LINSEC · The Logic of Informal Security Cooperation: Counterterrorism Intelligence-sharing in Europe

The Logic of Informal Security Cooperation: Counterterrorism Intelligence-sharing in Europe

The Logic of Informal Security Cooperation: Counterterrorism Intelligence-sharing in Europe In this age of terrorism and insecurity, it is crucial that countries work together to address common threats. How do states begin cooperating, what logic drives the sustainability of security partnerships, and what role do informal networks play in counterterrorism cooperation? These questions have so far primarily been researched either with a theoretical focus in the fields of IR and security studies, or in international history with specific case studies of short-term cooperation during moments of crisis. This MSCA research project on the Logic of Informal Security Cooperation (LINSEC) combines these research fields through the University of Southern Denmark’s (SDU) expertise in security studies, Dr Aviva Guttmann’s research experience in history and intelligence studies, and her recently obtained unprecedented access to over 30,000 intelligence records from 1971 to 1979. These records are from a counterterrorism intelligence-sharing framework called the Club de Berne, which is still today’s main cooperation platform for informal intelligence-sharing on terrorism. The main goal of LINSEC is to understand the logic of informal counterterrorism cooperation. Given the highly secret and sensitive nature of intelligence as a quintessential national product, traditional statist practice has been to protect intelligence, not share it. While on the official level governments are indeed hesitant, a different regime applies to individuals working in intelligence agencies. Intelligence agencies are not bound by the same restrictions and enjoy a certain degree of freedom. If need be (such as when combating a terrorist threat) they can share intelligence directly with counterparts from other states; especially if these exchanges are guaranteed to remain secret. Thus, understanding the logic of informal security cooperation is important given that it does happen in the international sphere, but we know very little about. LINSEC’s overarching research question is: What drives and sustains informal counterterrorism cooperation? To answer this question, the LINSEC analyses four different aspects. (1) The prerequisites: what internal and external factors determine whether policymakers seek informal security cooperation. (2) Cooperation mechanism: how agencies react to terrorist threats and adapt their habits and modes of security cooperation. (3) Formal versus informal: the conditions under which these actors prefer informal over formal security cooperation, and how informal counterterrorism cooperation ties in or comes into conflict with formal alliances. (4) Continuity over time: what made informal counterterrorism cooperation effective in the 1970s and what makes it effective today? The results of LINSEC will lead to pathbreaking new conclusions on how and why informal networks are used by the intelligence community to counter international terrorism. Providing a better understanding of the factors that enhance interstate security cooperation will benefit scholars, security professionals, and policymakers alike.

Текст от CORDIS, на английски · Данни: CORDIS, © Европейски съюз