The United Nations and Intelligence

Un extrait de la thèse:

The notion of ‘intelligence’ within the United Nations raises many questions: what is the relationship between the world’s leading International Organisation and Intelligence? Does the United Nations use Intelligence? Could it make better use of intelligence to accomplish its enormous and challenging tasks? Why is there no intelligence agency within the U.N.? What can be done to make better use of intelligence?

Before we can answer any of these questions we will first have a closer look at the concept of ‘Intelligence’. Chapter 1 deals with the difference between espionage and intelligence; the ‘intelligence cycle’, the various forms of intelligence and the various actors in the world of intelligence.

In the second and main part we discuss the tasks of the U.N. and its relation towards intelligence. We discuss why the United Nations prefers to equate the terms ‘intelligence’ and ‘information’ and usually replaces the former with the latter, and why despite numerous recommendations for the institutionalization of an independent UN intelligence unit, no documentation indicates that the UN has formally established such an intelligence organisation.

Peacekeeping is the most visible and also most complex task of the United Nations. Its relationship with intelligence is studied in the final chapter. We will have a closer look at some of the major peacekeeping operations throughout the history of the United Nations and the role ‘intelligence’ played in their successes or failures.