Mr Nice Spy
I would like to develop a stronger understanding of what is meant by R. Whitaker et al in “No More Mr Nice Spy: CSIS and the Dark Side of the War on Terror” with the statement " In an age of borderless terrorist networks, counter-terrorism has to become borderless as well, and the agency charged with gathering security intelligence on terrorism must operate sans frontiers “(471). My attempted understanding is that because terrorism has developed to the extent of oversea networks and connections , CSIS must also work “without borders” and explore and investigate leads wherever they see fit in order to maintain national safety. Although, I stand to wonder why CSIS must assert the same approach as terrorist groups in exploring international intelligence?
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In order to develop an edge, shouldn’t they employ other options?. In an attempt to cure my curiosity, I re-read the text and tried to locate an explanation for their designated approach and whether or not an alternative is available but struggled to pinpoint a concrete justification.
R. Whitaker et al’s piece “No More Mr Nice Spy: CSIS and the Dark Side of the War on Terror” allows the reader to gain valuable insight into the mysterious world that is national security. The chapter unveils the coveted operations of CSIS that are hidden away from both the public and parliamentary scrutiny. Using your acquired knowledge after reading this chapter, compare and contrast the official paradigm of CSIS such as the values and mandate they claim to represent to the operational paradigm of how these agents or the organization as a whole conducts itself.
The example of the Maher Arar affair that was referenced by R.
Whitaker et al in “No More Mr Nice Spy: CSIS and the Dark Side of the War on Terror” effectively demonstrates how sharing privileged information can lead to disastrous complications. It also highlights the fact that the work of CSIS isn’t always justifiable or effective in nature and the lack of accountability in regards to operations can lead to the abuse of power privileges. Arar had to succumb to abuse, torture, and horrifying conditions in a Syrian jail after being kidnapped by American authorities who were under the impression from leaked private Canadian files that Arar was involved in terrorist activity. These shared files accompanied with information from the RCMP that Arar and his wife were “Muslim extremist” ultimately led to him falling victim to the American extraordinary-rendition program. Additionally, CSIS faced criticism regarding their failure to properly decipher the reliability of the information they received from Syrian officials. Had the information been taken in proper value then it could have been determined at a faster rate that Arar was innocent. It soon came to public attention that the operations of CSIS weren’t properly being monitored for if it were, surely their actions in regard to this case would have created cause for concern prior to the creation of the O’Connor commission. Overall the major point displayed in this case was that CSIS’s is relentless in it’s pursuit of capturing terrorists and agents will go as far as completely disregarding civil rights and human liberties in the process of doing
so.
In order to develop an edge, shouldn’t they employ other options?. In an attempt to cure my curiosity, I re-read the text and tried to locate an explanation for their designated approach and whether or not an alternative is available but struggled to pinpoint a concrete justification.
R. Whitaker et al’s piece “No More Mr Nice Spy: CSIS and the Dark Side of the War on Terror” allows the reader to gain valuable insight into the mysterious world that is national security. The chapter unveils the coveted operations of CSIS that are hidden away from both the public and parliamentary scrutiny. Using your acquired knowledge after reading this chapter, compare and contrast the official paradigm of CSIS such as the values and mandate they claim to represent to the operational paradigm of how these agents or the organization as a whole conducts itself.
The example of the Maher Arar affair that was referenced by R.
Whitaker et al in “No More Mr Nice Spy: CSIS and the Dark Side of the War on Terror” effectively demonstrates how sharing privileged information can lead to disastrous complications. It also highlights the fact that the work of CSIS isn’t always justifiable or effective in nature and the lack of accountability in regards to operations can lead to the abuse of power privileges. Arar had to succumb to abuse, torture, and horrifying conditions in a Syrian jail after being kidnapped by American authorities who were under the impression from leaked private Canadian files that Arar was involved in terrorist activity. These shared files accompanied with information from the RCMP that Arar and his wife were “Muslim extremist” ultimately led to him falling victim to the American extraordinary-rendition program. Additionally, CSIS faced criticism regarding their failure to properly decipher the reliability of the information they received from Syrian officials. Had the information been taken in proper value then it could have been determined at a faster rate that Arar was innocent. It soon came to public attention that the operations of CSIS weren’t properly being monitored for if it were, surely their actions in regard to this case would have created cause for concern prior to the creation of the O’Connor commission. Overall the major point displayed in this case was that CSIS’s is relentless in it’s pursuit of capturing terrorists and agents will go as far as completely disregarding civil rights and human liberties in the process of doing
so.