Key faculty members from leading security studies programs present curricula.

Security Studies for the 1990s

Godson, Roy

Shultz, Richard

Reference

Brassey's, Inc

Intelligence Requirements for the 1980's: Domestic Intelligence

Politics & Social Sciences

Politics & Government

Lexington Books

Menace to Society

One of the more dangerous contemporary threats to the quality of life is the collaboration of the political establishment with the criminal underworld--the political-criminal nexus (PCN). This active partnership increasingly undermines the rule of law, human rights, and economic development in many parts of the world. States in transition are especially at risk. Despite the magnitude of the threat, there is little understanding of the security threats by the PCNs and how and why political-criminal relationships are formed and maintained. Menace to Society is the first attempt to develop an analytical framework for making generalizations about this contemporary scourge. Case studies of Colombia, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Italy, Mexico, Nigeria, Russia and Ukraine, and the United States by leading scholars and practitioners included here answer such key questions as: How do PCNs get established? How is a PCN maintained, and destroyed? What do the participants want from each other in a PCN? What can be learned from those who have successfully countered the PCN? The findings indicate that political, economic, and cultural factors play a significant role in the formation and evolution of PCNs. When the institutions of the state are weak, as in Nigeria and Colombia, it is difficult for the state to prevent political-criminal collaboration. A lack of checks and balances, either from civil society or opposition political parties such as described in the cases of Mexico and Russia, is a key factor. Cultural patterns tend to facilitate this kind of collaboration. Markets and economics, too, bear on the PCN issue. The supply and demand for illegal goods and services, not only drugs, in many countries creates a market controlled by criminals who need political help to "run" their business. Menace to Society will be critical reading for security planners, foreign and military policymakers, and political scientists.

Menace to Society: Political-criminal Collaboration Around the World

History

Military

Routledge

Contrary to popular misconceptions and public branding as "dirty tricks," covert action and counterintelligence can have considerable value. Democracies, while wary of these instruments, have benefited significantly from their use, saving lives, treasure, and gaining strategic advantage. As liberal democracies confront the post-Cold War mix of rogue states and non-state actors, such as criminals and terrorists, and weapons of mass destruction and mass disruption, these clandestine arts may prove to be important tools of statecraft, and perhaps trump cards in the twenty-first century.
Godson defines covert action as influencing events in other parts of the world without attribution, and counterintelligence as identifying, neutralizing, and exploiting the secret activities of others. Together they provide the capability to resist manipulation and control others to advantage. Counterintelligence protects U.S. military, technological, and diplomatic secrets and turns adversary intelligence to U.S. advantage. Covert action enables the United States to weaken adversaries and to assist allies who may be hampered by open acknowledgment of foreign support.
Drawing on contemporary and historical literature, broad-ranging contacts with senior intelligence officials in many countries, as well as his own research and experience as a longtime consultant to the U.S. government, Godson traces the history of U.S. covert action and counterintelligence since 1945, showing that covert action works well when it is part of a well-coordinated policy and when policy makers are committed to succeeding in the long-term. Godson argues that the best counterintelligence is an offensive defense. His exposition of the essential theoretical foundations of both covert action and counterintelligence, supported by historical examples, lays out the ideal conditions for their use, as well as demonstrating why they are so difficult to attain.
This book will be of interest to students and general readers interested in political science, national security, foreign policy, and military policy.

Dirty Tricks or Trump Cards: U.S. Covert Action and Counterintelligence

One of the more dangerous contemporary threats to the quality of life is the collaboration of the political establishment with the criminal underworld - the political-criminal nexus (PCN). This active partnership increasingly undermines the rule of law, human rights, and economic development in many parts of the world. States in transition are especially at risk. Despite the magnitude of the threat, there is little understanding of the security threats by the PCNs and how and why political-criminal relationships are formed and maintained. Menace to Society is the first attempt to develop an analytical framework for making generalizations about this contemporary scourge. Case studies of Colombia, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Italy, Mexico, Nigeria, Russia and Ukraine, and the United States by leading scholars and practitioners included here answer such key questions as: How do PCNs get established? How is a PCN maintained, and destroyed? What do the participants want from each other in a PCN? What can be learned from those who have successfully countered the PCN? The findings indicate that political, economic, and cultural factors play a significant role in the formation and evolution of PCNs. When the institutions of the state are weak, as in Nigeria and Colombia, it is difficult for the state to prevent political-criminal collaboration. A lack of checks and balances, either from civil society or opposition political parties such as described in the cases of Mexico and Russia, is a key factor. Cultural patterns tend to facilitate this kind of collaboration. Markets and economics, too, bear on the PCN issue. The supply and demand for illegal goods and services, not only drugs, in many countries creates a market controlled by criminals who need political help to "run" their business. Menance to Society will be critical reading for security planners, foreign and military policymakers, and political scientists.

Roy Godson traces the history of U.S. covert action and counterintelligence, focusing on its successes and failures. As the United States struggles to deal with new challenges to its security - regional, ethnic, and religious conflicts; weapons proliferation; terrorism; and organized crime - this groundbreaking study explains the circumstances under which covert capabilities can be used most effectively.

Dirty Tricks or Trump Cards: U.S. Covert Action and Counterintelligence (Brassey's Intelligence & National Security Library.)

University Of Nebraska Press

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Books by Godson, Roy

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Godson, Roy. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Security Studies for the 1990s

Intelligence Requirements for the 1980's: Domestic Intelligence

Menace to Society: Political-criminal Collaboration Around the World

Dirty Tricks or Trump Cards: U.S. Covert Action and Counterintelligence

Dirty Tricks or Trump Cards: U.S. Covert Action and Counterintelligence

Menace to Society

Dirty Tricks or Trump Cards: U.S. Covert Action and Counterintelligence (Brassey's Intelligence & National Security Library.)