The Five Eyes are a joint intelligence sharing network between the United States, one could say its anchor and the UK, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. For the purposes of this article, I will also loosely describe their countries’ intelligence outside of the directly and formally shared intelligence between the Five Eyes’ members.
While this organization and its members no doubt, have their various unsung successes, they have had some gleaming failures that should give concern. That may have included on the horrible massacres and terrorism in Israel of recent and likely regarding Khalistani terrorism, as well.
Regarding the Middle East and according to Foreign Policy (FP), a lead journal in international relations, let’s start with the Yon Kippur War in 1973, a major Israeli- Arab conflict.
“While the CIA accurately analyzed the Six-Day War between Israel and neighboring Arab states in 1967, it was caught flat-footed only six years later when Egyptian and Syrian forces launched coordinated attacks on Israeli forces …” Victim – Israel.
Then there is Iran, a “debacle’ for US intelligence. The FP magazine article, “Ten Biggest US Foreign Intelligence Failures,” goes on to how the the CIA was further flat footed when the Iranian Revolution took place that installed a rigid theocracy that even kidnapped US embassy, diplomatic staff. Though, it could be argued that the Shah, leader of Iran before the revolution had become so unpopular that no US intelligence might have prevented his overthrow. But they might have prevented the worst form of theocracy as a coup with better intelligence. Victim, big time, Israel.
Then there is 9/11. Its massive inquiry (Seemingly larger than the Warren Commission on President Kennedy’s assassination) shows a horror story in intelligence sharing but mostly domestically. The intelligence was there to take action that would have prevented the aircrafts from being used to attack the Twin Tower skyscrapers in New York City and Washington that led to massive numbers of deaths. But the failure to act appears to be related to laxity and bureaucratic bungling, let us say. That is unless you hold to a conspiracy on 9/11 – many do. Bad wash back onto Israel as 9/11 reenforced Mid-East terrorist morale.
The Iraq War was another failure of intelligence but to be fair, both the CIA and British spies did not all agree with the final summary the US administration wanted. That is what was well-accepted by President George Bush Jr and his chief of staff, Dick Cheney that saw Saddam Hussein, Iraq’s leader as having weapons of mass destruction. All of this was proven wrong after an expensive and highly destructive war committed mostly by the US and UK militaries against Iraq. Victims – Millions of innocent Iraqi people. Winner-chaos and Iran.
Now, for the recent terrorist attack on Israel with its 1300 or more murdered, including innocent women, children and elderly. Both Lloyd Austin, US Secretary of Defence and Antony Blinken, US Secretary of State insist they have Israel’s back and the UK prime minister, Rishi Sunak says he is 100 percent behind Israel, too. That is all fine and dandy. But what about the CIA, NSA and beyond of the mass US security (and British) intelligence dragnet that essentially pulls in everything electronically and even beyond. Why did it not see what was about to take place by Hamas? There have been criticisms the CIA and overall western (Five Eyes) intelligence of not having enough covert eyes and assets on the ground, especially in parts of the Middle East.
Now, put this all in the context of the extent off US intelligence resources. “The fiscal year 2022 budget appropriations included 65 7 billion for national intelligence and 24 for military intelligence.” (Wikipedia)
Indeed, when Israelis say it is their 9/11, they may include the “lapse” of their own intelligence as part of what led to the tragedy. But what about that over 100 billion dollars of *advanced”, “state of the art” intelligence of US plus other Five Eyes that should have had Israeli”s back. After all, Hamas is declared by the US as a major terrorist organization that has been highly western unfriendly and so too, its state and other backers.
Now then, on US intelligence towards India. According to Foreign Policy, “In May 1998, the CIA didn’t get wind of India’s intention to set off several underground nuclear blasts, in what Richard Shelby, then chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, called a ‘colossal failure of our nation’s intelligence.’” Sometimes, US Intel failures, I suppose have been beneficial to India, one might say from a certain perspective. However, that is likely the rare exception?
But there has been one failure that has not been beneficial to India and glaringly so. It is seemingly the information that the Five Eyes had given, confirmed by a US official. That says that India carried out an extraterritorial killing on Canadian soil on what New Delhi saw as a pro-Khalistan separatist. terrorist. Now, with many of the Five Eyes key member’s intelligence failures in mind, it would not be wrong for India to say the intelligence the Canadians are acting upon on this killing is well off base or overly skewed. And speaking of Canada, its own intelligence services, they in part took 20 years to get one manslaughter conviction on the Air India terrorist bombing in 1985 that killed hundreds of both Indians and ethnic Indian Canadians. Therefore, it is not only possible that there is some fallibility or incompleteness in the evidence as it is read, but an improper followup on the Canadian side. As well, India’s foreign minister, S Jaishankar has explicitly stated that he has not seen any real evidence that would make India conclude its agents orchestrated the assassination.
For the UK it appears it too often has gone along with its Five Eyes’ senior partner as the Iraq debacle showed. For information on the many foul-ups in Australia on intelligence, read Brian Toohey’s, “Secret- making of Australia’s security state”. On New Zealand, as such a small state it can only contribute so much to global intelligence.That likely means many fewer major failures.(Good for it besides being a great country.) Even so, it did not prevent a French commando raid on an environmentalist group’s boat harbored in New Zealand. That Greenpeace boat was blown up resulting in a death. Not a piece of Christ Church’s finest intelligence work.
However, one looks at the parts or combined co-operation of this *Anglo-Saxon” grouping or complex, the Five Eyes is doing important work. How much can it be trusted to have Israel’s or India”s backs may be more of a question especially in light of recent events. Yet, however one thinks of that organization, it is the best the West can likely provide on major intelligence sharing.
Peter Dash is a teacher and has written extensively researched spy thrillers; his last one being Operation Golden Bear. He was a researcher at Harvard”s Center for International affairs.
