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Mario Caligiuri & Luigi Rucco | Italian Society of Intelligence – History, Mission and Methods | Intelligence & Interview N.18 | Dr Giangiuseppe Pili

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The first time I met Professor Mario Caligiuri was during my PhD. I was in the middle of it, and I had recently published my monograph on the philosophy of war. Everything started with that. I sent the book to Professor Caligiuri, and then a long conversation on intelligence and war started. Then, I met him several times, even in the outstanding Master of Intelligence – University of Calabria, where I was honored to present my research two times as an invited lecturer. In 2018, I started to be part of Intelligence Lab. To make a long story short, we co-authored a book, Intelligence Studies, where we try to compare the Italian intelligence experience and the Anglo-Saxon intelligence from a theoretical and practical perspective. We are currently working together to bring Italian intelligence to the attention of international journals of Intelligence Studies. Meanwhile, Professor Caligiuri and Dr Luigi Rucco, who also co-authored a book Quantum Intelligence, worked relentlessly to elaborate a sound strategy to boost Italy’s intelligence culture, which is Professor Caligiuri’s long-lasting mission even before he was appointed director of the Master of Intelligence. Then, Professor Caligiuri, along with Professor Domenico Talia and Professor Alberto Ventura, founded the Italian Intelligence Society (or, as I call it, Italian Society of Intelligence). Though still very young, this an already vibrant national reality scientifically and culturally. Given the current Italian landscape, this is more than simple good news. This is a light of hope. Then, they invited me to be part of the Editorial Board. I was honored to accept and then I started to work on the project “Intelligence & Interview”, which should be republished by the Society when it reached a sufficient number of publications. The Italian version will be in English for international readers, and the English interviews will be republished in Italian. This is the project. In this way, I&I will be able to bring international scholars within Italian intelligence studies and vice versa. As recently stated in a podcast, we must work united to bring the national experiences to the scientific community. For this reason, I waited to consolidate the already substantial audience of I&I to interview Professor Caligiuri and Dr Rucco. Then, it is with my distinct pleasure to publish the interview on Scuola Filosofica – for those who don’t know it yet, is one of the leading cultural blogs in Italy. In the name of Scuola Filosofica Team, our readers, and myself, Giangiuseppe Pili, Mario and Luigi: thank you!

Philani Dhlamini| Intelligence & Interview #10| Intelligence in Africa – Versione Italiana

Questa è la traduzione dell’intervista “Intelligence & Interview #10“, quando ancora non aveva il titolo ufficiale della serie! Sembrano passati pochi mesi, ma la serie ha avuto un clamoroso successo e ha proseguito la sua storia con ricercatori e professionisti nazionali e internazionali. Philani Dhlamini è un esperto di intelligence, specialmente nel ramo OSINT e Social Media. Tuttavia, egli è anche un ricercatore e una delle sue missioni è quella di portare gli studi sull’intelligence in Africa all’attenzione della comunità internazionale degli studi sull’intelligence. In tal senso, egli mi ha invitato a presentare la mia opinione sulla necessità di allargare il dibattito a livello internazionale sia sull’Africa sia oltre. In questa circostanza (qui il podcast) ho avuto modo di specificare i motivi per cui gli intelligence studies sono ancora così influenzati dal pensiero anglo-americano, circostanza comprensibile ma da superare. Ho parlato lentamente e sembra quasi balbettante. Ma la causa era la difficoltà del tema, che andava ponderato con molta attenzione. Proseguire verso una maggiore integrazione significa lavorare in un contesto internazionale in cui le singole comunità di studi sull’intelligence nazionali portano il loro caso all’attenzione della comunità scientifica. Mi pare di poter dire che questo obiettivo sia ancora molto lontano, come il caso europeo – e italiano – dimostrano. Infatti, le pubblicazioni disponibili in lingua inglese sulle singole esperienze nazionali europee  – e il nostro caso non è affatto un’eccezione in tal senso – sono assai poche e comunque principalmente francesi o tedesche (dove gli UK fanno già parte integrante e costitutiva degli intelligence studies come si può intendere dal recente libro scritto insieme al professor Mario Caligiuri – Intelligence Studies in cui tracciamo proprio il paragone tra il caso italiano e quello internazionale). Per tale ragione, una delle prime dieci interviste è stata proprio con il dott. Dhlamini, per iniziare a congiungere i diversi fili dispersi della storia e cultura dell’intelligence. Senza ulteriori indugi, pur consigliando la versione originale scritta in un inglese denso e ricco, vi lasciamo alla scoperta dell’intelligence nella storia e cultura africana.

