POLS 250 American Intelligence and National Security

American intelligence has often been at the center of the major national security controversies since the 1945. This course will survey the history of those controversies as they involved the US intelligence community, the outbreak of the Cold War and the US-Soviet competition but also the post-Cold War crises in Europe Asia Middle East and elsewhere. The basic question is: How does intelligence influence foreign policy and strategic decisions? This course provides an overview of the theory and practice of U.S. intelligence. It details the sources and methods used by collectors the nature of intelligence analysis and the complex and often difficult relationship between intelligence agencies and policymakers. It also contains a short history of the U.S. intelligence community and evaluates the ongoing efforts to reform it in an era of greater transparency. Not open to first year students.