Under-the-Radar Intelligence Sharing

Fight disinformation: Sign up for the free Mother Jones Daily newsletter and follow the news that matters.


I may be the only layperson who cares that the United Nations and the International Criminal Police Organization (better known as Interpol) are now combining resources to track down terrorist suspects—yet another example of the UN’s continued interest in taking the lead on counterterrorism efforts.

The new joint effort is a notable step—Interpol usually focuses on typical “hard” security issues, such as managing intelligence in order to identify and capture criminal suspects who cross borders and elude national authorities. Inside the UN, the idea of sharing national intelligence remains an attractive but controversial idea. Interpol will help the UN by acting as a middleman for activities that lay beyond the UN’s current interests, if not its mandate, by publishing notices for terrorist suspects identified by the UN 1267 committee. In addition, Interpol will provide resources necessary to complete issue special notices, always a welcome offer for an international organization like the UN, plagued by resource problems.

The mandate for this surprising alliance comes from a vague UN pronouncement last July. Security Council resolution 1617 recommended that members states “increase cooperation…as soon as possible share information” and “work within the framework of Interpol.” It’s not that UN leaders and various members didn’t want more fastidious language and action, but as a cooperative group it usually defers to inaction, with exceptions.

Taking a cue from Res. 1617, Interpol responded by passing a resolution of its own, which extended to the UN an offer to issue special notices to Interpol member states about al-Qaeda- and Taliban-associated individuals and entities placed on the UN’s list. Today, Interpol issued the fist four such notices, including one for Abu Musab al-Zarqawi.

AN IMPORTANT UPDATE

We’re falling behind our online fundraising goals and we can’t sustain coming up short on donations month after month. Perhaps you’ve heard? It is impossibly hard in the news business right now, with layoffs intensifying and fancy new startups and funding going kaput.

The crisis facing journalism and democracy isn’t going away anytime soon. And neither is Mother Jones, our readers, or our unique way of doing in-depth reporting that exists to bring about change.

Which is exactly why, despite the challenges we face, we just took a big gulp and joined forces with the Center for Investigative Reporting, a team of ace journalists who create the amazing podcast and public radio show Reveal.

If you can part with even just a few bucks, please help us pick up the pace of donations. We simply can’t afford to keep falling behind on our fundraising targets month after month.

Editor-in-Chief Clara Jeffery said it well to our team recently, and that team 100 percent includes readers like you who make it all possible: “This is a year to prove that we can pull off this merger, grow our audiences and impact, attract more funding and keep growing. More broadly, it’s a year when the very future of both journalism and democracy is on the line. We have to go for every important story, every reader/listener/viewer, and leave it all on the field. I’m very proud of all the hard work that’s gotten us to this moment, and confident that we can meet it.”

Let’s do this. If you can right now, please support Mother Jones and investigative journalism with an urgently needed donation today.

payment methods

AN IMPORTANT UPDATE

We’re falling behind our online fundraising goals and we can’t sustain coming up short on donations month after month. Perhaps you’ve heard? It is impossibly hard in the news business right now, with layoffs intensifying and fancy new startups and funding going kaput.

The crisis facing journalism and democracy isn’t going away anytime soon. And neither is Mother Jones, our readers, or our unique way of doing in-depth reporting that exists to bring about change.

Which is exactly why, despite the challenges we face, we just took a big gulp and joined forces with the Center for Investigative Reporting, a team of ace journalists who create the amazing podcast and public radio show Reveal.

If you can part with even just a few bucks, please help us pick up the pace of donations. We simply can’t afford to keep falling behind on our fundraising targets month after month.

Editor-in-Chief Clara Jeffery said it well to our team recently, and that team 100 percent includes readers like you who make it all possible: “This is a year to prove that we can pull off this merger, grow our audiences and impact, attract more funding and keep growing. More broadly, it’s a year when the very future of both journalism and democracy is on the line. We have to go for every important story, every reader/listener/viewer, and leave it all on the field. I’m very proud of all the hard work that’s gotten us to this moment, and confident that we can meet it.”

Let’s do this. If you can right now, please support Mother Jones and investigative journalism with an urgently needed donation today.

payment methods

We Recommend

Latest

Sign up for our free newsletter

Subscribe to the Mother Jones Daily to have our top stories delivered directly to your inbox.

Get our award-winning magazine

Save big on a full year of investigations, ideas, and insights.

Subscribe

Support our journalism

Help Mother Jones' reporters dig deep with a tax-deductible donation.

Donate