The advent of the War on Terror has seen intelligence agencies emerge out of the shadows to become major political players. 'Rendition', untrammelled surveillance, torture and detention without trial are now fast becoming the norm. Spies, Lies and the War on Terror traces the transformation of intelligence from a tool for law enforcement to a means of avoiding the law - both national and international.

The new culture of victimhood in the US and among partners in the 'coalition of the willing' has crushed domestic liberties and formed a global network of extra-legal licence. State and corporate interests are increasingly fused in the new business of privatising fear. Todd & Bloch argue that the bureaucracy and narrow political goals surrounding intelligence actually have the potential to increase the terrorist threat.

This lively and shocking account is a must-read for anyone who wants to understand the new power of intelligence.

Autorentext

Paul Todd is a historian of the Cold War specialising in Middle East issues. He is the author of Global Intelligence: The World's Secret Services Today (Zed 2003).

Jonathan Bloch is a co-authored British Intelligence and Covert Action and KGB/CIA, Global Intelligence: The World's Secret Services Today (Zed 2003).

Patrick Fitzgerald was a journalist and researcher who wrote extensively on intelligence and national security for The New Statesman, The Economist, New Scientist, Tribune and other publications.

Inhalt

Introduction

Intelligence and Islamism
Faith and Lies
Spies, 'Enemy Combatants' and the Long War
Faith and Lies
Europe and the War on Terror
Conclusions: Illiberal democracy and 'manufactured risk'