Category Archives: In The News

Cold War Pop Culture: Our Communist Frenemies

The United States and the Soviet Union spent years locked in ideological conflict as each side sought to subvert the other and spies from both sides tried to penetrate the others’ halls of power.  This war was not fought solely … Continue reading

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How Realistic is Argo?

When it comes to spy fiction, the question inevitably gets asked “how realistic is it?” A leading scholar of intelligence, Professor Wesley Wark, has said that one can discern two different types of realism. The first type of realism involves … Continue reading

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Intelligence is a Team Sport

The Washington Post ran a remarkable article on December 10 about “Maya,” as we now know the CIA targeter who played the central role in finding Bin Laden.  Her big insight was to analyze Bin Laden’s courier networks, rather than, … Continue reading

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Practicing Openness—Secretly

September 19, 2011 Historain Mark Stout The National Reconnaissance Office (NRO), the agency which flies America’s spy satellites, celebrated its 50th anniversary this last weekend with a gala at the National Air and Space Museum’s Udvar-Hazy Center near Dulles Airport. … Continue reading

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Predicting the Egyptian Revolution: How Well Did The Intelligence Community Do?

February 4, 2011 Mark Stout, SPY Historian Some senators have started blaming the Intelligence Community for not providing warning of the revolution in Egypt.  Senator Dianne Feinstein, for instance, said at a recent hearing “The President, the Secretary of State and … Continue reading

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A Jihadist Manual on Intelligence

January 24, 2011 Mark Stout, SPY Historian A manual on intelligence captured during the course of Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan, Coalition Forces offers a unique take on intelligence from a jihadist perspective.  Coalition forces found copies of the 300-some … Continue reading

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The Georgian Spy Case: “Chronic Spy Mania” Flares Up

November, 9th 2010 SPY Historian Mark Stout  On November 5 the Government of Georgia announced the arrest of thirteen people whom they accused of working for Russian military intelligence, the GRU.  The suspects included four Russians and nine Georgians.  The … Continue reading

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Awlaki Visited the Pentagon in 2001: Was This A Security Failure?

SPY Historian Mark Stout A story breaking in the news recently highlights the difficulty of knowing who-is-who in the murky worlds of intelligence, security, and terrorism.  It also shows the difficulty of seeing the future, a core aim of the … Continue reading

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Intelligence is Cramping al Qaeda’s Style

SPY Historian Mark Stout The second issue of Inspire, the English language magazine of al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) popped up online on 11 October.[1]  The first issue came out in July, though for several days only the … Continue reading

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The Iranian Nuclear Scientist Who Defected Twice?

Mark Stout, SPY Historian A high-profile Iranian nuclear scientist may have defected to the United States last year.  And today he may have defected back.  What are the implications for American intelligence? The case is rife with mysteries.  Shahram Amiri … Continue reading

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