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Title: Peacekeeping Intelligence: Emerging Concepts for the Future by Ben de Jong, Wies Platje, Robert David Steele, Dame Pauline Neville-Jones ISBN: 0-9715661-2-7 Publisher: OSS International Press Pub. Date: 15 May, 2003 Format: Hardcover List Price(USD): $34.95 |
Average Customer Rating: 4.67 (3 reviews)
Rating: 5
Summary: Finally, Intelligence with brains
Comment: Book review
This book was published following the Conference on Peacekeeping and Intelligence held on 15 and 16 November 2002 at the IDL (Instituut Defensie Leergangen) in The Hague on the initiative of NISA (Netherlands Intelligence Studies Association) and comprises 5 sections.
Section 1,2,3 : etc. see source text.
Until recently mentioning the UN and Intelligence in one sentence was almost taboo. Even today one of the largest problems for the UN are the conflicting interests of a large part of the 186 member states. This is clearly illustrated by Sir Robert Ramsbotham, who refers to a telling statement on page 281 of Peacekeeping Intelligence: Intelligence has been regarded as a dirty word in UN parlance. More and more, however, the UN have begun to realise that Intelligence is crucial.
The editors (Ben de Jong, Wies Platje and Rober David Steele) have successfully collected 13 contributions written by people experienced in both Intelligence and Peacekeeping operations and managed to compile a clear reference book.
In section I a case is made why a professional Intelligence Service should be implemented at the UN Headquarters.
Section II offers an overview of lesson learnt from an academic and historical perspective. Experiences from the past show the need for UN member states participating in a UN mission to share Intelligence. After all, UN units have to conduct operations in a complex theatre where criminal gangs, warlords and corrupt politicians rule.
In Section III four specialists go into the necessary shift in thinking about Intelligence with UN member states. A common policy is proposed which should lead to a UN training centre for UN Intelligence personnel as well as procedures which regulate the exchange of Intelligence among member states.
In Section IV eight renowned authors, from a variety of perspectives, go into the many challenges the UN and NATO are still facing in the field of Intelligence. Mainly focussing on the idea that there are no clear reasons why the UN should not support their peacekeeping missions by a professional Intelligence Service.
In the final section (Section V) a general overview is presented of a large number of references. In addition to this some extra interesting reading material is included. Especially the chapter comprising the Brahimi report presented to the UN Secretary General on 17 August 2000 is commendable as it focuses on the necessity of Intelligence at the UN on strategic, operational and tactical level.
The deficiencies and perversions of the present system (faxes on genocide in Rwanda ignored in 1994, countries participating in multi-national peace operations hampering each other, bureaucratic adversity, civilians and bluehelmets victimized for the sake of impartiality of the organisation) are made painfully plain in this book.
All in all, it is a useful and challenging book, particularly for politicians, the intelligence community and defence personnel.
Rating: 4
Summary: Peacekeeping and Intelligence: a welcome primer.
Comment: In Peacekeeping Intelligence - emerging concepts for the future
(Ben de Jong, Wies Platje, Robert David Steele, eds.) OSS
International Press, Oakton
Va. 2003, an international group of authors brings together a usefull and insiders' study on a rare but highly relevant combination of security aspects. As a sovereign asset pur sang, intelligence is traditionally hardly considered as a viable tool for multinational security operations. Even the most legitimate among them, UN-mandated pko's (peacekeeping operations), suffer from poor coordination and cooperation among national services, insufficient intelligence input, and national-interest biased output. This volume case studies on Rwanda, Bosnia, Cambodia and many others, partly based on first hand experiences by field practitioners who served in the field or in the pko bureaucracies. The studies demonstrate the importance of solid intelligence in the first place (as in any other security effort) as well as the need for a much better, preferably much more autonomous intelligence organization at the multilateral cq. UN-level. Not a very popular theme in times unilateralism and US-scepsis on UN-led peacekeeping operations, the book offers a competent and convincing selection of studies converging to this conclusion. This volume is highly recommended as well as a classics reader, as it includes some of the most authoritative articles written in the past on this subject. The book is a welcome spin-off from an international expert conference held under the auspices of the NISA (Dutch Intelligence Studies Association) and the Dutch Ministry of Defence in Fall 2002.
Dr.Ko Colijn
Department of Public Policy Studies
Erasmus University Rotterdam
Defense Correspondent Vrij Nederland Amsterdam.
Rating: 5
Summary: Remarkably timely and valuable
Comment: Given the challenges faced by the U.S. armed forces and our government in Iraq, Afghanistan, the Balkans (still) and, possibly soon, in Africa, this book is as timely in its subject matter as it is sensible and useful. The editors (de Jong, Platje and America's inimitable Robert Steele) have assembled subject matter experts from almost a dozen countries with peacekeeping experience, and they've done a fine job of keeping the entries clear, readable and focused. Having worked in intelligence for over two decades myself, I can attest that the deep human challenges of intelligence operations during peacekeeping and peacemaking operations remain insufficiently met by our own or other intelligence bureaucracies. It's not a matter of failure, but of (too often) mediocrity and inadequacy in the clinch. Intelligence systems that are still haunted by the legacies of Cold War hardware and, worse, Cold War thinking still have not adapted adequately to our grave new world. We're learning, but perhaps not quickly enough. Steele, especially, has campaigned boldly in the cause of using open-source material to supplement classified data--and, in some cases, to supplant it--and we may expect powerful results wherever his advice is taken to heart. Overall, this is a valuable, useful, thoughtful book one can strongly recommend both for professionals in the field and interested citizens. Well done!
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Title: The New Craft of Intelligence: Personal, Public, & Political--Citizen's Action Handbook for Fighting Terrorism, Genocide, Disease, Toxic Bombs, & Corruption by Robert David Steele ISBN: 0971566119 Publisher: OSS International Press Pub. Date: 08 April, 2002 List Price(USD): $34.95 |
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Title: On Intelligence: Spies and Secrecy in an Open World by Robert David Steele ISBN: 0971566100 Publisher: OSS International Press Pub. Date: 22 November, 2001 List Price(USD): $34.95 |
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Title: The Warning Solution : Intelligent Analysis in the Age of Information Overload by Kristan J. Wheaton ISBN: 0916159302 Publisher: AFCEA International Press Pub. Date: April, 2001 List Price(USD): $19.95 |
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Title: Intelligence in War: Knowledge of the Enemy from Napoleon to Al-Qaeda by JOHN KEEGAN ISBN: 0375400532 Publisher: Knopf Pub. Date: 21 October, 2003 List Price(USD): $30.00 |
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Title: Transformation Under Fire : Revolutionizing How America Fights by Douglas A. Macgregor ISBN: 0275981924 Publisher: Praeger Publishers Pub. Date: 30 September, 2003 List Price(USD): $34.95 |
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