CfP (Netherlands Intelligence Studies Association): Old wine, new bottles? The transforming discipline of intelligence collection

Constant Hijzen Discussion

Dear all,

As you will receive an H-Intel message from me too, now and then (Constant Hijzen at Leiden University, the Netherlands), I am happy to forward you the call for papers for the conference below.

All the best,

Constant

 

NISA – Netherlands Intelligence Studies Association
International conference, 21 November 2019, The Hague (the Netherlands)
Old wine, new bottles? The transforming discipline of intelligence collection

For the past few years, the world has been receiving mixed messages about the world of intelligence.
On the one hand, we are told that ‘the trade’- the techniques used to gather intelligence - has changed
markedly: we now live in an information age, in which big data and social media intelligence transform
signals intelligence at its core. Adding to that, human intelligence has to adapt, since cameras are
everywhere and covers are blown in the blink of an eye. On the other hand, despite the changing face of
it, at heart intelligence collection seems to revolve around the same principles. Disinformation might
now be spread through Facebook and Twitter trolls, but it is still disinformation, a phenomenon that has
been around forever. What is more, hostile intelligence services still use ‘illegals’ who still seem to use
one-time pads and short-wave radio transmissions. This raises the question whether the intelligence
collection disciplines have truly adapted to an environment that has fundamentally changed – or should
do so – or whether this is old wine in new bottles.

The Netherlands Intelligence Studies Association (www.nisa-intelligence.nl) invites scholars and
practitioners from all over the world to reflect on this. For our upcoming conference, which will take
place at the HSD Campus in The Hague (the Netherlands) on Thursday 21 November 2019, we
welcome papers on topics related to intelligence collection, including the different collection disciplines
ranging from humint, sigint, masint, socmint, and everything in-between, that address the way these
disciplines have developed – from past, present, to future. Papers can focus not just on the practice of
intelligence collection itself, but also on the broader political, bureaucratic, and social environment of
intelligence communities, by addressing issues such as management, tasking, public-private
cooperation, and oversight.

We would like to offer the opportunity for a presentation in a plenary setting, as well as an interactive
session or presentation in a ‘workshop’ setting. Please let us know for which setting your proposal is.
Please send your paper proposals (250 words) and resume (one pager) as one PDF document before 22 July to Clotilde
Sebag at Leiden University, at c.c.c.sebag@fgga.leidenuniv.nl. We hope to let know by 14 August which papers are accepted.