Dear Colleagues:

General David Petraeus’ resignation as Director of the CIA has put U.S. intelligence operations back on the front page. That’s not where the community wants to be. But it is a reminder that the Intelligence establishment’s purposes and performance deserve attention.

So I’m extremely glad that Professor Vincent E. McHale is willing to lead discussion about current issues. There’s lots to consider. How are the different intelligence bureaucracies being coordinated? Is there pressure to bias analysis? What weight should be given to operations vs. technical surveillance? What will be the relationships between the intelligence agencies and the other national security bureaucracies? General Petraeus and President Obama, like any CIA Director and President, have influenced each of these concerns. So what has been happening, and what happens now?

For many years, Vince McHale has taught a course each Spring on U.S. Intelligence and National Security. He has been a frequent lecturer at the Sherman Kent School of Intelligence Analysis of the CIA and consultant to government agencies on European elections and election systems. He’ll make some remarks and we’ll open up what should be a wide-ranging discussion.

All best regards,
Joe White
Luxenberg Family Professor of Public Policy and Director, Center for Policy Studies

About Our Guest…

Dr. Vicent E. McHale received his Ph.D. from the Pennsylvania State University in 1969 where he was also awarded a certificate in Russian area studies. Although his early research had focused on French and Italian electoral politics, his research and publications have expanded to include politics, political systems, and socio-political change across Europe, with his most recent article being “Democratic Transition and the Evolution of Mass Politics in Post-Communist Central and Eastern Europe,” Historical Social Research (XX:2, 1995). He also has published on crime and violence in 19th-century Europe. His books include Vote, Clivages Socio-politiques, et Developpement Regional en Belgique (1974), Evaluating Transnational Programs in Government and Business (co-edited, 1980), and a two-volume edited work, Political Parties of Europe (1983).

Dr. McHale has been supported by grants from both the Canadian and United States governments. Early in his career he was principal investigator for a National Science Foundation grant (NSF-IG-72) focusing on developmental change, social dissent, and political opposition in Europe. He was project director for a two-year United States Department of Health, Education, and Welfare grant entitled “Transnational Issues: A Proposal for Curricular Development” (G00-760-3403). This latter grant provided the foundation for the undergraduate international studies program at Case Western Reserve University.

For 27 years, Professor McHale served as Chair of the Case Western Reserve University Department of Political Science. His courses include our introduction to comparative politics as well as western European politics, varieties of electoral systems and political violence, in addition to his course on the U.S. intelligence enterprise.

Parking Possibilities

We regret that there is no convenient free parking. The two closest lots are the Severance Hall garage, which can be entered from East Boulevard, and the parking lot of the Church of the Covenant on Euclid, which can be entered from the north side of Euclid Ave, opposite Cornell Road. From Severance, exit by the elevator that says “Thwing Center.” Then walk around the Thwing Center to your left; turn right and walk past the construction and in between Mather House and Mather Dance. Turn right and enter Mather House about ten yards down the walkway. From the Church parking lot, walk west, go down the steps to the walkway, and Mather House is in front of you. Room 100 is to the right after you enter Mather House.

Friday Lunch Upcoming Topics and Speakers:

November 23: No Session – Thanksgiving Break

November 30: The Medium is the Message: What Happens When Universities Digitize Course Evaluations. With Timothy J. Fogarty, Professor of Accountancy.

December 7: The “Chicago Boys” Without Pinochet: Privatization and Protest in Chile. With Diane Haughney, Ph.D.