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Francis Walsingham, Elizabeth I, and the foundational mindset of "secret services" in Anglo-sphere ("5 eyes") explains everything. The modern secret services a

Francis Walsingham, Elizabeth I, and the foundational mindset of "secret services" in Anglo-sphere ("5 eyes") explains everything. The modern secret services are based on British Empire's model, itself an outgrowth of Elizabethan intelligence services. The reason the "5+J eyes" -- btw, Israeli eyes don't count? -- insist on knowing everything about everyone in "the realm" is because Catholics and Protestants were having a very nasty, and very bloody, power struggle in England. The queen of england had reasons to fear her own subjects, and the "intelligence services" that supported her certainly viewed say 1/2 of the English population as potential enemies. This is their mindset. Nothing will change this state of affairs until the current ruling set is booted, once and for all. They've had a multi-century run. Time to take a bow.

082349872349872 6y ago
Secret services also provide continuity in methods, if not personnel, across hostile administrative changes. For instance, the KGB inherited its methods (continuously) from the Cheka, which had inherited its methods (discontinously) from the Okhrana. "He who fights too long against dragons becomes a dragon himself." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Okhrana https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Okhrana Detim to tili du kombat wit inyalowda, to gonya du sheru du owta wit kowmang. (He who continually struggles against Inners will become divisive himself.)
- haneefmubarak 6y ago
  "He who fights with monsters should be careful lest he thereby become a monster. And if thou gaze long into an abyss, the abyss will also gaze into thee." - Friedrich Nietzsche