Intelligence Studies in India needs to be bolstered through increased transparency, openness and collaboration between intelligence agencies and academics.
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Intelligence Studies in India remains a forbidden zone for academics, given the secrecy surrounding the whole national security apparatus. Amidst the recent diplomatic row between India and Canada, filtering rhetoric and whataboutery from the public debate leaves little objective knowledge of the Indian Intelligence’s functioning. A proactive social media further adds to the misinformation and propaganda that builds a skewed narrative bereft of sound analysis on the subject. Elsewhere, particularly in North America and Europe, Intelligence Studies is an established discipline and a constantly flourishing field with new perspectives and areas of research. Apart from the large body of writing by former practitioners, i.e. senior officers from security intelligence agencies, exclusive journals like Intelligence and National Security, International Journal of Intelligence and Counterintelligence, and Journal of Intelligence History add to the public knowledge of intelligence through empirical research. Intelligence Studies Section (ISS) was set up by the International Studies Association (ISA) in 1985 to promote research on all aspects of intelligence. Intelligence Studies is growing at an exponential rate, but the literature and scholarship on intelligence in India have remained scarce.
Amidst the recent diplomatic row between India and Canada, filtering rhetoric and whataboutery from the public debate leaves little objective knowledge of the Indian Intelligence’s functioning.
This lack of research on Indian intelligence could be attributed to several reasons: the lack of archival data and declassified official documents, uneven privilege in access to primary data, legal obstacles faced by former practitioners seeking to publish material on matters related to intelligence, a lack of official histories of intelligence agencies, scepticism and reluctance within the intelligence community towards promoting research, and neglect of this area in Indian academia. As a result, despite the growing demand for public knowledge on such issues in India, one is left with no choice but to submit to the omnipotent New Delhi-based coterie which dominates the discourse on intelligence in India. Nevertheless, a sizable amount of literature on intelligence has been produced by former Indian practitioners. This list includes more than 18 former officers like Asoka Raina, K. Sankaran Nair, B. Raman, V. Balachandran, A.S. Dulat, Vikram Sood and more. Intelligence has also been covered by some former practitioners as well as scholars and journalists in other mediums, such as newspaper articles, opinion pieces and book chapters. A compilation of lectures delivered by eminent personalities at the annual R.N Kao Memorial Lecture series organised by the Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW) and the Centenary Endowment Lecture series organised by the Intelligence Bureau (IB) can be of much help to researchers and all those who are interested. Indigenous knowledge creation on intelligence, at least in the public domain, has not been sufficiently addressed by institutions like the Manohar Parrikar Institute of Defence Studies and Analyses (MP-IDSA) and the Bureau of Police Research and Development (BPRD).
A sizable amount of literature on intelligence has been produced by former Indian practitioners.
Only a handful of universities in India offer a dedicated paper on intelligence. The departments of International Relations and Security Studies at the Central University of Gujarat, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, O.P. Jindal Global University, Sardar Patel University of Police, Security and Criminal Justice, National Forensic Science University and Rashtriya Raksha University are a few that do offer a dedicated paper. However, there is a lack of such papers at other leading universities like Jawaharlal Nehru University, University of Allahabad and Banaras Hindu University, which are older institutions of excellence for research in Defence and Strategic Studies, International Relations and allied subjects. Consequently, academic analysis on the role of intelligence in warfare, internal security management, diplomacy and domestic politics has been largely missing in the Indian context. Universities which enjoy proximity to the strategic community should take the lead in establishing special centres for research in Intelligence Studies. Promoting expertise and research on intelligence could contribute to the recruitment of faculty in higher educational institutions, which can further build on the existing knowledge base by bringing fresh perspectives and topics that push the field beyond the Anglosphere.
However, what will still be lacking are real-life experiences and case studies: (a) How does intelligence function in our country? (This may differ from how it is generally understood); (b) How does a real-life mission take place, and what the determining factors are that shape the entire mission? From when the need for such a mission is felt, how it is planned and executed, and what the desired and surprising outcomes are after the execution of a mission; (c) In the interplay of intelligence and policy, how do different actors behave and react? (d) How are intelligence reports written, i.e. intelligence communication, and how are they perceived by policymakers? The reason for this lacuna is the lack of professional experience in this field. Although Indian university faculty lack this experience, they ought not to be blamed for it. This is a shortcoming of the intelligence education system in the country. Intelligence professionals who turn to scholarly pursuits, called professional-turned-scholars in Intelligence Studies, barely exist in the Indian context. The existence of such scholars has boosted intelligence studies in the West. It is the presence of this particular interaction that has boosted Intelligence Studies in the West.
Academic analysis on the role of intelligence in warfare, internal security management, diplomacy and domestic politics has been largely missing in the Indian context.
This situation can be ameliorated when government agencies authorise professionals to discuss relevant real-life experiences and observations, which can be done by declassifying some real cases to help in the classroom teaching of intelligence. There have been increasing calls for maintaining official histories on Indian intelligence agencies and the declassification of their archives, which have received support from former practitioners. Reports suggest that the former senior official, Ramanathan Kumar, has been instrumental in compiling archives and writing an official history of R&AW. One of the benefits of initiating such practices early on is that it may cater to the interest of both the academic and the practitioner in Intelligence Studies, arguably also limiting the gap between the two. Some cues may be taken from the now-declassified task force report on greater CIA openness. Intelligence Studies in India can be further streamlined by forming associations, like the International Association for Intelligence Education (IAFIE) and by developing institutions like the Association of Former Intelligence Officers (AFIO), which may provide a platform for closer collaboration between academic scholars and the intelligence community. One good example of such initiatives is the AFIO’s commendable publication, Guide to the Study of Intelligence.
The growth of Intelligence Studies can be possible only through concerted efforts made by the intelligence community, government institutions, think tanks, and relevant university departments. Intelligence scholarship may act as a bulwark against fantasists and conspiracy theorists who have hoodwinked the masses in the past. The future calls for controlling the narrative, managing the perception and achieving a psychological advantage. Intelligence Studies may be a catalyst for it, but policymakers should be ready to face the tough questions on performance, oversight and accountability as well.
Dhruv Gadhavi is a Doctoral Researcher at the Department of Security Studies, School of National Security Studies, Central University of Gujarat.
Manasi Singh is an Assistant Professor at the Department of Security Studies, School of National Security Studies, Central University of Gujarat.
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Dhruv Gadhavi is a Doctoral Researcher at the Department of Security Studies, School of National Security Studies, Central University of Gujarat. ...
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Manasi Singh is an Assistant Professor at the Department of Security Studies, School of National Security Studies, Central University of Gujarat. ...
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