This assignment is a research paper. This means you will choose a topic that is focused on intelligence (or be intelligence related and you explain how it is important to intelligence), identify your research sources, identify and apply a research method to your paper, and draft a paper that defends your main point/thesis.
As you’ve learned across the program, the field of intelligence studies is an interdisciplinary in that it incorporates elements important to economics, business, psychology, international relations, political science, criminal justice, security studies and more. The term “intelligence” can refer to both a product as well as a process, and a topic that is important to “intelligence” would be something that supports a particular requirement or mission. For example, “competitive” intelligence is often something that’s carried out to support the mission of businesses, whereas “sociocultural intelligence” focuses on understanding social and cultural principles of target areas in a manner to achieve the goals of a particular mission. Executive Order 12333 on United States Intelligence Activities further explains that the goals of United States intelligence in its official government capacity is geared towards assisting leaders make decisions specific to foreign, defense, and economic policies and the protection of the US national interest. However, it’s also important to keep in mind is that “intelligence” is also not limited to the confines of United States intelligence or the United States intelligence community for that matter – the world is MUCH bigger than that.
Topic:
You must choose a topic from your area of concentration which is important to intelligence studies. You are free to choose any topic you are interested in or have wanted to investigate but haven’t been able to address.
Thesis:
Your paper must have a solid, pointed premise. A solid main point is a conclusion of analysis, based on your research, that is reasoned and pointed. You cannot choose a main point which is obvious or self-evident (terrorism led to the war in Afghanistan or the lack of WMD in Iraq was an intelligence mistake). You must ask a research question, research, and draw a conclusion or answer to the question. Your research question should be stated as a declarative sentence in your introduction. That declarative statement is your premise or hypothesis. You must be specific, not vague or general.
Content:
You should be sure to have a thesis that addresses the topic you are focusing on and that this thesis is CLEAR and UNAMBIGUOUS. If you have any questions about your thesis you should ask them on the open discussion board for the class. It is OK to share your ideas and ask for feedback. Also, if necessary, you can ask me for input (though you are now expected to be able to develop your own theses and know that what your developing is a good thesis. Your thesis must be in the first paragraph or section of your paper.
You should also be sure to have section headings, a title page, incorporate citations using The Chicago Manual of Style format, have a corresponding “References” or “Bibliography” page, and incorporate page numbers and all the other elements of a professional paper.
Deliverable:
Your paper should be 15-18 pages in length, double spaced, times new roman 12 point font, 1 inch margins on all 4 sides. You are welcome to use graphs and charts and maps, etc., provided they add new information and support your paper. You should have a title page and a references list (neither of which count towards the assignments total page count).
Sources:
You should strive for 12+ references (which shouldn’t be difficult given all the reading you’ve done in your program). Be sure that your selection of sources gives you balance, that they are credible and reliable and scholarly. To help you determine the appropriateness of a source, please refer to the CRAAP worksheet below.
Assumptions:
All research papers have assumptions. These establish the boundaries of the problem, exclude difficult variables, and provide a firm starting point. While it is not necessary to have a separate section for assumptions, it is necessary that you identify them when you make them. (For instance in an examination of extremist group behavior you might note that one of your assumptions is that all the members of the group agree with how its goals are being carried out.)
Plagiarism:
Don’t do it. If you want to build upon idea you’ve written about previously you need to let me know in advance and you also need to move your prior work forward. At no time (unless you receive prior consent from me) should you copy and paste sections of your prior course work into this paper. You must work on a topic that you’ve not worked on in the past, though you can build from your learning throughout your degree coursework. You must be attentive to quotes both direct and indirect, a refresher on writing style and Chicago referencing can be found in the course overview section of this class. Please note that at this level of your academic career, it’s assumed that you have learned how to incorporate references properly. I know this isn’t anything new for you at this point but based on experience I need to emphasize that plagiarism will result in an F.
Category: Intelligence
This Literature Review is built on the last proposal assignment (attached)
Please do in text citations and not footnotes.
Instructions from course:
Your
literature review should include an introductory section, body,
theoretical framework, and conclusion. Organize your literature
thematically rather than by author and use it to structure the arguments
which you make in your paper.
This Literature Review is built on the last proposal assignment (attached)
Please do in text citations and not footnotes.
Instructions from course:
Your
literature review should include an introductory section, body,
theoretical framework, and conclusion. Organize your literature
thematically rather than by author and use it to structure the arguments
which you make in your paper.
