At the same time, the ISI has worked with the U.S. India has accused the ISI of involvement in dozens of terrorist attacks over the years, including the Mumbai bombings of 2006 that killed 187 people. Whether spreading anti-Indian propaganda in Kashmir or funding Sikh separatists in Punjab, the ISI has consistently undermined Indias stability for decades. But the ISI has also been accused of playing both sides in the global war on terrorfighting Islamist extremists domestically while abetting them abroad. and Chinese assets have become public scandals, and the media is now calling for greater transparency and oversight of the notoriously secretive agency.Īctivities: Sometimes described as a state within a state with virtually no oversight, ISI is best known for the firm control it exercises over Pakistans politics and its role in protecting the military from domestic opposition. In 1996, RAW was implicated in a scandal involving the illegal donation of funds to U.S. Although these accusations tend to lack evidence, RAW does have a history of backing militant groups in Kashmir, Afghanistan, and Sri Lanka. Pakistani authorities often blame RAW for terrorist attacks in their country. It is particularly active in Bangladesh, where it played a key role in that countrys movement for independence from Pakistan. The governments of Germany and Britain have made similar accusations.Īrea of expertise: Destabilizing PakistanĪctivities: RAW was founded in 1968 specifically to counter Pakistani support of militant groups within India, but over the years it has grown into one of the worlds most formidable intelligence services, with wide-ranging activities in Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bangladesh, and elsewhere. In September 2007, the Pentagon accused China of hacking into U.S. China appears to be stepping up its espionage efforts in cyberspace as well. Through this method, the Chinese have managed to reverse engineer numerous U.S. Sources often dont even realize theyve collaborated with a foreign spy mission, and the thousands of Chinese diplomats, students, and business people who travel to the West every year make spies incredibly difficult to detect. They collect little bits and pieces and put it together. We go after a secret somewhere they go after numbers.
Chinese espionage is different than Western espionage, says Earnest. Rather than relying on a handful of agents, the MSS views almost anyone has a potential intelligence asset and gathers intelligence on new weapons systems painstakingly over time through personal contacts.
Its overseas activities are believed to be focused aggressively on the United States, particularly its high-tech industries and military technology. As the Russian saying goes, Theres no such thing as an ex-Chekist.Īrea of expertise: Industrial espionage and data analysis, domestic securityĪctivities: The MSS is close in structure to the old Soviet KGB and is responsible for both domestic security and foreign espionage. In reality, the intelligence services have emerged as one of the most powerful political groups in Putins Russia, and ex-KGB agents occupy many of the Kremlins key positions.
Are secret agents real professional#
Putin has denied this allegation and lauded the SVR as one of the most professional and effective special services. The SVR is widely suspected to have played a role in the assassination of ex-spy Alexander Litvinenko in London last year. Russia has not eased off at all on its espionage activities. They are as important today as they ever were, if not more, he said. Peter Earnest, the executive director of the International Spy Museum in Washington, who matched wits with the KGB as a CIA operative for over three decades, shared this assessment. Russian spying within the United States is now back to Cold War levels, U.S. Since ex-KGB man Vladimir Putin took power, however, the SVR, or Sluzhba Vneshney Razvedk as its known in Russian, has recovered much of its swagger. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, the once omnipotent KGB was broken up into several smaller organizations with vastly limited powers. Unofficiallyconsolidating political power back home.Īctivities: Russia has a formidable spying tradition that dates back to the czarist-era Cheka.
Area of expertise: Officiallycounterterrorism and protecting Russian commercial interests abroad.
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