KCSI covers a wide range of topics but the areas below represent our current research priorities. Each reflects our commitment to understanding intelligence as both a practical tool of statecraft and a social and cultural phenomenon. By bringing together historians, political scientists, philosophers and practitioners, we investigate how intelligence has been organised, perceived, and deployed across regions and eras, and what this means for today’s global security environment.
Regional Approaches to Intelligence
How does geography and national cultures shape the way intelligence is organised, practiced, and understood? Why do some intelligence cultures develop distinctive traditions while others converge? KCSI research takes a broad comparative perspective, examining both historical and contemporary practices across the Five Eyes alliance, Central and Eastern Europe, France, Scandinavia, South Asia, North Africa and the Middle East. By situating intelligence within its geopolitical context, we ask how different states have adapted to the demands of their security environments and how they interact with allies, adversaries, and international organisations. This regional focus allows us to highlight both common patterns and striking divergences in the ways intelligence is understood, organised, and deployed.
For instance, see:
- Dr Paul McGarr’s book Spying in South Asia
- Dr Celia Parker-Vincent’s piece on the UK National Security Council
- Prof Michael Goodman’s official history of the Joint Intelligence Committee (JIC)
- Dr Pauline Blistene’s chapter on ISIS attacks in Paris 2015
- Dr David Easter’s piece on compromising of Soviet secret intelligence sources, or
- Daniela Richterova’s book on Czechoslovakia’s covert relations with Cold War terrorists and revolutionaries.
Perceptions of Intelligence
How is intelligence seen by the public and what shapes these perceptions? When do states disclose intelligence and to what end? Our second research priority addresses the question of how intelligence is represented and perceived. Public perceptions of intelligence are shaped by government narratives together with the media and spy fiction. These portrayals influence the wider debate about secrecy, transparency, and trust in intelligence agencies. Our work examines how intelligence agencies interact with entertainment industries, how cultural representations shape the legitimacy of intelligence institutions and what they reveal about the role of secrecy in the 21st century. Moreover, we analyse the various contexts in which states disclose their secrets to influence allies, deter adversaries, or gain public support. In doing so, we contribute to a deeper understanding of the complex relationship between intelligence, the public, and popular culture.
See publications by:
Dr Huw Dylan on The intelligence lobby before the intelligence lobby: MI5 Director General Stella Rimington and the hunt for the new legitimacy
Dr Pauline Blistène on how TV can shape power or the illusion of it
Dr Paul McGarr on John le Carré and Cold War India
State-Based Threats and Information Manipulation
How do states use intelligence as tools of power in their pursuit of strategic goals? KCSI research engages directly with the evolving spectrum of state-based threats. We investigate how intelligence and covert action are used by states to pursue strategic objectives - from disinformation campaigns and election interference to assassinations and acts of sabotage. A particular focus is on the renewed confrontation with Russia, but our work also considers the activities of other state actors in different regions of the world. By analysing how states weaponise information and covert means, we aim to shed light on the broader implications for security, democracy, and the resilience of open societies.
See, for instance:
Dr Daniela Richterova’s piece on contemporary resonance of the Soviet sabotage doctrine
Dr David Easter’s work detailing how states use covert propaganda to undermine adversarial political parties abroad
Dr Huw Dylan et al. Revisionist future: Russia's assault on large language models, the distortion of collective memory, and the politics of eternity