Confronting the Colonies

Description

Moving the debate beyond the place of tactical intelligence in counterinsurgency warfare, Confronting the Colonies considers the view from Whitehall, where the biggest decisions were made. It reveals the evolving impact of strategic intelligence upon government understandings of, and policy responses to, insurgent threats.

Confronting the Colonies demonstrates for the first time how, in the decades after World War Two, the intelligence agenda expanded to include non-state actors, insurgencies, and irregular warfare. It explores the challenges these emerging threats posed to intelligence assessment and how they were met with varying degrees of success. Such issues remain of vital importance today. By examining the relationship between intelligence and policy, Cormac provides original and revealing insights into government thinking in the era of decolonisation, from the origins of nationalist unrest to the projection of dwindling British power. He demonstrates how intelligence (mis-) understood the complex relationship between the Cold War, nationalism, and decolonisation; how it fuelled fierce Whitehall feuding; and how it shaped policymakers’ attempts to integrate counterinsurgency into broader strategic policy.

Reviews

‘An intelligent, authoritative and penetrating analysis of how spycraft impacts upon strategy. Rory Cormac reveals for the first time the secret role of intelligence in the twilight wars of British counter-insurgency. This book is essential reading for all those who want to understand the hidden world of low intensity conflict.’ — Professor Richard J. Aldrich, author of GCHQ

‘Whilst much of the story of Cold War intelligence has been chronicled by historians, the secret battles that went on in parallel to derive and assess intelligence on Britain’s colonial struggles has not been sufficiently explored.  Dr Cormac has filled that gap admirably.  His thoroughly researched account provides new insights into how British government and its Joint Intelligence Committee handled the painful process of decolonization and disengagement from empire.’ — Sir David Omand, former UK Security and Intelligence Coordinator and JIC member

‘Cormac’s book explores the links between the intelligence centre in London and what was going on in the colonies. It is the first to illustrate the role that intelligence played in decision making and does so in a coherent and persuasive fashion, destroying many of the myths about Britain’s colonial past and the impact of intelligence. A  riveting read that should appeal to a wide audience.’ — Michael Goodman, King’s College London, author of Learning from the Secret Past: Cases in British Intelligence History

Author(s)

Dr Rory Cormac is a lecturer in international relations at the University of Nottingham. He has previously worked at King’s College London and the University of Warwick. Cormac’s research interests include the relationship between intelligence and policy, as well as the history of British covert action and secret foreign policy.