R. Gerald Hughes

Between Man and Nature: The Enduring Wisdom of Sir Halford J. Mackinder

ABSTRACT This article argues for the continued relevance of the work and theories of the British Geostrategist Sir Halford J. Mackinder (1861-1947). It asserts that commentators and scholars who seek to marginalise Mackinder have too often dismissed his theories without setting them in the context of their continued endorsement in crucial areas of the globe. After 1945, despite his theories being tainted by association with Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan, both Moscow and Washington recognised the utility of Mackinder’s work and tailored policy accordingly. The end of Cold War saw Mackinder fall out of favour as his model was deemed unsuitable for policy analysis by a number of influential thinkers. It is argued here that, in recent years, the arena of international politics has seen a rehabilitation of Mackinder, accompanied by a resurgence of interest in Geopolitics. Finally, the piece examines those areas of the contemporary globe where Mackinder’s influence is greatest.

Of Revelatory Histories and Hatchet Jobs: Propaganda and Method in Intelligence History

This article explores a number of issues in the contemporary study of intelligence. These issues are methodological (relating to engagement with ‘primary’ sources), epistemological (concerned with notions of ‘bias’ and objectivity), and presentational (dealing with how scholars locate their work within existing debates). The article will contend that the study of intelligence, largely because of its ambiguous positioning on the borderland between political science and history, has been somewhat isolated from the debates over theory and method that have flourished in the wider historical discipline in recent decades, and that an engagement with such literature will yield commensurate benefits. Finally, the article will explore the place of intelligence history within the wider discourse of ‘popular’ history. Given its potentially sensational content, some intelligence literature is targeted at a ‘popular’ readership, but many of the claims made in authoring, promoting and reviewing such books are highly problematic. Since this is inimical to scholarly rigour, and is unlikely to facilitate wider public understanding of major historical issues, such matters need to be addressed.

The Quest for a Theory of Intelligence

Intelligence Studies, as with all fields of enquiry in the social sciences and humanities, is replete with individuals seeking to develop concepts and models that will allow the specific to illuminate the universal. In short, one might be said to require a unifying theory of intelligence. This chapter argues that it is futile to seek a grand theory; instead, a better understanding and cognition of ‘intelligence’ should be sought.

Hope and Fear: Intelligence and the Future of Global Security a Decade after 9/11

Abstract This article explores a number of debates that have dominated intelligence studies since the terrorist attacks of 11 September 2001. It examines a number of inherent tensions, involving individuals and institutions, which threaten the long-term compatibility of the national security state with liberal democracy. The notion as to whether or not the use of extreme coercive measures (such as torture) can ever be justified is examined, as is the question as to whether such measures are self-defeating. The piece examines how liberal democracies seek to protect themselves in the light of rapid changes via a globalised media, the Information Revolution, and the proliferation of advanced technology and weapons of mass destruction amongst state and non-state actors. These issues are discussed with particular reference to the use of intelligence in Afghanistan, Iraq, Iran, North Korea and other global trouble spots. Finally, the article speculates on the future of the increasingly enmeshed relationship between policy-makers, intelligence agencies and the media. It is concluded that, without a clear agenda for the modification of the mechanisms for accountability and oversight, this triangular relationship will, despite its interdependence, be fraught with increasing difficulties.

‘The Enlightened Prince and the Wise General’: The History of Chinese Intelligence

‘China has expansive efforts in place to acquire U.S. technology to include sensitive trade secrets and proprietary information. It continues to use cyber espionage to support its strategic development goals science and technology advancement, military modernization, and economic policy objectives. China’s cyberspace operations are part of a complex, multipronged technology development strategy that uses licit and illicit methods to achieve its goals. Chinese companies and individuals often acquire U.S. technology for commercial and scientific purposes. At the same time, the Chinese government seeks to enhance its collection of U.S. technology by enlisting the support of a broad range of actors spread throughout its government and industrial base.’ US National Counterintelligence and Security Center, 2018.

Refugees, migration and security: States, intelligence agencies and the perpetual global crisis

What is a Refugee?, by William Maley, London, Hurst and Company, 2016, pp.280, £12.99 (Paperback), ISBN: 9781849046794. Migrant, Refugee, Smuggler, Saviour, by Peter Tinti and Tuesday Reitano, London, Hurst and Company, 2018, pp.352, £12.99 (Paperback), ISBN: 9781849049535. Handbook on Migration and Security, by Phillippe Bourbeau (ed.), Cheltenham, Edward Elgar Publishing, 2018, pp.488, £140 (Hardback), ISBN: 9781785360480.

Witnesses to a war crime: the Nanjing Massacre – the British and US reports

The 1937 Nanjing Massacre (traditionally known in the West as the ‘Rape of Nanking’) remains the most infamous incident in the troubled history of Sino-Japanese relations. The Nanjing Massacre witn...

The diary of an undercover agent in Mexico’s war on drugs

R. Gerald Hughes is Reader in Military History and Director of the Centre for Intelligence and International Security Studies at Aberystwyth University. Hughes is the reviews editor of *Intelligence & National Security*, the world’s leading journal on the role of intelligence in international affairs, and the editor of the UK Study Group on Intelligence newsletter. His publications include *Germany and the Cold War: The Search for a European Detente, 1949–1967* (2007), *The Postwar Legacy of Appeasement: British Foreign Policy Since 1945* (2014), and *The Cuban Missile Crisis: A Critical Reappraisal* (2016). R. Gerald Hughes is a member of the Society for Historians of American Foreign Relations (SHAFR) and a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society (FRHistS).

‘Fear Has Large Eyes’: The History of Intelligence in the Soviet Union

We stand for organized terror— this should be frankly admitted. Terror is an absolute necessity during times of revolution. Our aim is to fight against the enemies of the Soviet Government and of the new order of life. We judge quickly. In most cases only a day passes between the apprehension of the criminal and his sentence. When confronted with evidence criminals in almost every case confess; and what argument can have greater weight than a criminal’s own confession?’ (Felix Dzerzhinsky, excerpt from an interview in Novaia Zhizn’, 14 July 1917)

The Unquiet Frontier: rising rivals, vulnerable allies, and the crisis of American power

US foreign policy in the post-Cold War era has been marked by alliances with vulnerable states located in strategic regions, in regional stress points that impact critically on the local and intern...