Central Intelligence Agency - Essay Example

Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) was instituted with the bastion intent of intelligence gathering. The agency has three main directorates: Directorate of Operations, Directorate of Intelligence, and Directorate of Science and Technology1. Additionally, CIA has various offices that have administrative functions, which were under the Directorate of Administration; however, the directorate was disbanded in 20002. Nonetheless, the primal focus of this paper is on CIA and the Directorate of Operations. The paper will explain how having CIA and Directorate of Operations creates conflict of interest. CIA is the main intelligence as well as counterintelligence body of the United States. The agency was constituted in 1947 and it succeeded World War II3. The body was established so that it could gather intelligence in foreign nations4. Part of U.S Defense Department is accountable for preparing analyses for National Security Council. Noteworthy, its budget is a secret. Although intelligence gathering is the primal objective of CIA, the agency has participated in various covert operations, for instance, Mohammad Mosaddeq expulsion from Iran, attempted invasion of Bay of Pigs in 1961. To some extent having CIA as the prime intelligence body for the US and at the same time the agency is taking part in covert action creates a conflict of interest5. This implies that the body is overstepping its mandate since the agency is supposed to be restricted to intelligence services only6. When the agency takes part in covert action, it implies that the body is misusing its powers. By taking part in intelligence services, the agency is supposed to ensure that it gives appropriate information regarding pertinent issues that touch on the U.S and it should not be used for covert action. It would be prudent if another agency would be established by the U.S so that it can help in covert action this would help in avoiding conflict of interest. It beats logic when ethics and intelligence is mixed. Intelligence is all about information as well as information gathering and does not entail doing things to individuals and nobody is hurt during the process of information gathering7. When the CIA is involved in covert action, it mixes the ethical aspects, nonetheless this is a different and subsidiary function, and therefore the CIA is emphatically not a covert agency. Recently, events have given intelligence a favorable outlook; however, there exist a worldwide distrust of the favorable image, from antiauthoritarian, anti-American as well as other standpoint. There is a feeling that the activities are unbefitting, internationally improper, for instance, the British Labour Foreign Secretary. There are question marks against it than for general running of government service. Therefore, there is real concern. Intelligence is a government institution and it cannot be disinvented8. However, it is supposed to be encouraged internationally, the way the state accept the value of epidemiology, meteorology, statistics as well as different knowledge specialties as fundamental inputs to the national policy making. After September 11 terrorist attacks on the US there has been a dramatic increase regarding the relevance of intelligence services in the US. A trend towards that direction had started earlier on after the intelligence budgets was reduced this was part of peace dividend towards the end of Cold War. Many governments were adapting themselves to an increasingly unstable world9. Nevertheless, prior to September 11 it was not considered as part of defense against common threat. Intervention by the Western military in 1990s was intervention by choice and threats such as international terrorism were considered peripheral. Terrorist would strike at U.S citizens in overseas nations but they would not dare strike at home10. Events that preceded the September 11 attacks radically changed the position. During Cold War, intelligence services were tailored at helping governments avoid war, but presently through covert action governments are involved in war. The Directorate of Intelligence was established by consolidating various intelligence production offices in CIA and the body is responsible for converting data produced by examining open sources. The Directorate of Operation entails three key functions: covert action, human intelligence collection as well as counterintelligence11. Usually, its officers are American citizens who conduct their operations under cover of American consulates and embassies that furnish them with good communications within the embassy and other locations, diplomatic immunity as well as protected files. Some members of CIA conduct their operations under “nonofficial cover”. These “nonofficial cover” can operate as businessmen. Covert actions have included; subsidies to persons, political advice as well as counsel, technical and financial assistance to groups and political parties, support to private bodies, training individuals, covert propaganda, economic operations, paramilitary operations aimed at supporting or overthrowing a regime and attempted assassinations. Success in covert action area entailed financial aid to anticommunist parties in Italy and France in 1940s, which helped prevent the communist electoral victories12. Successfully, the CIA engineered a coup in 1954 to overthrow Jacobo Arbenz Guzman. On the other hand, continuous attempts to eliminate Castro and his regime failed miserably. In cooperation with the Britain’s Secret Intelligence Service, the CIA covert action was instrumental in restoring shah of Iran to power13. These operations had considerable consequences that had far-reaching implications. Logically, the CIA is not supposed to take part in activities that have detrimental effects on human kind or which lead to loss of lives. Ethically, the agency is supposed to encourage harmony in the world14. When an agency is involved in activities that lead to suffering of man it implies that it overstepping or abusing its powers15. The body is supposed to create peaceful coexistence and it should be involved in overthrowing of governments even if the regime is oppressive it should use diplomacy is containing or ending oppressive regimes. By CIA taking part in covert action, it implies that the agency is misusing its powers. The agency should not take part in covert action since this will imply that the validity of information provided may be skewed or tailored at achieving selfish objective of the incumbent president of the US. Therefore, by the agency taking part in covert action it beats logic. Covert action can only be justified when issues cannot be solved by the parties concerned and this should come after diplomacy between the warring factions has failed. References Alperen, Martin. Foundations of Homeland Security: Law and Policy. California: John Wiley & Sons, 2011. Andrew, Borene. The U.S. Intelligence Community Law Sourcebook: A Compendium of National Security Related Laws and Policy Documents. New York: American Bar Association, 2012. Davis Philip. Intelligence and Government in Britain and the United States. New York: ABC-CLIO, 2012. Hastedt, Glenn. Spies, Wiretaps, and Secret Operations: A-J. New York: ABC-CLIO, 2010. Walsh, James. The International Politics of Intelligence Sharing. Columbia: Columbia University Press, 2009. Read More