Description:
Examines how corporations use intelligence to shape and navigate the world.
Scholars have long viewed intelligence as the preserve of nation states. Where the term 'private sector intelligence' is used, the focus has been overwhelmingly on government contractors. As such, a crucial aspect of intelligence power has been overlooked: the use of intelligence by corporations to navigate and influence the world. Where there has been academic scrutiny of the field, it is seen as a post-9/11 phenomenon, and that a state monopoly of intelligence has been eroded. Beyond States and Spies demonstrates - through original research - that such a monopoly never existed. Private sector intelligence is at least as old as the organised intelligence activities of the nation state. The book offers a comparative examination of private and public intelligence, and makes a compelling case for understanding the dangers posed by unregulated intelligence in private hands. Overall, this casts new light on a hitherto under investigated academic space.
Brief description: Lewis Sage-Passant is the Global Head of Intelligence at one of the world's most valuable companies and researches in the field of intelligence and espionage.
Review Quotes: Beyond States and Spies corrects a neglected aspect of intelligence studies by exploring a long and colourful history of the private intelligence services. Sage-Passant offers a valuable addition to the literature by raising important ethical considerations as private intelligence outfits continue to proliferate.--Michael J. Ard, Johns Hopkins University