Introductory description

The covert activities of the CIA represent arguably the most notorious face of US foreign relations. Yet to what extent is the clandestine dimension to international affairs consistent with official ‘overt’ policies? And how do we come to understand covert action campaigns? This module will introduce the main conceptual and historic debates relevant to the analysis of covert action as a tool of US foreign policy. In so doing it will consider the institutions and processes behind covert action, especially the role of the Central Intelligence Agency. It also considers the mediums that narrate and explain American covert action. This will provide a fuller and richer understanding of the United States’ place in the international system since World War II, its relationship to other states and non-state actors, and discussions about American identity and nation.

Module aims

Outline syllabus

This is an indicative module outline only to give an indication of the sort of topics that may be covered. Actual sessions held may differ.

Week 1: Covert Action and Intelligence in a Democratic State
Week 2: The Origins of the CIA: American Debates about Covert Action
Week 3: The Early Cold War & Containment
Week 4: The ‘Golden Age’ of Covert Action
Week 5: State-Private Networks & the Cultural Cold War
Week 6: Reading Week
Week 7: Obsessions & Pitfalls: Cuba & Vietnam
Week 8: Downfall: The Family Jewels, Oversight & Accountability
Week 9: ‘Unleashing the CIA’: The End of the Cold War & Post-Cold War Blues
Week 10: 9/11, the ‘War on Terror’ and Covert Action in the 21st Century

Learning outcomes

By the end of the module, students should be able to:

• able to evaluate the functions of an intelligence agency
• able to evaluate the structure and politics of US foreign policy-making with recognition of the key moments in the history of the CIA under successive post-1945 presidential administrations
• an awareness of, and critical approach to, historical and contemporary debates about covert action and US foreign policy
• critically evaluate the arguments raised in the conceptualisation, planning and implementation of covert action, while paying attention to their consequences both at home in the US and abroad

Subject specific skills

TBC

Transferable skills

Students will develop skills in effective collection and interpretation of information from a variety of sources and employ this material to argue cogently, concisely and coherently.