Confrontation or Collaboration? Congress and the Intelligence Community, by Eric Rosenbach, Faculty Affiliate, Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, Aki J. Peritz
Should the CIA have briefed Congress on secret intelligence programs? What is the legal basis for the President’s electronic surveillance program? Is the DNI actually in charge of the Intelligence Community?
The goal of Confrontation or Collaboration is to provide a guide to the complexities of the Intelligence Community to policymakers, legislators, students and the public.
I was able to do a lot of interesting things with this publication. We decided pretty early on that the timelines spread throughout the book would make up the focal points for the information. The largest timeline was at the front of the book and it just seemed natural to have the cover foldout to reveal the timeline in its entirety.
The book was intended to be given to all new Members of Congress as a handbook to help them understand their responsibility to oversee the Intelligence Community and includes an introduction by former Senator Bob Graham.
The Community’s size and complexity, however, often confuse and stymie lawmakers attempting to understand intelligence issues. As the 9/11 Commission Report noted, “Few members of Congress have the broad knowledge of intelligence activities or the know-how about technologies employed.”
The table of contents as well as various spreads from the book.