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Overview
Confronted by the new challenges of the information age and the post-Soviet world, the U.S. intelligence community must adapt and change. And marginal change is not enough, the authors of this provocative book insist. Bruce D. Berkowitz and Allan E. Goodman call for fundamental, radical reforms in the organization and approach of America's intelligence agencies. They show why traditional approaches to intelligence fall short today, and they propose thoughtful alternatives that take into account recent changes in information technology and intelligence requirements.An information-age intelligence service would move away from a rigid, hierarchical structure toward a more fluid, networked organization, the authors explain. They recommend a system that would utilize the private sector-with its access to more capital and its ability to move more quickly than a government organization. At the same time, this system would encourage government intelligence operations to concentrate on the specialized, high-risk activities they are uniquely able to perform. Berkowitz and Goodman examine recent failures of the intelligence community, discuss why traditional principles of intelligence are no longer adequate, and consider the implications for such broad policy issues as secrecy, covert action, and the culture of the intelligence community.
Synopsis
Confronted by the new challenges of the information age and the post-Soviet world, the U.S. intelligence community must adapt and change. And marginal change is not enough, the authors of this provocative book insist. Bruce D. Berkowitz and Allan E. Goodman call for fundamental, radical reforms in the organization and approach of America's intelligence agencies. They show why traditional approaches to intelligence fall short today, and they propose thoughtful alternatives that take into account recent changes in information technology and intelligence requirements.
An information-age intelligence service would move away from a rigid, hierarchical structure toward a more fluid, networked organization, the authors explain. They recommend a system that would utilize the private sector-with its access to more capital and its ability to move more quickly than a government organization. At the same time, this system would encourage government intelligence operations to concentrate on the specialized, high-risk activities they are uniquely able to perform. Berkowitz and Goodman examine recent failures of the intelligence community, discuss why traditional principles of intelligence are no longer adequate, and consider the implications for such broad policy issues as secrecy, covert action, and the culture of the intelligence community.
Library Journal
One would expect the best-funded intelligence service in the world to produce good results, but, unfortunately, the U.S. intelligence community continues to commit avoidable blunders (witness the bombing of the Chinese Embassy in Belgrade). Intended as a provocative manifesto, this book calls for fundamental changes in the way that intelligence is collected, processed, and distributed by the U.S. government. Selected case studies are presented to illustrate problems and possible improvements. The authors call for more openness, a less hierarchical structure, and better cooperation with the private sector (which has lots of money and can respond faster). Continually evolving technological challenges will probably be overcome since this is what Americans do best, but it is hard to change a large bureaucracy with an entrenched worship of secrecy, unless it receives a giant, costly shock (e.g., the bombing of Pearl Harbor). The authors, who both started their careers at the CIA, previously collaborated on Strategic Intelligence for American National Security. Recommended for academic and large public libraries.--Daniel K. Blewett, Loyola Univ. Lib., Chicago Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information.\