The Ethics of National Security Intelligence Institutions (Studies in Intelligence)

This book explores the ethics of national security intelligence institutions operating in contemporary liberal democracies.

Intelligence collection by agencies such as the CIA, MI6, and Mossad involves practices that are apparently inconsistent with the principles of ordinary morality – practices such as lying, spying, manipulation, and covert action. However, in the defence of national security, such practices may not only be morally permissible, but may also under some circumstances be morally obligatory. One approach to the ethics of national security intelligence activity has been to draw from the just war tradition (so-called ‘just intelligence theory’). This book identifies significant limitations of this approach and offers a new, institutionally based, teleological normative framework. In doing so, it revises some familiar principles designed for application to kinetic wars, such as necessity and proportionality, and invokes some additional ones, such as reciprocity and trust. It goes on to explore the applications of this framework and a revised set of principles for national security intelligence institutions and practices in contemporary and emerging political and technological settings.

This book will be of much interest to students of intelligence studies, ethics, security studies and International Relations.

Adam Henschke is an Assistant Professor with the Philosophy Section at the University of Twente in the Netherlands.

Seumas Miller is a Professor with the Australian Graduate School of Policing and Security at Charles Sturt University, in Australia, and a Distinguished Research Fellow at Uehiro Centre for Practical Ethics at Oxford University.

Andrew Alexandra is an Adjunct Senior Fellow with the School of Historical and Philosophical Studies at Melbourne University, in Australia.

Patrick F. Walsh is Professor of Intelligence and Security Studies with the Australian Graduate School of Policing and Security at Charles Sturt University, in Australia.

Roger Bradbury is Emeritus Professor of Complex Systems Science with the Crawford School of Public Policy at the Australian National University in Australia.