Intelligence studies is an interdisciplinary academic field that concerns

intelligence assessment Intelligence assessment, is a specific phase of the intelligence cycle which oversees the development of behavior forecasts or recommended courses of action to the leadership of an organization, based on wide ranges of available overt and cover ...

and

intelligence analysis Intelligence analysis is the application of individual and collective cognitive methods to weigh data and test hypotheses within a secret socio-cultural context. The descriptions are drawn from what may only be available in the form of delibera ...

. Intelligence has been referred to as the "lost dimension" of the fields of

international relations International relations (IR, and also referred to as international studies, international politics, or international affairs) is an academic discipline. In a broader sense, the study of IR, in addition to multilateral relations, concerns al ...

(IR) and diplomatic history, as the secretive nature of the subject means most intelligence successes are unknown. Among the

academic journal An academic journal (or scholarly journal or scientific journal) is a periodical publication in which Scholarly method, scholarship relating to a particular academic discipline is published. They serve as permanent and transparent forums for the ...

s concentrating on the subject are the
Intelligence and National Security
and''
International Journal of Intelligence and CounterIntelligence
' while other periodicals in the fields of IR and

security studies __NOTOC__ Security studies, also known as international security studies, is an academic sub-field within the wider discipline of international relations that studies organized violence, military conflict, national security, and international s ...

, such as
International Security
', publish articles concerned with intelligence studies regularly. Many universities, such as

Aberystwyth Aberystwyth (; ) is a University town, university and seaside town and a community (Wales), community in Ceredigion, Wales. It is the largest town in Ceredigion and from Aberaeron, the county's other administrative centre. In 2021, the popula ...

, teach intelligence studies as an independent degree or as part of courses in IR, security studies,

military science Military science is the study of military processes, institutions, and behavior, along with the study of warfare, and the theory and application of organized coercive force. It is mainly focused on theory, method, and practice of producing mi ...

or related subjects.

Intelligence studies and international relations

Until recently, IR scholars had limited interest in intelligence assessment. Even historical strategists such as Clausewitz and Machiavelli paid scant attention to intelligence. In British universities, intelligence studies developed within international history departments, while in US institutions it became the preserve of

political science Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and Power (social and political), power, and the analysis of political activities, political philosophy, political thought, polit ...

, and even then the subject was approached in terms of

public policy Public policy is an institutionalized proposal or a Group decision-making, decided set of elements like laws, regulations, guidelines, and actions to Problem solving, solve or address relevant and problematic social issues, guided by a conceptio ...

and decision-making rather than IR.Jackson and Scott, p. 174. Recently attempts to connect intelligence studies with

international relations theory International relations theory is the study of international relations (IR) from a theoretical perspective. It seeks to explain behaviors and outcomes in international politics. The three most prominent School of thought, schools of thought are ...

have emerged, such as Andrew Rathmell's work on a

postmodern Postmodernism encompasses a variety of artistic, cultural, and philosophical movements that claim to mark a break from modernism. They have in common the conviction that it is no longer possible to rely upon previous ways of depicting the wo ...

theory of intelligence. According to a 2020 forum in ''International Studies Review'', there are five factors that have generally been important in the development of intelligence studies subfields in different countries: "access to relevant government information, institutionalization of research on intelligence and security in a higher education setting, periodic scientific meetings and networks, teaching and learning opportunities, and engagement between researchers and practitioners."{{Cite journal, last=Van Puyvelde, first=Damien, last2=Wirtz, first2=James J., last3=Holeindre, first3=Jean-Vincent, last4=Oudet, first4=Benjamin, last5=Bar-Joseph, first5=Uri, last6=Kotani, first6=Ken, last7=Matei, first7=Florina Cristiana, last8=Fernández, first8=Antonio M. Díaz, date=2020-08-01, title=Comparing National Approaches to the Study of Intelligence, url=https://academic.oup.com/isp/article/21/3/298/5721760, journal=International Studies Perspectives, language=en, volume=21, issue=3, pages=298–337, doi=10.1093/isp/ekz031, issn=1528-3577, url-access=subscription

References

Bibliography

* Jackson, Peter and Scott, Len (2005). "Intelligence", ed. Finney, Patrick: ''Palgrave Advances in International History''. Palgrave Macmillan * Evans, Graham and Newnham, Jeffrey (1998). ''The Penguin Dictionary of International Relations''. Penguin

External links

Studies in Intelligence
on the CIA's website Studies Espionage