Intelligence Studies in the 21st Century: 'Managing Uncertainty'

Istanbul hosted a highly significant event in the academic field of intelligence studies from October 10 to 12, 2025. The “International Con...

Istanbul hosted a highly significant event in the academic field of intelligence studies from October 10 to 12, 2025. The “International Congress on Intelligence Studies,” organized by the National Intelligence Academy, brought together 250 academics from Turkey and around the world.

In his opening speech, the Head of the National Intelligence Organization (MİT), İbrahim Kalın, emphasized that intelligence is no longer limited to state-led operations. He noted that such scholarly gatherings now play a key role in shaping the intelligence ecosystem and in establishing intelligence studies as a discipline. 

Kalın added that the Western-centric paradigm is being questioned and that the notion of a new global order is at a critical juncture. He also wrote on the commemorative board in the conference hall: “Intelligence is accurate and valuable information.”

Prof. Dr. Talha Köse, the Head of the National Intelligence Academy, stated that we stand on the threshold of both a new scientific revolution and a transformation of the global order. He remarked that current paradigms struggle to comprehend today’s challenges and described the congress not merely as a scientific gathering, but also as an act of intellectual courage to rethink the changing global order. Stressing that we live in an age of uncertainty, Köse highlighted the importance of addressing new topics and actors through diverse approaches and methods.

The congress featured hundreds of papers, ranging from the theoretical framework of intelligence to its applications in technology, security, artificial intelligence, the economy, and public health—making it a highly comprehensive event.

I also contributed a paper titled “Knowledge and Power: The Role of Strategic Intelligence in the U.S.–China Great Power Competition.” Over the course of three days, distinguished scholars engaged in productive knowledge exchange.

The congress adopted an interdisciplinary approach—an important step toward deepening and broadening intelligence studies. As İbrahim Kalın emphasized, the aim is to move beyond viewing intelligence as merely an operational activity and to embed it within an institutionalized knowledge ecosystem.

As Prof. Dr. Talha Köse also noted, research on the “new actors and methods of the age of uncertainty” is meaningful only through an interdisciplinary lens. Integrating intelligence with academic debate—moving it beyond operational confines—not only contributes to the field; it also opens new pathways from theory to practice. In this context, theory should give meaning to practice, and practice should shape theory.

William James’s Pragmatism offers a fitting line: “The greatest use of a theory is to bring together old facts and lead us to new ones.” In a world experiencing a global interregnum of deepening uncertainty, theoretical grounding is essential to prepare for new realities.

Likewise, Martin Wight’s observation—“The reality of international relations cannot be grasped through a single tradition; rather, it emerges through the debates between traditions”—underscores the value of contributions from multiple disciplines. As noted earlier, practice can also provide valuable insights to theory.

Academic discussion and knowledge production in intelligence will help institutional approaches adapt more swiftly to the demands of the new era. In short, the National Intelligence Academy seeks to establish the conceptual backbone of intelligence studies in Turkey. This, in turn, enables a transition from “day-to-day reactive thinking” to a strategic mindset.

What impressed me most during the congress was that the claim of being “interdisciplinary” went beyond rhetoric. Papers on “intelligence and art,” “medical intelligence,” and “financial intelligence” signaled a new generation of security thinking that considers national security not only through traditional lenses but also through public health, supply chains, and cultural strategies. This diversification requires thinking about intelligence in broader and deeper terms.

As a side note, integrating intelligence with philosophy and encouraging joint studies would enrich the field by establishing a sustained platform for intellectual discourse.

Ultimately, a strategic intelligence architecture that sets the agenda before crises—rather than merely managing them—is both possible and necessary. The capacity generated by technological breakthroughs is highly valuable and must be applied judiciously; otherwise, it risks producing noise. In other words, the issue is not merely collecting data, but evaluating it and making it actionable.

Information will continue to be the most valuable strategic asset. Yet reinforcing it with a solid theoretical framework and deepening institutional structures will likely be among the most challenging tasks ahead.

Academic events such as the International Intelligence Studies Congress should be seen as the first steps towards transforming intelligence from merely an operational tool into an intellectual discipline. In a sense, this reflects intelligence's efforts to adapt to changing conditions in the 21st century. At the same time, it can form a lasting foundation for the state to re-examine its strategic mindset and institutionalise strategic thinking.