The US Intelligence Community

(3 Credit Hours) · Undergraduate

Intelligence is an underlying and critical factor in the conduct of foreign policy. The U.S. intelligence community is a case in point. From the Vietnam War to the Irangate up until the invasion of Iraq and the killing of Osama Bin Laden, intelligence has played a crucial role in US policy in the second half of the 20th and early 21st Century. Yet, intelligence is elusive: the strength of the U.S. intelligence apparatus does not always bring success in analysis and operations, and globalization as well as emerging technologies seem to question the added-value of intelligence bureaucracies. This class will explore U.S. intelligence history to discuss intelligence practices and challenges. The educational aim of this course is twofold. First, it will familiarize undergraduate students with the main actors of U.S. intelligence and national security decision-making (intelligence agencies, National Intelligence Estimates, National Security Council, etc.). Second, it will introduce them to the main concepts of the intelligence world and of the field of intelligence studies (intelligence analysis, covert actions, counterespionage, intelligence and policy-making, intelligence cooperation, etc.).