Scholar, Soldier, Blogger, Spy
Even John le Carre couldn't have imagined what the high-tech spy world would look like today. Last week Kevin Whitelaw of U.S. News & World Report gave us a peek inside that world by describing the National Counterterrorism Center, the Virginia hub where all the nation's intelligence on terrorism threats is supposed to come together. Whitelaw's "The Eye of the Storm" shows us the center's intense inner workings, cutting-edge gadgets and ferocious turf battles. Of special interest is David E. Kaplan's sidebar, "Hey, Let's Play Ball," which details how U.S. spy agencies are reaching out to academics and businessmen to help them figure out what is driving the spread of terrorism around the world. The agencies, Kaplan reports, are even turning to blogs and wikis as ways to collect information.