An opportunity to be transparent was indeed missed. Conspiracy theories will emerge from this undertaking much as they have always haunted secret work.
If we can take these summaries as basically honest, they seem to me to be useful. Presumably they cover the situations CSIS assesses as most important to be known. The list of countries covered should surprise no one who reads the news and editorials. They demonstrate that CSIS has thresholds and will take action with careful boundaries (TRM).
It was suggested to me some years ago that Sweden's approach to secrecy is the inverse to ours and might be worth a look. It was also suggested to me, well, a congregation actually, some years ago, by a Reverend in the United Church in Ottawa, that Ottawa is consumed by fear. Fear and secrecy (and incompetence) go hand in hand. Excesses in fear and secrecy can be symptoms of sickness in the mental health literature. So maybe this subject requires a good look. But does it matter how it's done in the USA?
An opportunity to be transparent was indeed missed. Conspiracy theories will emerge from this undertaking much as they have always haunted secret work.
If we can take these summaries as basically honest, they seem to me to be useful. Presumably they cover the situations CSIS assesses as most important to be known. The list of countries covered should surprise no one who reads the news and editorials. They demonstrate that CSIS has thresholds and will take action with careful boundaries (TRM).
It was suggested to me some years ago that Sweden's approach to secrecy is the inverse to ours and might be worth a look. It was also suggested to me, well, a congregation actually, some years ago, by a Reverend in the United Church in Ottawa, that Ottawa is consumed by fear. Fear and secrecy (and incompetence) go hand in hand. Excesses in fear and secrecy can be symptoms of sickness in the mental health literature. So maybe this subject requires a good look. But does it matter how it's done in the USA?