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Intelligence After Next: The IC's Opportunity to Bolster Democracy—Strengthening Integration and Supporting Whole-of-Government Strategy

By Joseph Stabile

The Intelligence Community (IC) has opportunity to strengthen its support of U.S. government strategy to confront transnational threats against democracy. A range of options exist, including replicating existing models for interagency integration within ODNI and individual IC components.

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The Intelligence Community (IC), in tandem with other U.S. Government partners, has a key role to play in supporting democracy and confronting global authoritarianism. Policymakers will look to the IC to bolster its collection, analysis, and information sharing as it relates to transnational actors who threaten democracy. Because this issue transcends clear regional and functional boundaries, such a task cannot be the sole responsibility of just one IC component. Instead, the IC should strive to enhance its integration posture as it relates to this topic. IC leadership should consider:

  • Elevating global democracy issues to the National Intelligence Management Council and National Intelligence Council by creating both a NIM and NIO for Global Democracy
  • Creating an IC Executive Coordinator for Global Democracy
  • Establishing a Global Democracy Intelligence Committee within the NIC
  • Standing up a Democracy Information Unit within State Department’s Bureau of Intelligence and Research 

Read more research and analysis for the Intelligence Community in our Intelligence After Next paper series.

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