Last month, US Director of National Intelligence, Dennis Blair, warned that the ongoing global economic crisis should be Washington's "primary near-term security concern". His comments were seen as an attempt to raise economic intelligence to the top of Washington's intelligence priorities. But do Blair's remarks represent a concrete change in US intelligence attitudes? Is the economic crisis really a more important intelligence concern than transnational terrorist networks? Even if it is, does the US intelligence community possess the experience and expertise to really monitor, comprehend and analyze global economic developments in a way that can advance US national security interests in the 21st century?![]()
