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International Intelligence Sharing for Global Security Fatih Beren Sunday , 23 December 2007 Turkey hosted an important conference between 6th and 8th of December 2007. "International Security Cooperation: Intelligence Practice" was organized by Bilkent University (Department of International Relations) and Kent State University at the Bilkent Hotel with the foundation of NATO. The fact that the lecturers who are consist of academicians and the practitioners came from many different countries such as, USA, UK, Spain, Israel, Egypt, India, Pakistan,and Bangladesh and shared their opinions completely has enhanced the concept of the conference. As stressed in the opening speech which was given by Assoc. Prof. Ersel Aydýnlý, The Head of department international relations in Bilkent University, who runs the organization of the conference, the arguments about supporting the share of international intelligence has lasted until the end of the conference. There were several solutions about the obstacles about the issue of sharing international intelligence and how to share international intelligence in the presentations performed in the conference. In this article, the aim is to give a short evaluation about the prominent presentations. Before arguing in terms of the share of the international intelligence, it should be comprehended exactly what the concept of intelligence is. Does the intelligence mean the storage of data which pass through whole communication means throughout the worldor analyzing the necessary knowledge correctly by obtaining it on time? When today's knowledge pollution is paid attention, it is necessary to specifically define the concept of intelligence. As it is agreed by many of the lecturers who has performed presentations in the conference, intelligence is collaborating the points related to events and actions, in other words, it is made up of correctly processing and analyzing of the necessary knowledge in time. Consequently, the lack of one of those components of intelligence weakens the success of it. The prominent points of the conference are the need of international intelligence sharing and the question of how to create the ideal structure of it. According to the presentation of Dr. Peter Gill from The Salford University, it is stated that the intelligence cooperation was established by the informal networks which was also stressed and argued in the presentation of Dr. Otwin Marenin. Gustavo Diaz-Matey, from the Complutense University, underlined the fact that "the threat" should be understood in the same way by all countries. Since, according to his point of view, traditional threats are changing their formats. International fighting against these new threats can be achieved only by developing a common concept. According to Dr. James Walsh from the North Carolina University, one of the obstacles regarding to the share of international intelligence is gathering intelligence in an aggressive way. Therefore, to ensure international cooperation and intelligence sharing, there should not be an aggressive attitude in intelligence activities as well as there should be specific ethic norms and a value system. In addition to this, according to Walsh, it is useful to use a hierarchy mechanism to establish international intelligence sharing system. For instance, any country may send her intelligence or police officer to another country to work in there. Liaison Officer can be seen as a model in this point. Another one of the factors achieving the international intelligence sharing is to organize international trainings. Thus, not only a common terminology but also a common value system and the conception of common strategies are formed in conjunction with the trust atmosphere which is consisted of informal personal networks. The necessity of protecting states which cannot play an important role in international intelligence collaboration is also emphasized. Dr. Otwin Marenin from Washington State University pointed out that international intelligence collaboration should involve information sharing directed to specific operations, in other words, according to Otwin, information sharing can be enabled within a limited area. In addition to Walsh, Otwin also referred to effects of international trainings. But Otwin diverges from Walsh in this point: the aim of those trainings should attribute democratic policing culture to other countries rather than only engaging in developing abilities. International peace corps such as United Nations (UN) and Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), in which many different police officers servicing, can be used in foundation of informal networks. Besides this, Otwin, while mentioning international security cooperation, underlined the necessity of paying attention to other security actors rather than the police in this cooperation. To achieve international cooperation in terms of intelligence, the articles which were addressed by Tarýk Perves, Head Manager of Pakistan Federal Investigation Agency, can be ordered as: · It is necessary to trust the country or the foundation/firm that the information will be shared with. · During the share of information, flow of information should not be in one way, rather it should be mutual. · If the demanded information is not in the source direction, in there the abilities of intelligence should be enhanced. · During cooperation, it is necessary to avoid elitist attitude and an equal relationship should be formed. · It is not certain what is the source of the demanded knowledge, owing to this reason, a more conceptual cooperation is needed. · Benefits of the share of international intelligence should also be mutual between the directions. Moreover, Pervez explained that in Pakistan, there are several intelligence agencies and even among those, there have been problems regarding sharing of the intelligence. Further, he mentioned that this problem was tackled after a knowledgeable and well-respected name was given the duty of overcoming this problem. The former chairman of Israel Military Intelligence Agency General Aharon Zeevi-Farkash shared his opinions about new understandings of combating against terrorism. According to him, these new means of understanding is underlined by the concept of an asymmetrical formation and it shows itself by states' fighting against a hidden power. Accordingly, organizations of terrorism must not be seen as military organizations, rather, they should be regarded as a network; they should be followed and if necessary fight against them should be made. Further, to find an effective way to fight against terrorism, democratic states, without formal permissions, should be able to apply their power in this way. According to his opinions, the target should be terminated without violating democracy in the country. This position was shared with the participants of the