In the United States following 1974, executive-branch intelligence control was supplemented with congressional oversight. For Bar-Joseph, improvements in the Israeli system should be pursued by emulating the United States' subjection of intelligence to both the executive branch and the legislature. Information from the three cases does not directly support the contention that multilateral control is likely to be more effective than unilateral control, because, as Bar-Joseph points out, his cases deal only with unilateral control systems. However, he argues that after 1974, U.S. congressional oversight coincided with a period of decreased CIA political interference. The Iran-Contra scandal indirectly demonstrated the success of multilateral control: the Reagan administration used the (unilaterally controlled) National Security Council rather than the (multilaterally controlled) CIA to carry out its plans. Bar-Joseph is realistic in recognizing that his principles of professionalism and control are idealized, and that even under optimal conditions the lure of political interference may prove irresistible for intelligence agencies and operatives. Though not startling, his conclusions about how best to reduce the likelihood of such intervention are trenchant, and his theory provides a strong framework for further research on this important issue. Intelligence Intervention is a welcome contribution to the literature on foreign-policy analysis and civil-intelligence relations, especially for those interested in the Lavon Affair and Israeli foreign policy and intelligence decision-making.
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