Securing The State

by David Omand

Governments recognise that national security in the turbulent conditions of the early twenty-first century must centre on the creation of public confidence that normal life can continue even in the face of threats such as terrorism and proliferation, and of natural hazards such as pandemics and climate change. Based on his own experience in government, David Omand argues that while public security is vital for good government, the effects of bad government will result from failure to maintain the right relationship between justice, liberty, privacy, civic harmony and security measures. His book examines in detail how secret intelligence helps governments to deliver security, but also risks raising public concern over its methods. A set of ethical principles is proposed to guide intelligence and security work within the framework of human rights. Securing the State provides a new way of thinking about the cycle of activities that generates secret intelligence, examines the issues
that arise from the way that modern intelligence uses technology to access new sources of information, and discusses how the meaning of intelligence can best be elucidated. The limits of intelligence in enabling greater security are explored, especially in guiding government in a world in which we must learn not to be surprised by surprise. Illustrated throughout by historical examples, David Omand provides new perspectives for practitioners and those teaching security and intelligence studies and for a wider readership offers an accessible introduction to pressing issues of public policy.

Genres: Politics, Nonfiction

345 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2010

Reviews

[Kate · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another one for the dissertation.

Omand is perhaps the most (unintentionally) amusing writers on state security. Never have I ever encountered an author who likened intelligence services to Tolkien's rangers, keeping the hobbits safe in their hobbit-holes. Bless.

[J · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was quite good. The main limitation is the fact that it is 16 years out of date now, but most interesting is Omand's experience as National Intelligence and Security Coordinator after 9/11. The book is rather repetitive, so it would be better to refer to the chapters in their totalities, and they refer to each other often. This was the other core text alongside 'The Secret World' and Foyles Tottenham Court Road's 'Intelligence' section had works of both Andrew and Omand on their top shelves. Omand is still a visiting professor at KCL War Studies so I am intrigued to hear more from him. Throughout, he emphasises the preservation of civil liberties as key to the success of a national security strategy, that we might 'live freely and in confidence' under a 'protecting state'. Belatedly at the end does he make reference to the threat of climate change, and throughout the '[dodgy] dossier' (Omand always omits the first word) and the invasion of Iraq are treated as a major 'embarrassment' and 'intelligence failure'; from the perspective of British national security, no thought is spared for the lives of millions of Iraqis.

[James Wilkinson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Securing the State is an exhaustive - and potentially exhausting - font of information about modern intelligence gathering as it settles into an unsettling age of terrorism, both domestic and foreign. It's also, I think, one for the initiated.

If, like me, you're just some schlub wondering how British intelligence really works, you will find everything you need to know about its structures, workflow and practices here. You'll also find tons more - far more, in fact, than you probably need or want.

Omand's writing is clear, concise and unpretentious, and meticulous in its laying out of even the most rudimentary of information, which is a boon to the layman like me. It's also dry as salted dust, which - coupled with the sheer density of data contained within the cover - can make it tough going.

A good book, but best saved for those who are already genned up on the subject.

[Robert Ellis · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am torn with this book because it is a quality product with a strong frame for the subject matter, security intelligence in this case, but as I was reading it, I noticed that it jumped out as an old software version from a political paradigm situation - 2010 publish date, neo-liberal presumptions, terrorism era overemphasis, and tinges of globalist absolutism that include the requirement to see through a human rights lens. It was a challenging book, but there was a lot to learn in it. I actually appreciated my capacity to disagree with key points, especially as I approach this problem from the 'grand' perspective, so my bias is how to tailor the very real need for reform (then as much as now) without getting stuck in the archaic programming of the 20th century that smacks more of our own ancien regime comparative, especially with the larger geopolitical shifts that continue occurring after the pandemic period. I think that also lends this book its charm: an insider's snapshot to the GWOT period, where their thinking was, which lends us a better understanding how we ended up in this period (2020's). I recommend the book, but I find the UK emphasis (our author's forte and experience) hard to swallow, even as a Canadian myself, however it does stand up as worth reading on the subject still.

[Yana Shevkirova · Rating 4 out of 5]

To an extent, I do agree with the previous review. It's slightly over-optimistic, even naive, in a very subtle way. It is hard to pinpoint what the issue with this book is, but something's definitely not right. It just seems that he is raising more questions than he answers and he's taking the short path, by providing "solutions" to rather obvious and "fixible" issues. When it comes to the paradoxes, dilemmas and controversies, he has no answers or tangible solutions. Not that he's to blame for it, after all no one has yet found the "right way" through the problems of intelligence practice and security threats in general, but Omand definitely sets the bar high and fails to jump over later on.
Nevertheless, it is a good book to read. Valuable referencing material, does expand a lot on the necessity for cooperation (interdepartmental, inter-agency, public and private sectors, etc.) - something that not many books pay attention to. He covers the main issues and writes in a simple way, which makes the book very readable. Worth going through, but one should not expect the "aha" moment at the end.

[Robert Nash]

Well written. Interesting read. Very rooted in the post 9/11 world.