Intelligence, Security and the State: Reviewing the British Intelligence Community (Intelligence, Surveillance and Secret Warfare) - Softcover

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1399519263 ISBN 13: 9781399519267

Publisher: Edinburgh University Press, 2026

Synopsis

Offers a unique insight into the history and politics of British intelligence

• 20 chapters each explore specific reviews of the UK intelligence community, providing an overview of the development of British intelligence
• Each chapter reproduces significant extracts from these reviews, with introductory essays drawing on archival documents and the latest academic research to provide wider context
• Covers a period of British intelligence history from the origins of the modern-day community in 1909 through to the fallout from the Iraq War
• Essential reading for students and academics looking at the machinery of government, UK intelligence, and comparative studies of intelligence agencies

The modern-day UK intelligence and security community is the product of over a century of reviews going back to Edwardian spy scares, through two World Wars, and a Cold War. Written by intelligence experts, Intelligence, Security and the State provides an insight into the development of UK intelligence through a selection of the many intelligence reviews that have taken place during this period. How and why these reviews were commissioned and their impact, if any, is analysed in detail. The reviews cover the origins and early development of the community, alongside the political, operational, and financial oversight of British intelligence. Each of the declassified reviews, reproduced here for the first time, are introduced by short essays giving a wider understanding of the UK intelligence community. The book offers a detailed insight into the machinery of government in the UK and British intelligence as a whole.

About this title

About the Authors

Dan Lomas is Assistant Professor in International Relations at the University of Nottingham.

Christopher J. Murphy is Senior Lecturer in Intelligence Studies at the University of Salford.

Edition details

• Publisher: Edinburgh University Press
• Publication date: 2026
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1399519263
• ISBN 13: 9781399519267
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 440
• Editor: Daniel W.B. Lomas, Christopher J. Murphy