ABSTRACT

Intelligence is crucial to success in counter-terrorism, and successful intelligence work involves effective liaison between and within all the organisations involved. Scholars rarely address intelligence in counter-terrorism other than through case studies, while studies of intelligence in counter-insurgency and studies of international intelligence liaison emphasise the value of intelligence liaison with little attention to how it works in practice. This article substantially expands existing knowledge and understanding by focusing on intelligence coordination within Northern Ireland in the 1990s. It draws on heretofore unexploited, yet voluminous, original material. It analyses the contribution that computerisation made to inter-agency liaison, the contribution the Northern Ireland Prison Service made to intelligence work, the role played by intra- and inter-agency structures and the valuable work that the right individuals in the right posts can do. This article thereby provides a broader and deeper understanding of the challenges faced by state agencies and how some of these were overcome to facilitate inter- and intra-agency intelligence liaison in Northern Ireland in the 1990s. It therefore contributes to emerging theory that seeks to explain intelligence.

摘要

情报对于反恐成功至关重要，成功的情报工作涉及所有相关组织之间和内部的有效联络。除了案例研究外，学者们很少涉及反恐情报，而反叛乱情报研究和国际情报联络研究则强调情报联络的价值，而很少关注它在实践中的运作方式。本文通过关注 1990 年代北爱尔兰内部的情报协调，极大地扩展了现有知识和理解。它借鉴了迄今为止未开发但数量庞大的原始材料。它分析了计算机化对机构间联络的贡献、北爱尔兰监狱管理局对情报工作的贡献、机构内和机构间结构所发挥的作用以及合适的人在合适的职位上可以做的有价值的工作。因此，本文提供了对国家机构面临的挑战以及如何克服其中一些挑战以促进 1990 年代北爱尔兰的机构间和机构内情报联络的更广泛和更深入的了解。因此，它有助于新出现的旨在解释智力的理论。