Call for Papers: Journal of European and American Intelligence Studies (JEAIS)

E. Baches Discussion

INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS AND INTELLIGENCE STUDIES: A MUCH-NEEDED DIALOGUE

The topic of the June 2018 volume of the Journal of European and American Intelligence Studies (JEAIS) is “International Relations and Intelligence Studies: a much-needed dialogue.” This issue will address a vital theme that the literature has neglected, despite a sustained call for theorization from various scholars (Fry & Hochstein, 1993; Andrew, 2004; Svendsen, 2009; Konstantopoulos, 2015) – setting-up a framework to approach the interaction between International Relations (IR) and Intelligence Studies (IS).

Present-day intelligence is no longer just an outmost secret citadel, but it is the heart of international relations, homeland security and defense policies, as well as foreign policy analysis. The official acknowledgment of intelligence services’ international activity by Western countries indicates that the intelligence tradecraft is now a regular practice of states' external action. International organizations such as NATO and the UN are also conveying strong messages about their need to increase intelligence capabilities and develop an intelligence policy framework. That being said, intelligence has emerged as a vantage point for the understanding of contemporary international politics and thus can no longer be regarded as the “missing dimension.”

However, IS and IR remain two fields of research in a state of “alarming disconnection” (Aldrich, 2010). IR publications rarely mention intelligence issues or even make reference to the term “intelligence.” Conversely, intelligence is seldom theorized through mainstream theories of IR: realism, liberalism, constructivism, etc. Yet, specific intelligence matters such as covert actions or cooperation take place in the context of international interaction, and therefore become research topics in IR. Furthermore, intelligence should be studied through the scope of IR theories in order to enhance and develop the understanding of the symbiotic relation between the two. For instance, either through military operations, nuclear proliferation, counter-terrorism or espionage, international relations and intelligence are connected in practice. Based on this premise, both academic fields should, ideally, also be connected through theory and addressed fruitfully by enabling a constructive dialogue between IR and IS scholars. To this end, filling this gap is more than necessary in a context of internationalization of intelligence and diversification of IR actors and resources.     

This volume aims to engage readers and authors in a dialogue about ways in which IR and IS can be mutually strengthened and developed via genuine reflections upon, although not limited to, the following topics:

  • The role of strategic intelligence in the dynamics of 21st century IR;
  • The application of IR theories to IS;
  • Benchmark from IR to develop a much-needed theory of intelligence;
  • The contribution of intelligence tradecraft to international politics;
  • The emerging role of cross-border intelligence settings in international relations;
  • The evolution of intelligence agencies as emerging actors in international politics;
  • The role of intelligence cooperation in the 21st century security context;  
  • Theoretical frameworks to analyze the role of intelligence in foreign policy decision-making;
  • Connections between IR and the “dirty question” of espionage.

The editors look forward to receiving theoretical and empirical papers, syntheses, expert opinions and book reviews in relation to IR and IS theories, tools, good practices and policies. Contributors are invited to share their expertise on the role of intelligence in 21st century international politics, and future shifts in IR matters likely to shape intelligence tradecraft, respectively. On this account, perspectives from both the academic and government environments that address applied and theoretical issues are expected to provide significant approaches on present and future trends.

Manuscripts, as well as questions and requests for clarifications, should be submitted by email to Daniela Baches or Efren Torres:

elena.baches@brunel.ac.uk, or efren.r.torres@gmail.com

Final manuscripts are expected to be submitted to the editors by May 10th, 2018, with an expected publication date of June 20th, 2018.