Moving the debate beyond the place of tactical intelligence in counterinsurgency warfare, Confronting the Colonies considers the view from Whitehall, where the biggest decisions were made. It reveals the evolving impact of strategic intelligence upon government understandings of, and policy responses to, insurgent threats. Confronting the Colonies demonstrates for the first time how, in the decades after World War Two, the intelligence agenda expanded to include non-state actors, insurgencies, and irregular warfare. It explores the challenges these emerging threats posed to intelligence assessment and how they were met with varying degrees of success. Such issues remain of vital importance today. By examining the relationship between intelligence and policy, Cormac provides original and revealing insights into government thinking in the era of decolonisation, from the origins of nationalist unrest to the projection of dwindling British power. He demonstrates how intelligence (mis-)understood the complex relationship between the Cold War, nationalism, and decolonisation; how it fuelled fierce Whitehall feuding; and how it shaped policymakers' attempts to integrate counterinsurgency into broader strategic policy.

Dr Rory Cormac is a lecturer in international relations at the University of Nottingham. He has previously worked at King's College London and the University of Warwick. Cormac's research interests include the relationship between intelligence and policy, as well as the history of British covert action and secret foreign policy.

Acknowlegements Abbreviations 1. Intelligence Assessment in an Age of Competing Threats An Age of Competing Threats Strategic Intelligence and the British Counterinsurgency Experience The Joint Intelligence Committee and the Importance of Strategic Intelligence 2. Unfulfilled Potential: Malaya, 1948-1951 The JIC in 1948 Warning and Assessment Broadening Assessments Intelligence 'Management' Broader Reflections 3. Turf Wars and Tension: Cyprus, 1955-1959 The JIC, 1955-1959 Intelligence Advice Assessing the Internal Threat Internationalising Insurgencies Broader Reflections 4. Into the Whitehall Minefield: Aden and the Federation of South Arabia, 1962-1967 The JIC, 1962-1967 Intelligence Reform Threat Assessment Covert Action Broader Reflections 5. After Pax Britannica: Oman, 1968-1975 The JIC in 1968 Managing Intelligence Overseas Assessments Policy Input Broader Reflections 6. Defining Threats, Understanding Security JIC Evolution and the Quest for Inclusivity Strategic intelligence and counterinsurgency: roles and lessons Notes Bibliography Index