Glossary on the tricks of the secrecy trade
As I blog along, I plan to create some sort of a running tally on the various tricks of the secrecy trade. For the moment, I can foresee at least two incentives for this:
First, by generating a living glossary of recurring terms and themes and practices, I might pave the way for the attribution of what may be called ‘accountability portfolios’ to specific actors. Knowing the kind of paths that certain actors have taken to evade or enhance accountability practices might, in turn, be a useful and hands-on approach to comment on the current intelligence oversight reform initiatives in Western democracies. In other words, it may help to further illuminate the various strategical tools that are at the disposal of those who would rather not disclose their information and those (few) who muster enough political will to bring light into malfeasance allegations.
Second, as a number of important terms are coined by North American actors, it might also be useful to add a brief explanatory note to these terms so that they become also more comprehensible to Non-North American audiences.
Consider, for example, the following exemplary glossary item:
to graymail –
“a legal tactic that has been used for years by intelligence operatives or assets who are facing prosecution or fear they soon will be. In short, these operatives or assets threaten to reveal details of sensitive or classified operations in order to ward off indictments or criminal charges, based on the belief that the government would not want these details revealed.” (Source: www.thenation.com/doc/20091221/scahill2)
