Think Piece 17: The Place of Intelligence in the State's Monopoly on the Legitimate Use of Force

Summary

• Reflections on the state monopoly on the legitimate use of force have tended to focus on the role of police and military while neglecting the role of intelligence.
• Independent civilian intelligence agencies can be integral to how the state provides for national and human security but they may also play a key role in securing authoritarian and autocratic rule.
• A system of democratic, civilian oversight and control offers the only means of reconciling the vital functions of intelligence with both state and human security. Such a robust system of democratic intelligence oversight and control ultimately provides a way to operationalise the legitimacy of the state’s monopoly on the use of force.