History Evolution Espionage. Pay Attention Spies Reasoning

¶ … history evolution espionage. Pay attention spies reasoning willingness assume role. This paper cite assigned readings incorporate thoughts deemed relevant forum discussion. Questions discussed forum class participation: Is spying ? Should a spy/source considered a traitor country? How mitigate risks engaging types individuals? If refer books "The Moral Dilemmas Spying" Why Spy? Espionage Age Uncertainty."

Espionage

While espionage involves a complex system in the present and while it has come to be a large industry, the first records of espionage are nonetheless impressive and demonstrate that people have been acquainted with this concept long before modern times. Spies need to be looked at from a more general perspective in order for someone to be able to identify them and the jobs they are assigned. Espionage does not only involve collecting information, as it also relates to how individuals can put across false information in order to influence their enemies to focus on concepts that are not necessarily important.

The first recorded account of espionage goes back to the battle of Kadesh

(1274 B.C.) and involves the Hittite king Muwatallis providing two of his men with the mission to contact the Egyptian camp as deserters in order to influence the pharaoh to believe that the Hittite army was far from the Egyptians and that it would be wise for him to try and devise an ambush. Even though the pharaoh eventually realized that he was being set a trap, the two spies almost influenced him to risk a large contingent of his army and even to lose the war.

The Old Testament is an important source documenting other early espionage cases. "The first mention of spies comes as early as the Book of Genesis, when Joseph accuses his brothers -- who had earlier sold him into slavery -- of being Canaanite spies reconnoitering for unprotected spots along the Egyptian border." (Crowdy 15) Even with the fact that this example does not necessarily demonstrate that Joseph's brothers were actually spies, it provides readers with the opportunity to acknowledge the fact that espionage was a common idea during Ancient Egypt.

Another significant case of espionage happening during ancient times involves Moses' attempt to use twelve spies in Canaan. He took this decision with the purpose to discover more about this area and in order to decide whether or not it would be easy for him and his people to occupy it. Moses was actually very experienced when it came to espionage and "he used spies to much better effect in his war against Sihon, the king of Amorites and Og, King of Bashan." (Crowdy 16) Israelites were actually very successful in a series of military campaigns they had as a result of using spies.

Sun Tzu's "Art of War" provides more information concerning espionage and it is safe to say that the manuscript made it possible for humanity to understand that espionage has reached a whole new level during the period. Saint Thomas Aquinas's efforts to describe the perfect conditions required for a conflict to occur and the morally justifiable reasons why people should go to war. "Spying is not explicitly mentioned by Aquinas or by his spiritual predecessor Saint Augustine (354-430), but I do not think it is a stretch of logic to assert that intelligence is an indispensable adjunct of a state's war-making capability and therefore legitimately comes under the just war theory." (Olson 20) This demonstrates that by Aquinas' time espionage had become a significant aspect of warfare and that it was perfectly normal for armies to use intelligence in an attempt to collect information or to gain the ability to influence their enemies' opinion with regard to a particular matter.

Espionage works as a strategic technique meant to assist a certain body gain a more complex understanding of the threat it is facing, of the enemy's weak points, and on attitudes that it can take on in order to remove the threat. U.S. Catholic bishops used their 1993 statement "The Harvest of Justice is Sown in Peace" with the purpose to emphasize the fact that accurate information was, indeed, required in order for armies to be able to understand more about their enemies and in order to be able to remove threats (Olson 20).

Espionage evolved throughout history and it came to be regarded as an essential concept during warfare. While people generally have the tendency to look at espionage as something cold and immoral, the reality is that it has prevented numerous innocent deaths in a series of cases. By knowing an enemy's weak points, a body can avoid a great deal of bloodshed and can put an end to a conflict through a series of other means.

Espionage needs to be considered only in cases where there are no other options available, taking into account the complex set of factors that it involves. Many individuals tend to look at spies or sources as betraying their countries. However, the fact that espionage is so complex means that there are numerous ideas that need to be considered before relating to a person as being a traitor. The fact that he or she risked his position in order to provide information demonstrates that he or she was passionate about his or her job. Furthermore, it demonstrates that the respective individual had all the motives to become a spy. In some cases, individuals who betray their countries solely in an attempt to increase their profits can actually be regarded as traitors.

Individuals such as Jonathan Pollard are particularly intriguing when considering the idea of espionage in general. While some people believe that he was a traitor because he acted in disagreement with principles that he generally supported, others consider that his actions are laudable. Israel managed to secure its position as a result of the information it was provided with and no one was harmed as a consequence of the espionage case.