William Spracher | Intelligence Education and the American Intelligence Journal | Intelligence & Interview N.17 | Dr Giangiuseppe Pili

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“Intelligence & Interview” #17 is honored to present you a wonderful interview with an exceptional guest, Dr. William Spracher, Professor of Strategic Intelligence and Director of the Writing Center at the National Intelligence University! The first time I saw Professor Spracher, he didn’t know it. It was my first time at the International Studies Association convention in Baltimore, 2017. It looks like an age ago, and it was my first engagement with the Intelligence Studies Section (ISS). I was intimidated, and I used to listen carefully, silently. Since then, I had the pleasure of participating in ISA regularly, and Professor Spracher was always there. However, the first time we spoke was due to a wonderful opportunity Professor Spracher was advertising: a student volume to be edited by the American Intelligence Journal. I kindly asked him if it was a sound idea to advertise it a bit. And I did it. Moreover, I had the pleasure to meet Professor Spracher again at the International Association for Intelligence Education (IAFIE) conference (2019) in New York. It was one of the best conferences I ever attended. I confess that I really enjoyed it. In addition, it was my first time in NY, and it was an overwhelming experience. Professor Spracher was present to my panel, where I presented one of my well-known (maybe not) “crazy” research. It was a comparison between chess and intelligence. Then, I submitted it to the American Intelligence Journal, whose editor in chief is Professor Spracher himself. It is my fifth article in an international journal, “Is a Chess Player and Intelligence Analyst?” (American Intelligence Journal, 36: (2), 74-85). Professor Spracher is a very dedicated and inspiring person whose experience in the field of intelligence education, intelligence tradecraft, and so much more is well-known. Then, it is with my distinct pleasure to publish the interview on Scuola Filosofica – for those who don’t know it yet, is one of the leading cultural blogs in Italy. In the name of Scuola Filosofica Team, our readers, and myself, Giangiuseppe Pili, William: thank you!

Giovanni Nacci | OSINT Theory & Intelli|Sfèra | Intelligence & Interview N.16 | Dr Giangiuseppe Pili

Open Source Intelligence (OSINT) is not new anymore. After all, even in Italy, the first Robert Steele’s work translated is almost twenty-year. A great historian such as Christopher Bayly stated that fifty-years is a good parameter to judge the long-term when human history is concerned. Then, OSINT is already old. Sure, the smart reader would say, OSINT is with us since intelligence started. After all, as Giovanni Nacci states in this interview, information is naturally born open, the great majority of the time. Yes, but even considering the OSINT revolution due to the World Wide Web & the ICTs, OSINT is already something mature. It is an intelligence discipline that is taking new ways from the old ones, testifying the livelihood of its evolution through time, as Efren Torres stated in Intelligence & Interview #8. In addition, today, OSINT seems to be the solution for everything, though it looks difficult to be believed looking to the world around us and its ineffable uncertainty and resistance over human capacity to control it. So, today we have an Italian OSINT expert whose passion for the discipline is apparent by all his activities. He is the founder of Intelli|Sfèra, a project entirely devolved to OSINT theory and techniques. This is a fascinating Italian window to an old/new intelligence discipline. Then, it is with my distinct pleasure to publish the interview on Scuola Filosofica – for those who don’t know it yet, is one of the leading cultural blogs in Italy. In the name of Scuola Filosofica Team, our readers, and myself, Dr Giangiuseppe Pili, Giovanni: thank you!


1. How would you like to present yourself to the Italian readers and Philosophical School (Scuola Filosofica)?

I usually introduce myself as a former Italian Navy Officer and enthusiast professional and advisor (since 1998) in theories, methods, and systems for the strategic treatment of information and specialist in Open Source Intelligence applications. I’m a public administration official with about five “lustrum” of administrative proceedings, data protection, Information, and Communication Technology applications. Furthermore, I’m author and co-author of papers, articles, and books about OSINT and creator of the proposal for a “General Theory” for Open Source Intelligence (a summary is available here) and founder of Intelli|sfèra, a cultural project whose aim is the interdisciplinary innovation in the Open Source Intelligence.

