Intelligence and Security Programme

The Intelligence and Security Programme is an academic project that examines the role of intelligence and secret services in statecraft, diplomacy and international security. Comprised of research and outreach initiatives, the programme is designed to produce policy-relevant insight, provide education on issues of intelligence and security, and foster dialogue among scholars and current and former intelligence practitioners.

It has never been more important to understand the role of intelligence and secret services in statecraft and international security. Clandestine activities like espionage, subversion and covert political action are central to national security and diplomacy and shape efforts to collaborate with allies and counter adversaries. The historical subfield of ‘intelligence history’ has exploded – and offers the means to examine the place of intelligence services in decision-making, the pursuit of national security, and in larger international affairs.

Based at AJI’s partner centre, the Center for Statecraft and Strategic Communication, the programme will contribute to the work of the AJI by serving as a transatlantic research hub focused on the role of intelligence and secret services in diplomacy, statecraft and international security. AJI’s post-doctoral fellow Dr. Matthew Hefler will manage and lead a slate of research, outreach and education activities. The academic core of the programme lies firmly in the discipline of history, with a special focus on the approaches of intelligence history, international history and applied history. However the programme is a multidisciplinary initiative and draws insight from political science, intelligence studies, security studies and other fields in addressing issues of contemporary international security.

The Intelligence and Security Programme is hosting a monthly Digital Seminar dedicated to cutting-edge intelligence research and analysis. It is designed as an online hub for intelligence specialists, scholars or general public interested in issues of security and statecraft, and a place where researchers and current and former intelligence practitioners can interact. Most of all, the seminar is a forum for the study of intelligence and security in the Nordic countries and across the transatlantic AJI more broadly.

The digital seminar takes place the second Tuesday of every month during the academic year, at 10:00 EST / 15:00 GMT / 16:00 CET. Those interested in attending the seminar can register via the programme’s website.