Term Paper on "Changes the Only Thing Constant"

Term Paper 10 pages (2649 words) Sources: 1+

[EXCERPT] . . . .

He wrote "the move towards more constraints and more public oversight of U.S. intelligence gathering procedures sparked by Edward Snowden's revelations is not in the United States' best interests if it wishes to avoid intelligence failures."

Veterans of the intelligence community may have learned a significant lesson from these recent and turbulent events revolving around the Snowden issue. Hayden (2013), a former CIA director, relayed his contempt for the situation. He understood that there is a critical moment when intelligence efforts can be wasted if the opportunity is squandered. He wrote "the great harm of Snowden's efforts to date is the erosion of confidence in the ability of the United States to do anything discreetly or keep anything secret."

The world political stage relies on credibility and honesty to some extent. Since the intelligence community focuses so much of their efforts towards dishonesty and deceit it is difficult to maintain this critical political balance. Unfortunately Americans themselves are now targets of intelligence gathering due to the power of the individual here and around the world. It is very possible that the current political landscape is too overwhelming for the current state of the community and a new approach appears to be necessary.

Terrorism as the Impetus

The impact of the attacks on America that occurred on September 11, 2001 marked the beginning of this political upheaval that has seen many resources wasted and lives being taken. War as we have known it in the 20th century is apparently obsolete and the real battlefield is the mind. Winning the hearts and minds of our enemies has never been more important due to the diffusion of political power. Effective trickery that was practical in the past no longer serves a purpose and the intelligence community must take note.

To incorporate this new global understanding by allowing more freedom and liberation throughout the world will certainly require the private sector's cooperation. The merger between private and public interests are exposing the more fascist aspects of the intelligence community. This political relationship must be expressed with caution and deliberation.

The surveillance industry, like many other sectors of the massive private industry that supports law enforcement and governments worldwide, is driving the state of the art forward. "Google and Apple are gathering location information as part of their race to build massive databases capable of pinpointing people's locations via their cellphones. These databases could help them tap the $2.9 billion market for location-based services -- expected to rise to $8.3 billion in 2014, according to research firm Gartner, Inc.," (Schlesinger, 2013). For the intelligence community it is important to temper their expectations with the greed and profit motive that dominates the corporate game, and remember that those in the intelligence community serve a higher calling, one that transcends the morals and ethics of the more common ideals seen throughout the world.

Extreme Novelty

The final macro-issue that is affecting the intelligence community is a very subtle and quiet form of change. By understanding the evolution of the new political landscape and the challenges inherent within them, new and seemingly endless possibilities of human interaction are now available. There is so much "stuff" in today's world, taking the form of ideas, inventions, lifestyles, religions, crimes, laws, weapons, data, information, entertainment and countless others. As a result of this hyper-creativity, the job of the intelligence community may actually be obsolete in its current state.

It may be time to admit that the emperor has no clothes on and there is a real chance we are failing at a much larger scale than possibly realized. While cooperation is often overlooked as a means of peaceful coexistence, and war, or the threat of war, ironically substitutes more times than not, perhaps alignment is the only way to use this novelty that is expressing itself and challenging the way the intelligence community operates.

Novelty is essentially the quest of the human spirit and fully understanding this motivation will be required if the intelligence community is expected to survive. Perhaps the intelligence community is itself obsolete and we are witnessing it in its death throes. Even though there appears plenty of tasks and sub-tasks associated with accomplishing the mission of intelligence through the guidance of policy, maybe less is more in this case.

Shifting attitudes towards a more trusting point a view may be helpful. Doubt and insecurity are the driving impulses in the intelligence community today, but perhaps our adversaries and the rest of society have reached a more comfortable and trusting state of mind. Regardless if this is true or not, it is important that this point-of-view be considered and investigated to see the practicality of such an approach. If the intelligence community feels that things are desperately changing, perhaps it should follow suit and come to a new revelation of the role intelligence plays within the world stage.

As the terrorist attacks of 9/11 have revealed, the impossible can happen and nothing can really be discounted. The constant fear mongering and intense conflict that riddles the fabric of our society has produced a new stream of creative forces that materialize through extreme novelty as seen through unthinkable action. A sense of humor may also alleviate some of the side effects that may discomfort some in the intelligence community to this new world order that has created the current state of the world. Whatever approach is deemed successful will no doubt be an adjustment of attitude and thought.

Conclusions

The greater intelligence community is faced with some significant challenges to the way it operates. Success appears to be ever elusive in this morphing environment that is continually throwing obstacles in the path to peace and understanding. The solutions rest in the self-analytical abilities within this community to effectively find root causes of these problems and therefore attempt to correctly remedy the situation. Frank and honest dialogue appear to be an effective tactic at doing this self-reflection and are required to flush out the barriers that are influencing these macro changes in the world.

References

Harowitz, S. (2013). How Snowden's Revelations Impact Intelligence Collection Efforts. Security Management, 26 July 2013. Retrieved from http://www.securitymanagement.com/news/how-snowdens-revelations-impact- intelligence-collection-efforts-0012634

Hayden, M. (2013). Commentaries. CNN Opinion, 19 July 2013. Retrieved from http://www.cnn.com/2013/07/19/opinion/hayden-snowden-impact/

Intelligence.gov (nd). Our Mission. Viewed 23 Nov 2013. Retrieved from http://www.intelligence.gov/mission/

Office of the Director of National Intelligence. Website, viewed 26 Nov 2013. Retrieved from http://www.dni.gov/index.php/about/mission

Roulo, C. (2013). Changing World Challenges U.S. Intelligence Community. American Forces Press Service, 21 Nov 2013. Retrieved from http://www.defense.gov/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=121201

Sant, S. (2012). China's New Leaders Face Rise of Individual. Voice of America, 6 Nov 2012. Retrieved from http://www.voanews.com/content/chinas-new-leaders-face-the-rise-of- the-individual/1540296.html

Schlesinger, R. (2013). The Corporate Roots of the NSA Spying Controversy. U.S. News and World Report, 8 June 2013. Retrieved from http://www.usnews.com/opinion/blogs/robert-schlesinger/2013/06/08/nsa-prism-phone- records-spying-are-built-on-corporate-surveillance READ MORE

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