Covert action is one of many foreign policy tools used by policymakers to advance national interests. Used in select international efforts, covert action encompasses a broad range of activities outside the operations of traditional intelligence collection. Sanctioned by the White House and overseen by Congress, covert action can provide results and otherwise unavailable information.
"The term covert action was defined for the first time in statute to mean an activity or activities of the united government to influence political, economic, or military conditions abroad, where it is intended that the role of the united state states will not be apparent or acknowledged publicly". ( Paulson 163) . Among Covert action activities "there are at least …show more content…
How legitimate is it? of course Illegitimate and unethical I thought. As I learned more I realized that many clandestine acts are non violent and only sought to provide advice, funds and incentives to serve our national goal and to protect our interests in other parts of the world. Yes, these operations may include unethical actions but any threat to our existence or survival as a nation should be dealt with in the appropriate manner deemed acceptable at the time of the action. One important reason that covert action will always be considered in our foreign policy, is that it is seen as a middle option, "the third option to the persuasions of diplomacy and trade on the one hand and military force on the other "(Villar, Cottle 156). Covert actions, thus, remain a choice in case diplomacy doesn 't work or if publicly announced military action creates tension both internationally and domestically. Most covert actions undertaken in the four decades after World War II were part of larger policies designed to contain the Soviet Union and other communist countries. With the end of the Cold War, the role of covert actions is being reassessed. Some observers have called for an end of such efforts, while others have advocated different types of covert capabilities to counter the designs
"The term covert action was defined for the first time in statute to mean an activity or activities of the united government to influence political, economic, or military conditions abroad, where it is intended that the role of the united state states will not be apparent or acknowledged publicly". ( Paulson 163) . Among Covert action activities "there are at least …show more content…
How legitimate is it? of course Illegitimate and unethical I thought. As I learned more I realized that many clandestine acts are non violent and only sought to provide advice, funds and incentives to serve our national goal and to protect our interests in other parts of the world. Yes, these operations may include unethical actions but any threat to our existence or survival as a nation should be dealt with in the appropriate manner deemed acceptable at the time of the action. One important reason that covert action will always be considered in our foreign policy, is that it is seen as a middle option, "the third option to the persuasions of diplomacy and trade on the one hand and military force on the other "(Villar, Cottle 156). Covert actions, thus, remain a choice in case diplomacy doesn 't work or if publicly announced military action creates tension both internationally and domestically. Most covert actions undertaken in the four decades after World War II were part of larger policies designed to contain the Soviet Union and other communist countries. With the end of the Cold War, the role of covert actions is being reassessed. Some observers have called for an end of such efforts, while others have advocated different types of covert capabilities to counter the designs