Post-Cold War Economic Espionage in the United States

Author

Chiradeep Sen

Date of Graduation

Summer 2004

Degree

Master of Science in Defense and Strategic Studies

Department

Defense and Strategic Studies

Committee Chair

William Van Cleave

Abstract

Literature abounds on post-Cold War economic espionage. But none has dealt with the American policy position in a thorough manner. This present inquiry utilizes two survey reports and complimentary literature to address the following questions: (1) Is there a real threat to the United States from economic espionage? (2) If there is, what are the major sources of threat? and (3) What are and ought to be the U.S. government response? Results indicate that the threat from economic espionage is real and increasng. In global information economy critical technology is essential for power. Since the United States leads in innovations, its economic adversaries are engaging their national spy services to purloin U.S. technology. But America has taken serious cognizance of this threat and may have also commenced countereconomic espionage. These findings imply that for any country to defeat the United States economically and militariality, it has either to be first in innovations or gain access to America's innovation foundation through economic espionage.

Keywords

economic espionage, microeconomic espionage, economic intelligence, technology-theft, national economic security

Subject Categories

Defense and Security Studies

Copyright

© Chiradeep Sen

Citation-only

Dissertation/Thesis

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