"The shadowy world of espionage is surrounded by an aura of glamor and danger; our so called security services cloak their activities in secrecy in the name of "national security." While many books have claimed to expose the truth about the intelligence game, their authors have often had links with the security estblishment and a vested interest in its perpetuation. In this book, James Rusbridger takes a quite candid look at how intelligence works, and he uncovers vast ineptitude and corruption behind some famous intelligence tales. He argues that most espionage is ultimately fruitless, and he asks whether MI5's record on spy-catching, for instance, has been worth its flagrant lawbreaking and abuse of civil liberties--a question that might be extended to intelligence services in our own country." "Rusbridger is particularly good at analyzing the doings of players and victims in the international espionage network, and he finds that the CIA, KGB, MI5, Mossad, et al, propagate mythical enemies in order to instill fear in politicians, and prop one another up in quite a comradely fashion. Often, indeed, they facilitate the activities of their supposed enemy opposite numbers out of a curious kind of professional courtesy--if you want to get along you must go along. The Intelligence Game is a guide to the dirty tricks and double speak of the agencies that are supposed to promote our safety, and it demonstrates that the only interests served by those overfunded and overrated guardians are their own."--BOOK JACKET.Title Summary field provided by Blackwell North America, Inc. All Rights Reserved