Spies, Lies and the War on Terror

This book traces the transformation of intelligence from a tool for law enforcement to a means of avoiding the law--both national and international. The "War on Terror" has seen intelligence agencies emerge as major political players. "Rendition," untrammelled surveillance, torture and detention without trial are becoming normal. 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 license. State and corporate interests are increasingly fused in the new business of privatizing fear. The authors argue that the bureaucracy and narrow political goals surrounding intelligence actually have the potential to increase the terrorist threat.