Intelligence Ethics: A Critical Review and Future Perspectives

Research output: Contribution to journalJournal articleResearchpeer-review

  • Kira Vrist Rønn
Questions concerning what constitutes a morally justified conduct of intelligence activities have received increased attention in recent decades. However, intelligence ethics is not yet homogeneous or embedded as a solid research field. The aim of this article is to sketch the state of the art of intelligence ethics and point out subjects for further scrutiny in future research. The review clusters the literature on intelligence ethics into two groups: respectively, contributions on external topics (i.e., the accountability of and the public trust in intelligence agencies) and internal topics (i.e., the search for an ideal ethical framework for intelligence actions). The article concludes that there are many holes to fill for future studies on intelligence ethics both in external and internal discussions. Thus, the article is an invitation – especially, to moral philosophers and political theorists – to contribute to the future develop of the research field of intelligence ethics.
Original languageEnglish
JournalInternational Journal of Intelligence and Counterintelligence
Volume29
Issue number4
Pages (from-to)760-784
ISSN0885-0607
Publication statusE-pub ahead of print - 15 Jun 2016

ID: 161274285