may be found at the website of the Society of Competitive Intelligence Professionals (SCIP; see and of reputable suppliers of competitive intelligence services such as Fuld & Co. ( and Aurora WDC (recong2.com). Specific readings to be found in these and other sources will be identified in course readings and discussions. General Policies: Regular attendance and class participation are expected. All assignments must be completed and handed in. Students who do not attend regularly or fail to hand in an assignment may be disallowed from writing the final exam. Read the university calendar so that you are aware of no-penalty drop dates, requirements for medical authorization (to defer an exam, for example) and other procedures that may affect you. Appeals -- Students who wish to appeal grades assigned to their academic work may do Page 9 of 12

10 so. The initial appeal should be made to the course instructor. If the student remains unsatisfied with this process, he/she may proceed to the head of the department or further to a formal committee established in accordance with University policies. Religious holidays UBC permits students who are scheduled to attend classes or write examinations on holy days of their religions to notify their instructor in advance of these days and their wish to observe them by absenting themselves from class or examination. Instructors provide opportunity for students to make up work or examinations missed without penalty. (Policy # 65.) UBC is committed to the academic success of students with disabilities. UBC's policy on Academic Accommodations for students with disabilities aims to remove barriers and provide equal access to University services, ensure fair and consistent treatment of all students, and to create a welcoming environment. Students with a disability should first meet with a Disability Resource Centre (DRC) advisor to determine what accommodations/services you are eligible for. Student Development & Services Brock Hall, Room East Mall Tel: TTY: access.diversity@ubc.ca Page 10 of 12

11 APPENDIX POLITICAL SCIENCE 333B (001) Teaching Assistant (TA) A graduate student will probably be assigned to assist the instructor with marking and other matters in this course. He/she will have important academic experience in political science and/or international affairs and/or public policy but not likely in intelligence studies, since this subject has not been taught previously at UBC. The TA will be an important resource for both students and instructor, bringing advice and support to an evolving experience. Submitting Papers TurnItIn.com: In this course you will be required to submit your written assignments in both electronic and paper form. The electronic material will be submitted to a service to which UBC subscribes, called TurnItIn. This service checks textual material for originality. It is increasingly used in North American universities. It is the policy of the Department of Political Science that written assignments in undergraduate courses will be submitted to TurnItIn. Log on to You will be asked to create a user profile with ID (use your address) and password. Once your profile is created, you will be able to add courses to it for assignment review. If you have already created a profile for another course you do not need to create a new one; just add this course to your existing account. To add this course, you will need the course ID which is and course password, which is passwordpass. Now you will be able to submit assignments to Turnitin.com for review. For each assignment, you will be asked to provide your name and student number, as well as some details about your assignment. This information will be used only to identify your submission to your instructor. Please ensure that there is no identifying information included in the text of your assignment. In particular, do not leave your name and student number on each page of your essay (as is common). Just have a simple page number. When preparing your essay, please create three separate files. The first file is for your title page with you name, course number and essay title on it. The second file is the main body of your essay. The third file is your bibliography. Please submit only the second file, the main body of your essay, to Turnitin.com. When you prepare the paper copy to hand in to tutorial, you can print the other two files together with the main body of the essay and combine all three to hand it. Simply confirm the submission, and TurnItIn will issue a receipt (via ). Please ensure you have removed you name and student number from everything you submit to Turnitin. Your TA can help you with the Turnitin process if you have difficulties. Create your profile and add this course to your account early in the term so that it can be efficiently Page 11 of 12

12 submitted on or before the due date. Difficulties on or after the due date will not be accepted as a reason for a late paper. You must also submit a paper copy to your instructor, or to the TA. For further information on UBC policies for academic integrity and its use of TurnItIn, please check the University s website at Page 12 of 12