avner barnea
University of Haifa, National Security Studies Department, Faculty Member
- Western Galilee College, Management, Adjunctadd
The story of Oleg Gordievsky, a KGB senior officer who defected to the UK in 1985, is one of the most appealing stories in the thrilling history of the Cold War and is revealed by Ben Macintyre in his book: The Spy and the Traitor,... more
The story of Oleg Gordievsky, a KGB senior officer who defected to the UK in 1985, is one of the most appealing stories in the thrilling history of the Cold War and is revealed by Ben Macintyre in his book: The Spy and the Traitor, published in 2019. John le Carre has noted that this is: “the best true spy story I have ever read.” The book has been launched in Israel in Hebrew and caught a lot of attention. Gordievsky was spying for the UK for more than a decade and had supplied the MI6 with a stream of priceless secrets from deep within the Soviet intelligence apparatus. It looks as if almost no spy did more to damage the KGB. Many believe that this story changed the course of the Cold War forever. This review was written based on my long career with counterintelligence in the ISA (Israel Security Agency), trying to investigate the insights and lessons that can be drawn based on this book, that may be relevant to intelligence practitioners and scholars in intelligence studies. Compared to the reviews that have been written on this book none was done from this point of view.
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ABSTRACT The assassination of Yitzhak Rabin, Prime Minister of Israel, on the evening of November 4, 1995, by an extreme right-wing Jew was one of the most traumatic events in the history of the State of Israel. The question is: Was it... more
ABSTRACT The assassination of Yitzhak Rabin, Prime Minister of Israel, on the evening of November 4, 1995, by an extreme right-wing Jew was one of the most traumatic events in the history of the State of Israel. The question is: Was it preventable? Contrary to the public perception that the assassination happened as a result of a security failure and poor management of the Israel Security Agency (ISA), I argue that the murder was mainly due to an ISA intelligence failure. Based on information that was in the hands of the ISA (also known as Shabak or Shin Bet), this event was not a complete surprise, and the ISA possibly could have prevented this political assassination by stopping the killer in advance. However, intelligence failures in counter-intelligence are much less researched than strategic intelligence failures such as Pearl Harbor, Barbarossa, the Yom Kippur War, and the U.S. invasion of Iraq (2003).
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A successful strategic surprise, whether in the military or business sector, can have critical significance both for the initiating organization (the “attacker”) and the organization under attack (...
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The phenomenon of individual Islamic terrorist attacks (“Lone Wolf”) taking place in Europe, the United States, and Israel raises questions about the ability of intelligence agencies to prevent such deadly assaults. Dealing with... more
The phenomenon of individual Islamic terrorist attacks (“Lone Wolf”) taking place in Europe, the United States, and Israel raises questions about the ability of intelligence agencies to prevent such deadly assaults. Dealing with unexpected attacks by “lone wolves” has been made even more problematic by the return to Europe and the U.S. of extremists who have received training in terrorism from the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) and from other terrorist organizations based in Syria and Iraq. The general public’s fear of terrorism remains high, while attempts have been made, primarily by extreme right-wing politicians, to exploit that fear for their own political advantage. This factor may, in turn, be giving terrorists greater incentives to act. Western intelligence services claim that they have significantly upgraded their knowledge and systems for discovering and countering security threats, and have improved their coverage of ISIS. Yet, the concern is whether individual terrorists, operating in the digital age of information overload, are identifying weaknesses in intelligence organizations and none defined
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The assassination of Yitzhak Rabin, Prime Minister of Israel, on the evening of November 4, 1995, by an extreme right-wing Jew was one of the most traumatic events in the history of the State of Israel. The question is: Was it... more
The assassination of Yitzhak Rabin, Prime Minister of Israel, on the evening of November 4, 1995, by an extreme right-wing Jew was one of the most traumatic events in the history of the State of Israel. The question is: Was it preventable? Contrary to the public perception that the assassination happened as a result of a security failure and poor management of the Israel Security Agency (ISA), I argue that the murder was mainly due to an ISA intelligence failure. Based on information that was in the hands of the ISA (also known as Shabak or Shin Bet), this event was not a complete surprise, and the ISA possibly could have prevented this political assassination by stopping the killer in advance. However, intelligence failures in counterintelligence are much less researched than strategic intelligence failures such as Pearl Harbor, Barbarossa, the Yom Kippur War, and the U.S. invasion of Iraq (2003).