Professor Candyce Kelshall e l’Associazione Canadese per la Sicurezza e gli Studi sull’Intelligence | Versione Italiana

Questa è la traduzione dell’originale Intelligence & Interview #11, scritta dalla professoressa Candyce Kelshall sulla Canadian Association for Secrutiy and Intelligence di cui è la presidente. Siamo lieti di pubblicare oggi la traduzione italiana a cura del dott. Giacomo F. Carrus del Team di Scuola Filosofica e coordinatore regionale della Società Italiana di Intelligence (SOCINT). L’intento di Intelligence & Interviews è quello di esplorare temi fondamentali sulla sicurezza, intelligence, tecnologia e filosofia. Essa ha la duplice valenza di portare esperti nazionali all’attenzione internazionale o, viceversa, di dialogare direttamente con professionisti e ricercatori d’eccellenza in campo internazionale. Il progetto si estenderà con la pubblicazione delle interviste in italiano e in inglese in due volumi distinti così da non perdere questa eccezionale esperienza di dialogo internazionale, multilinguistico e disciplinare. Intelligence & Interview è un progetto di ampio respiro sostenuto dall’associazione culturale Azione Filosofica e Scuola Filosofica, con il supporto della Società Italiana di Intelligence e Intelligence Lab. Ideata e realizzata dal Dr Giangiuseppe Pili insieme al Team di Scuola Filosofica. Con questo vi auguriamo una buona lettura!


1. Professoressa Candyce Kelshall, partiamo dalle basi. Come vorrebbe presentarsi ai lettori italiani e a Scuola Filosofica?

Sono istruttrice professionale e accademica nel campo della polizia, delle forze dell’ordine, dell’esercito, dei servizi segreti e del commercio in oltre 17 paesi. Ho insegnato e preparato programmi accademici negli ultimi 14 anni presso l’Università di Buckingham UK, l’Università del Sussex UK, la Rabdan Academy UAE, la Simon Fraser University Canada e il British Columbia Institute of Technology.

Maria Gabriella Pasqualini | The History of the Italian Intelligence Community | Intelligence & Interview N.15 | Dr Giangiuseppe Pili

© Maria Gabriella Pasqualini – Approved by the Author

Professor Maria Gabriella Pasqualini is not only one of the best (if not THE best) Italian intelligence historian. She is also a passionate photographer (the pictures you see are hers). And she is a wonderful person. Her passion for her research can only be known to those who had the pleasure of talking to her. Since I started working on “Intelligence & Interview”, now arrived at its 15th issue, I had the pleasure to meet extraordinary persons. All of them are enthusiastic, deep thinkers, and valuable experts in their fields. However, Professor Pasqualini is really a perfect expression of what lead me to embark on this project in the first place. My curiosity toward topics I love brought me the opportunity to discuss what I work at a new level of understanding. This interview is on Italian intelligence history. Bringing the Italian perspective to the international community is a goal I’m pursuing since I started working with professor Caligiuri and Fabrizio Minniti. That’s why Fabrizio and I published a paper in the International Journal of Intelligence and CounterIntelligence on the Italian reform’s aftermath. Professor Pasqualini is definitely an authority impossible to be matched in her field. Her knowledge comes from years of experience and research directly into the archives. We worked together to be sure that this interview is sufficiently able to give the international readers the flavor of Italian history. So, I’m excited to publish this interview after so many personal exchanges with professor Pasqualini. She really enriched me. I hope you all will be. She published so much in Italian, and beyond that, I can only recommend her work. It is really worthy. Then, it is with my distinct pleasure to publish the interview on Scuola Filosofica – for those who don’t know it yet, is one of the leading cultural blogs in Italy. In the name of Scuola Filosofica Team, our readers, and myself, Dr Giangiuseppe Pili, Maria Gabriella: thank you!

Abbiamo varcato il punto di non ritorno, ma io non ne ho paura


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Il trillo della rivoluzione

“Le vere rivoluzioni, quelle che non si limitano a cambiare la forma politica e il personale del governo, ma che trasformano le istituzioni e dànno luogo ai grandi trasferimenti della proprietà, lavorano a lungo sotterranee prima di scoppiare alla luce del giorno sotto l’impulso di qualche circostanza fortuita. La Rivoluzione francese, che colse alla sprovvista col suo impeto irresistibile non meno gli stessi autori e beneficiari, che quelli che ne furono le vittime, ebbe una lenta preparazione per più di un secolo. Essa nacque dalla sconcordanza, che tendeva a farsi di giorno in giorno più profonda, tra la realtà delle cose e le leggi, tra le istituzioni e i costumi, tra la lettera e lo spirito”, così inizia la monumentale Rivoluzione Francese degli storici Albert Mathiez e Georges Lefebvre. Come ogni cambiamento storico significativo, esso si fonda su una lunga catena di avvenimenti che si pongono alle spalle degli esseri umani i quali decidono infine per una direzione o per un’altra. Come il capitano di una nave senza precisa rotta, ma ispirato dalla ricerca di grandi ricchezze e con la perpetua paura di perdere la nave, gli esseri umani non possono cambiare ciò che sono, non possono decidere di vivere in un altro mondo o con altre persone. Esse però sono pur sempre ancora responsabili di ciò che vivono, nella misura in cui vogliono e dispongono.

