The academic-practitioner divide in intelligence studies

Internationally, the profession of intelligence continues to develop and expand.

So too does the academic field of intelligence, both in terms of intelligence as a focus for academic research and in terms of the delivery of university courses in intelligence and related areas.

To a significant extent both the profession of intelligence and those delivering intelligence education share a common aim of developing intelligence as a discipline.

However, this shared interest must also navigate the existence of an academic-practitioner divide.

Such a divide is far from unique to intelligence – it exists in various forms across most professions – but it is distinctive in the field of intelligence because of the centrality of secrecy to the profession of intelligence and the way in which this constitutes a barrier to understanding and openly teaching about aspects of intelligence.

How can co-operation in developing the profession and academic study be maximized when faced with this divide?

How can and should this divide be navigated? The Academic-Practitioner Divide in Intelligence provides a range of international approaches to, and perspectives on, these crucial questions.