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X-ORIGINAL-URL:https://www.historikertag.de/Muenchen2021/en/sektionen/dynamics-of-distrust-secret-intelligence-and-the-public-sphere-in-the-western-world-since-1945/
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UID:historikertag-2021-1355
DTSTAMP:20210520T065123Z
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SUMMARY:[Historikertag 2021] Dynamics of Distrust. Secret Intelligence and the Public Sphere in the Western World since 1945
DESCRIPTION:Intelligence agencies in liberal democracies are ambivalent institutions. While they are considered vital for security reasons, they do not fully comply with customary expectations of democratic control. The increasing emphasis on transparency in liberal democracies over the last decades has produced a growing tension regarding the inherently arcane nature of intelligence agencies. While most researchers focus on political attempts to extend parliamentary control of secret intelligence, we propose another starting point. It is based on the initial hypothesis that the institutionalization of public distrust has become a counterpart for the unattainable transparency of secret intelligence. While distrust is normally considered a shortcoming, in this panel we will show how distrust became instrumental in dealing with conflict. Consequently, we can speak of an ongoing bargaining process between acceptance of the arcane nature of intelligence agencies and public distrust. A fragile and constantly shifting equilibrium has become institutionalized, one which easily could be destroyed and result in a destructive spiral of distrust, potentially threatening trust in liberal democracy at large. Shifting the analytical thrust to mistrust implies intelligence agencies are not only considered objects of attempts to control, but also as actors trying to manage public mistrust. The proposed panel shall analyze the changing relations between trust in democracy and distrust in secret intelligence from 1945 to the present, focusing on Germany, Britain, the United States and the Netherlands. The aim is to offer a historical explanation of the dynamics of distrust and thus to contribute to a better understanding of the complex role of secret intelligence in liberal democracies.
Der Beitrag Dynamics of Distrust. Secret Intelligence and the Public Sphere in the Western World since 1945 erschien zuerst auf Historikertag 2021.
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