Stefanie Kirchweger and I have received a grant from the Austrian National Science Fund (FWF) for our project “International Intelligence Cooperation and Foreign Policy”.
Abstract
International intelligence cooperation – that is various forms of international ties between intelligence and security agencies – has become an increasingly prominent issue in global politics. Not only is this evident in the ongoing wars in Ukraine and the Middle East, but also in countering transnational terrorism in the heart of Europe. In today’s world, security policy without international intelligence cooperation is unthinkable. But what role does international intelligence cooperation actually play in the foreign policy of states? How can we understand the interplay between international intelligence relations, mostly invisible to the public, and foreign policy, based on which we judge our government?
Although scholars highlight the necessity of understanding intelligence in foreign and security policy, we still lack an understanding of the bigger picture of international intelligence cooperation from a foreign policy perspective. This applies even more to examples beyond the Anglo-American sphere. Focusing on Austria and Israel, we find that the two uneven countries have developed intelligence relations alongside changing foreign policy relations since World War II. However, Austrian-Israeli intelligence relations have not been studied yet, neither by well-established Israeli nor largely neglected Austrian intelligence scholarship. This project aims to start filling this gap by scrutinizing the role of international intelligence cooperation in foreign policy, drawing on the Austrian-Israeli case. Thus, the project has two goals. First, we aim to document the evolving Austrian-Israeli intelligence relations alongside their foreign policy. Second, we aim to draw general conclusions on the role of international intelligence cooperation in foreign policy.
Therefore, we follow two interrelated research paths. First, we gather real-world data about the Austrian-Israeli intelligence and security relations from 1965 to 1992. One main source is archival material, which we gather predominantly in Austrian and Israeli archives, as well as relevant declassified US and UK material. Furthermore, we interview Austrian and Israeli experts, politicians, and former practitioners. We complement these two main sources with academic literature, biographies, and relevant reports. In a parallel effort, we try to draw general conclusions on international intelligence cooperation in foreign policy, building upon the historical examples of Austrian-Israeli intelligence relations and existing political science approaches.
This Project contributes to several fields of academic scholarship, especially political science. The results of the project can bring new insights into the current discussions about intelligence in politics and society.
The project will start in January 2025.
For more information, see: FWF-Project Page.