I know this is a crunch. I need to make a network map through maltego free download (username and password in the teams collab question doc) and answer the questions on the Clandestine Network Analysis Student submissions document. Allegeldy all of the source documents are in the Virtual Learning Environment and I have included instructions for that as well
Instructions
The midterm assignment is not a paper but a project.
The purpose of this assignment is for you to demonstrate not your analytic ability (for you should be able at this point to do the appropriate thinking) but rather your ability to set up a problem, identify what you need, and how you would solve the problem using a structured method. You are given a list of 7 intelligence questions and expected to respond to 4 of them for this project.
Your submission should be in table form and not exceed two pages per intelligence problem. Each table should list the primary intelligence problem (given below). In your table, you must break down the primary problem into its components, then listing Priority Intelligence Requirements (PIRs) / Essential Elements of Information (EEIs) for each component question. PIRs may be considered “general statements of intelligence need” or generalized questions about the operating environment (Curtis E. Lemay Center 2015). The PIRs should then be the driving force for your more specific EEIs. You should identify the analytic methods you would recommend using to analyze the information to answer the overall question. Finally, you need to explain why those methods are appropriate.
Your submission will be graded using the following rubric (see rubric chart below):
break the intelligence problem into component questions,
articulate Priority Intelligence Requirements and Essential Elements of Information,
identify intelligence analysis methods that you recommend to address the problems (based on the type of information you identify and the nature of the question),
provide a textual explanation of why you chose the methods you did and what you can expect by using the methods,
completion of 1-4 above for 4 of the 7 problems listed below, and
demonstration that you have read, understood and used the required readings
(NOTE: any submission which does not pursue the purpose of this assignment–structuring an intelligence question for analysis–will be considered “off-topic” and will be assessed a zero).
A few important thoughts:
No one method can stand alone as an adequate method. It takes looking at the problem from more than one approach to get a meaningful view of the solution to the problem. You should list the methods that you would recommend and in a few words identify what the method would achieve. (You may choose whatever format you think works best to communicate these ideas.) Further, the questions below are broad and general. If you need to make assumptions to help you address each problem please document your assumptions (this is more important than you may at first think).
Feel free to draw on any method you are aware of and if you have questions on this please reach out, that’s what I’m here for. If you are concerned that I may not recognize your method, please provide a footnote explaining.
It is not possible to list all PIRs/EEIs so it is impossible to be complete given the time available for this assignment. However, I will evaluate your selection of component intelligence questions, intelligence requirements, and the centrality of the methods you recommend in addressing the core nature of the problem.
Be sure that it is clear which methods address which subproblems.
For example:
Problem: The US has become aware that the Pakistanis have provided missile technology to Yemen. This point is confirmed. However, it is unclear what the Yemenis are intending to do with the technology. What is the outlook for this development?
Subproblems: What technology was transferred? What threats does this pose to the region, and does this change the regional balance of power? What is the likelihood that Yemen will reexport this technology to substate groups or states that pose a threat to US interests?
List associated PIRs/EEIs
Then identify what methods you would use to answer the problem and subproblems and explain why these methods are the best and most appropriate to answer the questions(!).
You must select 4 out of the following 7 problems to address for this assignment:
1) To what extent is Iran influencing policymaking by the Lebanese government and political leadership?
2) A car struck a prominent Russian opposition leader while she was crossing a busy London street. Who is responsible?
3) China is developing a new all-weather stealth combat aircraft. To what extent has its performance, design, and capability been a result of espionage against the United States?
4) The US is considering dramatically expanding anti-Russian propaganda operations in the Ukraine and Eastern/Central Europe. How is Vladimir Putin likely to respond?
5) The government of Djibouti is considering restoring diplomatic relations with Iran, which were cut in 2016. What potential threats does this pose to US intelligence operations stationed in or supported by US installations in Djibouti?
6) The US is considering a covert operation to destabilize the government of Venezuela with the hopes this would provoke the downfall of the current regime. What are the risks to such an operation and what might be the unintended consequences of such an operation?
7) What are the expected social, economic, and consequent political effects of COVID-19 on India currently and in the coming year?
I STRONGLY ENCOURAGE YOU TO USE THE UNGRADED DISCUSSION BOARD TO ASK QUESTIONS, SHARE IDEAS, AND WORK COLLABORATIVELY. REFLECT BACK ON YOUR PREVIOUS CLASSES (though your submitted work must be your own).