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as well as with reduced opportunities for so-called symmetrical threats (attack of one country to another)
with conventional weapons, and increased risk of so-called asymmetrical threats (terrorist acts), with
unconventional weapons, are arguments of some authors to launch the idea that the competing interests of
the states originating from the Cold War are finished and the former rivalry between intelligence services is
replaced by cooperation. Moreover, the same authors assure that there is no more need of conventional
intelligence through built centres for intelligence in the diplomatic missions.
However, the events carefully denied such views, because the intelligence basically, does not take care
too much about political friendships at the international scene. In this context, the instructive words of Hobs
in his work Leviathan dated of 1651 when describing the relationship between the states are: "At all times
kings and other people with sovereign power, and because of their independence, are in constant jealousy
and with attitude of gladiators, directing their weapons and fixing their views one to each other, so their
fortifications, garrisons and guns are distributed along the boundaries of their kingdoms, and constantly spy
on neighbours, which understands all the time readiness for war
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. Reading the articles written by Hobbes,
one can get the impression that this refers to our time, that is, states can build relationships at the highest
level as union –alliance, but, the intelligence structures in the background will always be in a state of
gladiators who are facing against other and constantly spy each other. For example, no one doubts the US
friendly relations with allies in NATO, but in the case of the NATO military attack on Yugoslavia in 1999,
and the case of the French officer in NATO who gave away intelligence information to the Yugoslav security
authorities have revealed that CIA actually spied the accredited representatives of the member states of
NATO headquarters in Brussels.
The same example is with the recent shocking disclosure that CIA did the phone-tapping of the
German State Government and the American President Barak Obama had to apologize for this and promised
that this shall not be repeated in the future. After all, the United States do not hide that internal, domestic
politics of other countries, whether friendly, neutral or hostile, is also of significant concern for the United
States. In other words, the anarchic situation in which the countries live is a state of potential disruption of
international security.
Another potential area of threat to international security is the possibility of faulty or purposely made
(constructed) intelligence information as base for adoption of foreign policy decisions and assessments. For
example, the United States‟ attack on Iraq in 2003 was justified by the intelligence information that Iraq
possesses weapons of mass destruction, since, then the Secretary of State Colin Powell presented some
images in the Security Council of the UN.
However, the events have shown that such weapons did not exist. The intelligence failure of the
United States regarding the weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, instead of the freedom for the people of
Iraq, which was
the motto of a military attack, brought the people
of Iraq a kind of hell, and this situation has
had serious implications for international security. Seen from today‟s perspective, it appears that the reasons
for the start of the military attack against Iraq were quite different from those which were presented to the
public.
Hence, taking into consideration that the national decision-makers in the United States, i.e. the
relevant institutions are responsible for a group of things such as plans for the "Al Qaeda" and other terrorist
groups, political and military development in Afghanistan and Iraq, and the status of Iran and North Korean
nuclear missile programs, the internal situation in Russia and China as well as foreign and military policies
of these countries, this is exactly why these areas are actually a type of a testing of the values of good
intelligence for the United States, as well as the consequences of mismanagement and lack of intelligence
information, which overall can lead to serious consequences for international security. On the other hand
here is the area of intelligence interest to other super powers as well like Russia and China, and the
previously stated about the good or bad intelligence applies mutatis mutandis to these dominant forces.
However, it is the possession of power that manifests as force, persuasion, authority, coercion and
manipulation that provides an opportunity to force someone to do something they otherwise would not do.
And those who have the power driven by their interests would like domination in universal frames opposed
to
the rest of humanity, which overall impacts on international security. Of course, here, above
all we refer to
the realization of national interests of the dominant powers, whose interests are global and that can solve
global problems with their powers and thus oppose the power of other states all together. In addition, we
meet regional powers as well, whose interests are spread in the region in which they are located, whereas the
small states‟ main objective is to sustain.
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T. Hobs, Leviathan, ed. Yale
University Press, 2010.