Spies and their masters : intelligence-policy relations in democratic countries / Matteo Faini.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Faini, Matteo, author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Intelligence service--Government policy.

Intelligence service.

Intelligence service--Political aspects.

Democracy.

Intelligence service--United States.

United States.

Intelligence service--Great Britain.

Great Britain.

Intelligence service--Italy.

Italy.

Physical Description:

128 pages : illustrations ; 24 cm

Place of Publication:

Abingdon, Oxon ; New York, NY : Routledge, 2021.

Summary:

"This book delves into the secret histories of the CIA, the FBI and British and Italian intelligence to study how policymakers can control intelligence agencies and when these agencies will try to remove their own government. For every government they serve, intelligence agencies are both a threat and a necessity. They often provide vital information for national security, but the secrets they possess can also be used against their own masters. This book introduces subversion paradox theory to provide a social scientific explanation of the unequal power dynamic resulting from an often-fraught relationship between agencies and their 'masters'. The author also makes a case for the existence of 'deep state' conspiracies, including in highly developed democracies, and cautions those who denounce their existence that trying to control intelligence by politicizing it is likely to backfire. An important intervention in the field of intelligence studies, this book will be indispensable for intelligence professionals and policymakers in understanding and bridging the cultural divide between these two groups. It will also make for a fascinating and informative read to scholars and researchers of diplomacy, foreign policy, international relations, strategic and defence studies, security studies, political studies, policy making, and comparative politics"-- Provided by publisher.

Contents:

Introduction : democracies, intelligence agencies and the neglected problem of subversion

The paradox of subversion : a theory of intelligence-policy relations in democratic countries

British intelligence in the 1920s

The Federal Bureau of Investigation, 1908-1948 : from a law enforcement bureau to a political intelligence agency

The establishment and evolution of the Central Intelligence Agency

Italian military intelligence, 1943-1964

Conclusion.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages [115]-124) and index.

Other Format:

Online version: Faini, Matteo, Spies and their masters

ISBN:

9780367407629

0367407620

9780367407636

0367407639

OCLC:

1152361827

Publisher Number:

99985470501