Growing up I loved writing. More to the point, I loved words. Lots of words. But when I joined the IC I came to appreciate the philosophy “less is more.” It took years of practice, but I must have mastered the art because my fellow analysts began calling me the editor who hates words. IContinue reading “The Editor Hates Words”
Author Archives: The Host
Useful Intelligence Production
Intelligence production is costly in terms of both money and time, yet feedback on products is rare. Are customers satisfied, or is the analysis not always being read? I was thinking about the issue when I came across Ambassador Robert D. Blackwill’s interview with former CIA analyst and trainer Jack Davis.* Even though the article,Continue reading “Useful Intelligence Production”
Crafting An Intelligence Question
Revised 29 January 2022 A good intelligence question leads naturally to an analytical thesis. It is distinguished from a research question in that a research question elicits facts; an intelligence question elicits analysis. The answer to an intelligence question offers a “what” and a “so what.” The “what” is a factual statement that might deriveContinue reading “Crafting An Intelligence Question”
Hello, Readers
Welcome to the new iteration of The Intelligence Shop. Some of you may have visited the previous site where I focused primarily on the analyst’s role in the Intelligence Community: researching and collecting data sets, analyzing, and writing. I will still do that here. But, I’d like to address a broader audience, focusing more generallyContinue reading “Hello, Readers”
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