The CIA Intelligence Analyst: Views from the Inside

A unique insiders' account of what CIA intelligence analysts do and why it matters

The common perception of a CIA officer is someone who collects secret intelligence abroad―a spy. However, the critical link between secrets and policy is the intelligence analyst. The CIA Intelligence Analyst brings to light the vital, but often-unseen, work of these officers.

Roger Z. George, Robert Levine, and the contributors to this book demystify the profession of intelligence analyst at the CIA and describe how the wide array of analytic specialties―or "disciplines" in the language of the CIA―function. The disciplines range from political, economic, leadership, and military matters to science and technology, cyber, counterterrorism, and counterintelligence. Each of the chapters―written by former or current CIA analysts―discusses how analysts interact with those who collect raw intelligence. Just as important, the chapters describe the relationships analysts develop with the diverse set of policymakers who use CIA analyses. The contributors reveal the key intelligence questions that analysts address, their methods, their products, and their challenges.

This book will be an invaluable resource for scholars of national security and intelligence who want to develop a fuller picture of the internal workings of the CIA and for those who are considering a career as an analyst.

Roger Z. George had a 30-year career as a political-military analyst at CIA and is the author of Intelligence in the National Security Enterprise and co-editor of Analyzing Intelligence and The National Security Enterprise. Robert Levine retired from the Central Intelligence Agency after 33 years and is currently a lecturer at John Hopkins University, the School of Advanced International Studies.