Spying 101

Why It Matters

Council on Foreign Relations

News

4.2 • 876 Ratings

🗓️ 2 September 2021

⏱️ 34 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

The glamour and thrill of espionage, brought to life on screen by characters such as James Bond, have long captivated imaginations. But this profession is deeply misunderstood, and it is always changing. Today, spycraft hangs in the balance as new technologies emerge and societies change. Featured Guests: Edward Lucas (Senior Fellow, Center for European Policy Analysis) Emily Harding (Deputy Director and Senior Fellow, International Security Program, Center for Strategic and International Studies) For an episode transcript and show notes, visit us at https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/spying-101

Transcript

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0:00.0	Just for fun,
0:04.0	fun, would you be up for lightning round ranking the following
0:09.2	popular spy portrayals on a scale of like 1 to 10 for accuracy.
0:14.0	If I've seen them, but I'll do my best.
0:16.1	OK, so obviously we have to start with James Bond.
0:20.0	Have I liked to give negative scores?
0:21.7	Absolutely, you are.
0:23.2	I mean, James Bond bears as much relation to espionage as the Lion King does to natural history.
0:30.3	But it's great for the MI6 brand. They never complain.
0:34.9	Good recruitment. Okay. What about the Americans?
0:39.6	I think quite plausible there are Russian illegals and from what we know about them that wasn't
0:44.7	it's not as exciting as the Americans but I would give that a six.
0:47.8	Ooh okay that's great what about the Mission Impossible franchise?
0:53.6	Bambi.
0:55.6	I'm surprised you didn't ask me about the born identity.
0:58.7	Go ahead, what is it?
1:00.7	I've done Bambi and I've done the Lion King. I think this is Pinocchio.
1:05.6	This is why I didn't ask.
1:07.6	The name of God, why have we hated him?
1:09.6	He's a spy!
1:11.6	What the hell you think spies are?
1:13.0	All our philosophers measuring everything they do against the word of God or Karl Marx, they're not?
	...

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