CITIZENS SURELY EXPECT the government to be on watch against terrorist attacks like 9/11, against destabilizing aggression like Russia's invasion of Ukraine, and against clandestine efforts to steal military secrets or undermine our elections. Those are the explicit goals of the 18 secret intelligence agencies in the federal government, but the leading ones are the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and the National Security Agency (NSA).
The mission statement of the CIA "is to preempt threats and further U.S. national security objectives," while the NSA's motto is: "Defending Our Nation. Securing the Future." So far, so good.
But secret agencies are fundamentally resistant to oversight, especially by the very governments that create them.
The Roman poet Juvenal famously asked, "Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?" That is usually translated as "Who will watch the watchers?" A more accurate translation is "Who will keep me safe from my watchers?" In his 2020 book The Spymasters, journalist Chris Whipple quotes one former agency director as saying, "A president would never abolish the CIA because then he would have no one to blame." And the agency is colossally blameworthy.
Esta historia es de la edición December 2024 de Reason magazine.
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Esta historia es de la edición December 2024 de Reason magazine.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.
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Libertarianism From the Ground Up
ARGUMENTS FOR LIBERTARIANISM typically take two forms. Some libertarians base their creed on natural rights-the idea that each individual has an inborn right to self-ownership, or freedom from aggression, or whatever-and proceed to argue that only a libertarian political regime is compatible with those rights.
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THE 2024 CAMPAIGN WAS A WATERSHED MOMENT FOR THE WAY WE PROCESS PUBLIC AFFAIRS.
EVERY BODY HATES PRICES
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Amanda Knox Tells Her Own Story
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Bye, Joe
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