Intelligence in an Insecure World

Over a decade on from the terrorist attacks of 9/11, intelligencecontinues to be of central importance to the contemporary world.Today there is a growing awareness of the importance ofintelligence, and an increasing investment in it, as individuals,groups, organizations and states all seek timely and actionableinformation in order to increase their sense of security.

But what exactly is intelligence? Who seeks to develop it and how?What happens to intelligence once it is produced, and what dilemmasdoes this generate? How can liberal democracies seek to mitigateproblems of intelligence, and what do we mean by“intelligence failure?”’ In a fully revised andexpanded new edition of their classic guide to the field, PeterGill and Mark Phythian explore these and other questions. Togetherthey set out a comprehensive framework for the study ofintelligence, discussing how ‘intelligence’ can best beunderstood, how it is collected, analysed, disseminated and actedupon, how it raises ethical problems, and how and why itfails. 

Drawing on a range of contemporary examples, Intelligencein an Insecure World is an authoritative and accessibleguide to a rapidly expanding area of enquiry - one which everyonehas an interest in understanding.

Peter Gill is Professor of Politics and Security at Liverpool John Moores University.

Mark Pythian is Professor of International Security at the University of Wolverhampton.