How to Classify Intelligence Relations: Partnership Types in the Intelligence Community

Abstract

An intelligence relationship is a delicate and sensitive matter, as the sharing of information puts one’s methods and assets at risk. Cooperation over time, common interests, cost-benefit considerations and military alliance membership are vital factors for sharing classified information and resources. The chapter introduces the concept of partnerships into the intelligence sphere-with pragmatic, strategic and normative types-and employs these in order to sort out the diversity in intelligence relations. Trust to allow for vulnerability by risking exposure toward the partner is the most important factor for determining the type of partnership. The author finds that the partnership concept bridges aspects from the main international theories, which allows for shifting dynamics of relations from a pragmatic (neorealist) to a strategic (liberalist) or even a normative (constructivist) intelligence partnership. The stronger the relationship, the higher the trust and acceptance of vulnerability. Additionally, intelligence relations are often asymmetrical as one part is more dependent than the other, because vulnerability and power are disproportionate. Essentially, the chapter proposes a typology to be employed for intelligence relationships. Through examples from U.S. intelligence relationships, the chapter demonstrates the utility of the partnership concept in assessing and classifying intelligence relations.