Vorlesungs- und Lehrendenverzeichnis

SoSe 2021

Intelligence Studies and Special Operations

Christopher Nehring

PULS

Intelligence services receive much public attention with so-called “special operations, such as targeted killings, disinformation and deception operations or cyber-attacks. “Covert action”, “special operations” or “active measures” are common terms for these tasks. Despite public focus on these “active” operations, most intelligence work is comprised of “passive” information gathering.
This class offers an introduction to the study of secret intelligence and intelligence services and of special intelligence operations. We will start out by looking at the basics of intelligence studies before scrutinizing various forms and examples of special intelligence operations. The aim of this class is to provide students with a basic knowledge of intelligence research, an overview of different types of “special operations” and analytic tools to assess them. The class will be held mostly digitally, regular attendance and an oral presentation or written essay are required.

Literatur

• Robert Dover/Michael Goodman/Claudia Hillebrand (Hrsg.): Routledge Companion to Intelligence Studies, Routledge Companion to Intelligence Studies, London, 2014.
• Mark Lowenthal: Intelligence. From secrets to policy, seventh edition, pp. 249-276.
• Peter Gill & Mark Phythian: Intelligence in an Insecure World, 3rd Edition, London, 2013, pp. 203-221.
• William Daughtery: Covert Action. Strength and weaknesses, in: Oxford Handbook of National Security Intelligence, ed. Loch Johnson, New York et al., 2010, pp. 608-628.
• Rory Cormac & Richard Aldrich: Grey is the new black: covert action and implausible deniability, in: International Affairs 3/2018, pp. 449-477.
• US Congress: Covert Action and Clandestine Activities of the Intelligence Community: Framework for Congressional Oversight In Brief.
• Richard Aldrich: The Hidden Hand. Britain, America and Cold War Secret Intelligence, London, 2003.
• Loch Johnson: Reflections on the ethics and effectiveness of America’s ‘third option’: covert action and U.S. foreign policy, in: Intelligence and National Security 1/2020, pp. 1-18.
• Adrian Hänni / Miguel Grossmann: Death to traitors? The pursuit of intelligence defectors from the Soviet Union to the Putin era, in: Intelligence and National Security Nr. 35:3 2020, pp. 403-423.
• David Gioe / Michael Goodman /David Frey: Unforgiven: Russian Intelligence Vengeance as Political Theatre and Strategic Messaging, in: Intelligence and National Security Nr. 34: 4 2019, pp. 561–575.
• Ronen Bergman: Rise and Kill First: The Secret History of Israels Targeted Assassinations, New York, 2018.
• Thomas Rid: Active Measures. The Secret History of Disinformation, New York, 2020.
• Thomas Rid: Cyber war will not take place, London, 2013.
• Stevens, T. C., Goodman, M. S., & Gioe, D.: Intelligence in the Cyber Era: Evolution or Revolution?, in: POLITICAL SCIENCE QUARTERLY 2020.
• George Perkovich / Ariel E. Levite (ed.): Understanding Cyber Conflict: Fourteen Analogies, Washington, 2014.
• Kevin Riehle / Michael May: Human-cyber Nexus: the parallels between ‘illegal’ intelligence operations and advanced persistent threats, in: Intelligence and National Security 34:2 2019, pp. 189-204.

Studiengänge und Module

• Einrichtungen
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Kontakt

Universität Potsdam
Philosophische Fakultät
Am Neuen Palais 10
14469 Potsdam