Principled spying : the ethics of secret intelligence /

Omand and Phythian (Univ. of Leicester, UK) explore the ethics of conducting intelligence operations, including covert action in this age of bulk surveillance. The format is unique, taking the form of a dialogue between the two authors, with each author's contribution labeled as such. Their approach to the problem of intelligence ethics is promising as they seek to use just-war theory as a way to offer ethical guidance on how to engage in actions forbidden altogether in normal society. For cases, the authors focus primarily on actions by US and UK intelligence agencies, although they occasionally discuss examples from the ancient world. In general, they are forthright about past abuses and contemporary concerns about individual privacy and democratic legitimacy. However, there is also an unfortunate tendency to use metaphors of balancing and necessity to argue essentially that any action that contemporary intelligence agencies engage in can be justified ethically, provided it is preceded by lots of hand-wringing. Summing Up: Recommended.Graduate students through faculty.--Thomas C. Ellington, Wesleyan College