| Submit your comments on this article |
| Government |
| The Intelligence Community Should Build Public Trust, Not Just Transparency |
| 2015-07-23 |
| [Overt Action] For all the talk over the last few years about the need to shed light on the workings of the intelligence community, the truth of the matter is "transparency" and "intelligence activities" are not natural bedfellows. Perhaps this is why, despite a flood of public rhetoric promising greater IC transparency, Director of National Intelligence James Clapper forbade his workforce last year from making unauthorized media contacts, or why many of the transparency initiatives undertaken thus far involve looking backwards, such as through document declassification, rather than at the present or future direction of the intelligence community. Most thoughtful people understand that a fully transparent intelligence community is neither realistic nor desirable. What's driving calls for greater transparency isn't ill will toward intelligence professionals or even curiosity: rather, it's a lack of trust. The ODNI's 'Principles of Intelligence Transparency' seem to acknowledge this. However, merely shedding light on specific issues will only go so far to reshaping public perceptions. The pursuit of 'greater transparency' for its own sake is a quixotic, if not disingenuous, goal for an industry that trades in secrets. Just because you know everything about a person doesn't mean that you trust them. Trust is only built through consistency -- and even then it takes time and persistence. By shifting the focus to "building trust" rather than to "increasing transparency," the focus of reform efforts would thus shift from releasing information to engaging the public. I emphatically agree with author Phillip Lohaus. Unfortunately, I suspect 'Public Trust' has been lost indefinitely. |
| Posted by:Besoeker |
| #2 Leave out the leadership - many members of the public are themselves no longer trustworthy. |
| Posted by: Anguper Hupomosing9418 2015-07-23 20:23 |
| #1 Power tends to corrupt, absolute power corrupts absolutely - John Dalberg-Acton, 1st Baron Acton The Founders read real history, not studies. They came to the conclusion that there will never be the 'right' person or persons when enough power gets concentrated. They chose the smaller injustices and unfairness created by the inefficiencies of a constrained government over the greater injustices and inefficiencies of a tyrannical centralization of power and wealth. |
| Posted by: Procopius2k 2015-07-23 08:52 |