Journal of Defense Management
Open Access

Abstract

Balancing Effectiveness and Transparency in Intelligence Community: A Challenge for Consolidating Democracies

Mahmut Durmaz

Intelligence agencies usually face a recurring dilemma: transparency versus effectiveness. Intelligence community has a tendency to think that the more transparent they are the less effective they will become. This dilemma stems from the nature of the intelligence business, which requires secrecy in order to be effective. As consolidating democracies try to establish intelligence agencies that respect democracy and the rule of law, they are also challenged with many security issues that require effective intelligence. Finding the balance between effectiveness and transparency takes time and requires commitment to democratic values. While states try to find the best solution for this dilemma, they will face many problems such as accountability, corruption, and partisanship in their intelligence community. Accountability is the most pressing problem consolidating democracies face in trying to transform their intelligence agencies from ?a political police? into ?a bureau of intelligence? because accountability requires an effective bureaucratic system and respect for rule of law, which take time and commitment to develop. The cases of Argentina and Croatia illustrate the importance of these factors. While Croatia created an effective state bureaucracy and enforced the rule of law, Argentinian government was not successful at limiting the power of its intelligence community through effective oversight mechanisms.