E tu, che complottista sei? – Le radici filosofiche del complottismo


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Non sono un grande esperto delle teorie del complotto o complottismo, sia in campo politico che scientifico. Non solo non sono un esperto, ma non mi interessano per niente. Prima di tutto mi annoiano, in secondo non mi affascinano. Eppure hanno generato un impressionante dibattito nel mondo internazionale, giungendo addirittura al Jouranl of Philosophy in tempi non sospetti ma generando un vasto dibattito tra gli ivory towers philosophers, il che è tutto dire.

Sono stato, mio malgrado, coinvolto da questo fenomeno per via di alcuni miei amici, i quali invece sono curiosamente attratti da queste visioni alternative, il primo ne è un grande appassionato per ragioni ideologiche. Pur non credendoci sino in fondo (ma poi vallo a sapere!), egli vorrebbe crederci, ovvero assumerle come interpretazione standard della realtà, principalmente per andare contro la “visione dominante” secondo cui la scienza è l’unica religione possibile. Dove qui, effettivamente, con “scienza” si intende genericamente qualsiasi informazione passata come vera solo perché qualche istituzione statale ha pagato per la “ricerca”. Essendo il mio amico una persona intelligente, non riesce ad accettare questa sorta di narrativa per pseudo-adulti come qualcosa di vero o, perlomeno, di bello da credere. Effettivamente, credere che la verità sia un modulo burocratico difeso dalla polizia obiettivamente non desta molta appetibilità. Pur essendo io agli antipodi di questo modo di pensare, entrambi convergiamo in una visione assai critica di questa riduzione per infanti di quello che è il processo scientifico, che è fatto di esseri umani, soldi, burocrazia e marketing, come tutto il resto. Non perché necessariamente ci sia niente di meglio, ma perché questo non trasforma un’attività umana in una attività divina. Su questo, vorremmo dire, c’è poco margine di disaccordo.

Concerns Arising from Smart City Technology and Ways to Stay Private

Image from unsplash.com -Approved by the Author –

By Brad Smith

Currently, 55 percent of the entire world’s population lives in urban centers, and this proportion is expected to move to 68 percent by 2050. While increased population comes with advantages such as the expansion of the tax base, upsurge in consumer spending at neighborhood businesses, and increased labor force, it causes a big strain on resources and the environment.

With the number of interconnected devices becoming more and more every day, the IoT technology can help us mitigate the negative results of urban migration through smart city technology. Let’s look at some of the worldwide smart city trends and their benefits.

Egisto Mannini | Oil & Geopolitics | Intelligence & Interview N.14 | Dr Giangiuseppe Pili

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Usually, we use to dislike randomness in life. Predictability and railroad-encapsulation of life look promising, comfortable, and easy. However, life is beautiful because of an unexpected chance. I had the luck to meet Mr Egisto Mannini during a recent flight, coming back to Sardinia (Italy). Everything started because I read he was reading a book on the Soviet economic history (Routledge edition). I’m obsessed with the Soviet Union history, which, I believe, is showing us the future of several countries, and I put Italy inside them – but this is another story (see below). Then I thought “If he is reading such a book, then there are just two possibilities. (a) He is a colleague of mine, but I didn’t know him. Then, starting a chat would be profitable. (b) He is not a colleague of mine. Therefore, he has a similar passion of mine. So, starting chat would be very fun – given the fact that I co-authored a book on the history of the Cold War. However, the reality was even better. Since I started to speak with Egisto, we immediately got in his major expertise: the Oil & Gas industry, the evolution of the hydrocarbon, geopolitical implications, and the (sad) Italian place in the current geopolitical scenario. Egisto showed passion, intelligence, and determination, something definitely unusual. We are both Italians, therefore we are both hard complainers about her. This is our National sport, even more practiced than soccer (which is already an achievement!). This is the 14th “Intelligence and Interview”, which already covered AI, military history and geopolitics, and, of course, intelligence. It was time to cover the Oil & Gas industry! And then, without further ados, I will invite you all to read this extraordinary, dense, and insightful interview! In the name of Scuola Filosofica Team, our readers, and myself, Dr Giangiuseppe Pili, Egisto: thank you!