Customer Reviews

Peacekeeping Intelligence: Emerging Concepts for the Future

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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.

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.

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!

A mantra of the U.S. Intelligence System is that `support to military operations' (SMO) is an essential mission. As is often the case, few within that system seem to have a very clear idea of SMO really means. This is one of the reasons that this book, "Peacekeeping Intelligence" is such a significant contribution to the study of intelligence.

Peacekeeping operations have become an increasingly important sub-set of military operations, especially for the U.S. Armed Forces, but also for most military establishments of the developed world. This remarkable book is anthology of articles written by some very thoughtful authors on how to construct an effective intelligence sub-system to support worldwide peacekeeping operations. Its sections on the UN and intelligence are especially relevant as the UN prepares to deploy 26,000 peacekeepers into Darfur Province, Sudan. The book draws heavily on recent peacekeeping operations in the Balkans, but clearly is primarily concerned with support for future operations. All the individual articles contain practical and effective concepts for providing intelligence support to peacekeeping operations. Mathew Aid has an especially interesting article on the methodology of producing peacekeeping intelligence.

Peacekeeping operations are difficult and often dangerous for the troops involved in them. But, intelligence support to these types of operations is equally demanding and must be carefully tailored to specific operations. Yet good intelligence support can save the lives of both troops and civilians and greatly increase the odds for the success of such operations. This book is an excellent guide for those wishing to build an effective intelligence infrastructure to support all peacekeeping operations.

One of the editors of this book is Robert D. Steele. Steele is an informed critic of the U.S. Intelligence System and has offered a number of realistic ideas to transform that system into a functioning intelligence producer. One Steele's concepts is to design intelligence around real threats and needs rather than blindly building intelligence programs then trying to find a need for them. He has repeatedly noted that there ought to be an intelligence sub-system for such missions as peacekeeping. This book goes a long way towards designing such a sub-system.

Edit of 5 Apr 08 to point to first book in new Peace series.

Thanks to everyone that has ordered this book, which is published as a non-profit endeavor. The concluding leadership in peacekeeping digest which is structured as an intelligence cycle versus levels of warfare (strategic, operational, tactical, technical) matrix continues to be available at oss.net or by request to the US editor.

The third annual conference on peacekeeping intelligence by Sweden built from this book in December 2004, and the contributed papers were superb and moved the literature to a new level of detail, the operational level of detail. That book will be published in 2008 as "Peacekeeping Intelligence: The Way Ahead" co-edited by Col Jan-Inge Svensson of the Swedish Military Academy.

Six other titles are planned for 2008-2009, you can follow them (and read them free online although we do recommend the books as collector's items). Earth Intelligence Network has the details.

COLLECTIVE INTELLIGENCE: Creating a Prosperous World at Peace
PEACE INTELLIGENCE: Assuring a Good Life for All
COMMERCIAL INTELLIGENCE: From Moral Green to Golden Peace

Subject to change, 2009:
GIFT INTELLIGENCE: Optimizing & Orchestrating Global Charity
CULTURAL INTELLIGENCE: Faith, Ideology, & the Five Minds
GLOBAL INTELLIGENCE: EarthGame(tm) for All

The Swedes, with the explicit leadership of the Supreme Commander of the Swedish Armed Forces, are henceforth sponsoring a tactical peacekeeping intelligence course in March-April of each year that will be open to others--talk to your nearest Swedish defense attache. That course will lead to the third book in the series on "Peacekeeping Intelligence: Tactics for Success."

Readers of this book who wish to recommend or write contributions to the follow-on book are urged to communicate with the US editor via email, with a decision deadline of 1 November 2005.

This book, and your purchase of it, would never have been possible without Amazon.com. They have opened new paths for information sharing that will help bring peace and prosperity to the dark corners of the world, including New Orleans.

Consider the other books in the set, also free online:
On Intelligence: Spies and Secrecy in an Open World
The New Craft of Intelligence: Personal, Public, & Political--Citizen's Action Handbook for Fighting Terrorism, Genocide, Disease, Toxic Bombs, & Corruption
Information Operations: All Information, All Languages, All the Time
THE SMART NATION ACT: Public Intelligence in the Public Interest

All future books will be published by Earth Intelligence Network, a Virginia non-profit, and sold in limited editions via Amazon, while also free by the chapter at the EIN web site.

See the first book in the new peace series, also free online, Collective Intelligence: Creating a Prosperous World at Peace

I already wrote a review on this exellent book. But there is more.
4th Generation Warfare is the future we now live for 14 years now.

(...)

It's astonishing to note that the military still think in symmetric warfare terms. That concept died when on 9th November 1989 "peace broke out". It's all about good Intelligence now, in more than one explanation of this word.
In the potential and possible areas of conflict (Middle East, Africa) you cannot find an army which can be compared with any sophisticated Western army.
So, if NATO goes in, wherever, the initial entry will last for outmost 5 days of Peace Enforcing and than it will turn into guerrilla tactics, hit and run action and terrorism. The best answer to that is good Intelligence.
Although many good books are written about these subjects (of which PKI I recommended in my earlier review) I like to suggest two very good books to you all.
"Military Intelligence blunders and cover-ups" from Colonel John Hughes-Wilson, ISBN: 1-84119-871-4. Especially read prefaces 11 and 12.
The other very good book I like to recommend is: "Dude, where's my country" from Micheal Moore, 2003.
Moore's book you have to read, especially when you belang to the conservative part of mankind.