To survive, states require effective intelligence collection and covert action capabilities, yet both attract significant controversy. This course will critically and systematically analyse aspects of these capabilities and the attendant practice that are designed to mitigate threats to the state. More specifically, it will explore the state’s use of covert action as a way of limiting or avoiding war, stifling the hostile intentions of enemies, and assisting in progressing the aims of foreign policy. It will explore the types of covert action historically deployed by states, from propaganda to political violence to paramilitary action. It will offer a framework for evaluating the success or otherwise of covert action in an ethical context. It will do this by anchoring the study to real-world case studies while discussing covert actions relationship with national security, civil liberties and wider international power-relations.