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This study was conducted to discuss the unsuccessful experience of Starbucks in Israel and to show that it was primarily a result of lack of peripheral vision in addition to other factors, including a weak management performance. Relevant... more
This study was conducted to discuss the unsuccessful experience of Starbucks in Israel and to show that it was primarily a result of lack of peripheral vision in addition to other factors, including a weak management performance. Relevant information published in Israel and abroad were gathered using the concept of peripheral vision, supported by other concepts, to analyze and offer insight into this case study. Starbucks in Israel made major mistakes, mainly in reading the map of the local coffee shop business and taking for granted success in the Israeli market. There was lack of up-to-date information on the local coffee shop business, and the relevant senior members were reluctant of being interviewed. This study can make a contribution to global corporations considering entering of Starbucks into the Israeli dynamic and competitive business arena. This is the first work in Israel and worldwide on the failure of Starbucks to penetrate Israel.
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This paper investigates the state of competitive intelligence among Israeli firmsin 2014. The methodology used was self completion questionnaires, which were responded to in May and June of 2016. A response rate of 26% was achieved with... more
This paper investigates the state of competitive intelligence among Israeli firmsin 2014. The methodology used was self completion questionnaires, which were responded to in May and June of 2016. A response rate of 26% was achieved with 39 questionnaires returned of the 69 questionnaires that were sent out to 65 local firms, most of them with an annual turnover of greater than 100 million USD. The results indicated that there were insignificant changes in the use of competitive intelligence in Israel in the last 10 years, since a survey conducted in 2006. Initially it looked as if the use of competitive intelligence was expanding, but the actual findings shows that the contribution of competitive intelligence to the decision making process was not progressing as it was expected to and there were difficulties in making competitiveintelligence an integral part of the decision-making process and having it reach an influential position. The results indicated that the recent global downt...
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The world is facing a rapid pace of changes with a heightened sense of uncertainty, ambiguity, and complexity in both government and business landscapes. New threats and major changes in the world order are creating an external... more
The world is facing a rapid pace of changes with a heightened sense of uncertainty, ambiguity, and complexity in both government and business landscapes. New threats and major changes in the world order are creating an external environment that demands closer monitoring and greater anticipatory and predictive skills. Deeper analysis and speed of action are becoming more important for agile organizations and governments. The needs to upgrade the capabilities of intelligence analysts, mostly in strategic intelligence, have been known for quite a long time. Scholars who are looking into intelligence failures1 and other major national security2 and business3 events when decision-makers were not warned in time, seek expert tools and methodologies to avoid these failures4. Management is constantly concerned, aspiring to receive better decisions by relying on solid analysis in order to better understand the challenges ahead5. The current direction is in the same direction, while new emer...
Purpose - The defense industry is one of the leading business sectors in Israel and also worldwide. Competitive Intelligence (hereafter CI) is embedded into this sector and supports its decision making process. In recent years more... more
Purpose - The defense industry is one of the leading business sectors in Israel and also worldwide. Competitive Intelligence (hereafter CI) is embedded into this sector and supports its decision making process. In recent years more information about this industry and about the CI activity is available while characterized by fierce competition and quick changes in the competitive environment. It is evident that CI is used widely by the leading firms in this sector while it has become an integral part of the business activity, and its added value seems to be significant. It is possible to define a framework of CI activity in this industry and to reflect on its advantages and limitations. It is my hope that this paper will encourage further research on this topic. Methodology/approach – Gathering information that has been published in Israel and abroad that was analyzed and thus offers insight into this issue. Findings – The defense industry in general and especially in Israel is using...
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Start-up companies are the fastest growing business in Israel. However, half of them do not last through their fourth year. This paper looks into the issue of the power of Israeli start-ups to survive and to become successful companies.... more
Start-up companies are the fastest growing business in Israel. However, half of them do not last through their fourth year. This paper looks into the issue of the power of Israeli start-ups to survive and to become successful companies. The challenge is to seek new directions, which will help this sector to change this disappointing course. The start-up sector has a significant contribution to the strength of the Israeli economy which leans on its intellectual resources. Based on my continuing consulting in implementing competitive intelligence to local Israeli start-ups and further research that I have done by following closely the added value of developing capabilities, which enable better understanding of the external environment, I have found that one of the main causes of the high percentage of failures of Israeli start-ups is the difficulties in comprehending the competitive landscape, which has a significant contribution to making them less competitive. By using a new model, ...