presentation as a difficult dilemma. Dr. John Nomikos, who participated in the conference from Greece, by stating that there is a more complicated situation after The Cold War period, proposed that distinct agencies should come together and should form a common understanding of the situation. By taking these ideas as a basis, he said that intelligence agencies should convert into a more effective and more trustworthy model. >From Naval War College, Assoc. Prof. Derek S. Reveron stressed that the idea of fighting against terrorism for the solution of the global terrorism is incorrect; rather he claimed that struggling with terrorism is a better solution. Also, he explained that USA, by utilizing her powerful military organizations, achieved to revolutionize the Saddam government which was an antidemocratic and dictator regime. Nevertheless, he admitted that they could not be successful in shaping the new community's positive security. As it is also seen here, in order to shape a democratic and a trustworthy society not the armed power but the strategy of constructive policing is needed. >From Carolina University, Assoc. Prof. Mathieu Deflem has emphasized nearly the same issues which have been talked about in the conference. He proposed a solution to struggling with terrorism: policing model in a bureaucratic depending on a sociologic basis. At the core of this model, not the war on terrorism but struggling with terrorism lies. Again in Deflem's presentation, in the process of struggling with global terrorism process, that the international police cooperation organizations, such as Interpol and Europol, should play a constructive and functionalist role was underlined. Mamduh Al Imam, Egypt Military Attaché, had a stance for struggling with terrorism in his presentation and he stated that the USA by focusing on the word "cihad" excessively has fallen to the trap of terrorists in the process of struggling with terrorism. The terrorists' main aim is to confront a larger society with the targeted states. Consequently, by focusing on an erroneous target, the USA has enlarge her target by including all Muslim regions which uses the word "jihad" but the key point in struggling with terrorism is to reduce the target. According to Imam, a similar mistake was done in the naming of the terrorist groups in the process of struggling with global terrorism. The concept of "Islamic Terror", by using whole Islam geography, has enlarged the target, and it arouses such a wrong impression: as the Al Qaeda represents other non-terrorist Islamist communities which have 1.5 billion populations. This wrong representation reflects the terrorist groups as they are more than their actual existence. Moreover, to achieve the share of intelligence international standards should be formed and these standards should be free of politics. Saadettin Akguc, from Turkish National Police Intelligence Department, the director of Intelligence Academy (ISAK), classified international intelligence into three main categories. The first of these categories is international trainings. The mutual trust atmosphere formed by these international trainings prepares as a basis for the second category: mutual information sharing. According to Akguc, the last category can be regarded as cooperative workings and operations. Briefly, both the diversity in presentations and question and answer sections contributed the efficiency of the conference. At the last section, the question of why the international policing cooperation could not succeed the share of international intelligence. There are many reasons of this problem. One of these reasons is the fact that secret areas and their degrees in policing are not certain although these areas and their degrees have clarified in detail. Therefore, in intelligence activities, especially in security intelligence, the fact that secrecy areas and degrees need to be defined in a strict and distinct manner contributes positively for this international cooperation. Nearly all the countries being in need of this international intelligence cooperation can be regarded as a positive development. Nonetheless, to achieve in such cooperation, inventing new and more effective concepts and more applicable solutions as well as their real life applications are needed. When the conclusions of the conference are evaluated, in the angle of intelligence applications, to be successful in the share of international intelligence cooperation; · In this era, organized crime and terrorism are rising threats. · Mental modernization must become real and in this situation, at security intelligence, a common terminology, common ethic and value system as well as a common understanding of struggling should be formed. · In struggling in 21st century, international common struggling concept should be developed and there should be a change from "war against terrorism" to "struggling with terrorism". · Struggling with global terrorism: the term of "Islamic terrorism" should be avoided since it targeted the large communities such as Islamic Geography. Not polarizing but integrating terms should be in use. Consequently, rather than using "Islamic terrorism" term, "religious motivated terrorism" term should be used. · To be able to construct a democratic and trustworthy community, rather than armed power but the strategy of constructive policing should be applied. · International training should be paid attention. · In international trainings, not only the ability of intelligence should be taught but also democratic policing culture should be targeted at the same time · In global struggling with terrorism, it is useful to benefit at a higher rate from the international police cooperation organizations, such as Interpol and Europol. · Police officers working for international peace corps should form informal and naturally occurring friendliness network · For many countries, there should be a communication liaison officer as representations. · Intelligence activity and sharing must not be done in an aggressive way. · At international intelligence sharing point, the autonomy of the countries which can not play an important role should be protected. · An elitist approach within the international intelligence sharing should be avoided and there should be a relationship between the equals. · Information sharing within international intelligence sharing should be directed to movement, because within a limited area it is much easier to ensure information sharing. · At international intelligence sharing, flow of information sharing must not be unidirectional, rather it should be mutual. · There should be a trust bond among the countries involving in the share of intelligence, as well as applications which may carry the possibility to hurt the trust must be avoided. · Intelligence agencies should be altered into much more effective and trustworthy models. 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