NEW YORK, Aug 1: All the US intelligence agencies have been brought under the one single agency known as National Intelligence. The idea mooted at the beginning of President Bush's second term in 2004 has at last been fructified.
There are 16 spy agencies in America. Lack of coordination and cohesion among the spy agencies, many feared, led to the incidents of now famous 9/11 that have rocked not only America but also its cascading impacts are still being felt by the rest of the world, particularly the Muslim nations.
President Bush on Wednesday signed the order bringing all 16 sleuth agencies under one single umbrella called the National Intelligence, the New York Times reported today. It is being headed by a Director . The present incumbent is Mike McConnell. The all powerful director of the CIA will come under the discipline of the National Intelligence. The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), however, will retain its independence in its foreign operations. But the Director has been given explicit authority to choose his own men to represent him abroad. Wrangling among the intelligence agencies notably the CIA and the Federal Bureau of Intelligence (FBI) had stalled the move. The FBI and the Pentagon had opposed the move when Donald Rumsfeld was the defence secretary.
The National Intelligence with a budget exceeding, according to one report, over $50 billion will have more functional flexibility. All 16 agencies will directly report to the National Intelligence for executing a unified action. The agencies never shared their findings.
It was a surprise to learn that six Republican Party members in the House Intelligence Committee in a display of their displeasure walked out of the briefing given by Mike McConnell. They protested that they were not given proper briefing. The members had no chance to offer their views. The Democratic Party member of the committee supported President Bush for what he said ending turf wars that have plagued American intelligence. He however did not fail to express his deep disappointment about the White House failing to seek congressional opinion on a much wider scale perspective.
The Republican expressed fear that the order left the director of the national intelligence with too few powers and too many people. He feared the office would become bloated and unwieldy. The American Civil Liberties Union was quoted by the New York Times as stating ' the ( new )order raised the spectre of greater domestic spying'. The involvement of the private sector groups many feared will further compound the problem. The ACLU said ' When you have government and private companies operating together in secret it becomes problematic'.
Another report adds: Having failed to convince the world leaders about the dangerous and pernicious impact of the limitless emission of the carbon dioxide that helps to generate global warming, Ban Ki-moon, UN secretary general, has decided to set an example at the UN head office here in New York.
He has ordered the raising of the thermostat to 77 degrees from 72 degrees now.
The carbon dioxide emission from the UN building will drop by 300 tons and the cost of energy bill reduce by $100,000. A UN spokesman said the annual savings could go up to $1.0 million if the 'UN mandated
temperature is maintained year round'. Maintaining a symmetry in the entire complex will be difficult. Some room like the General Assembly are frigid.
The diplomats hold divergent views on the new measure. When it is warm in the room, you are not fully attentive. And when you are not fully following you will not be in a mood to compromise, a diplomat was quoted as saying by the New York Times. Control of thermostat will alsoprecipitated the change in dress . The diplomats will shed coats and ties.
Diplomats not properly dressed are treated comically. Protocol has to beadhered to.
Will the secretary general attend office without tie and a coat fewdiplomats asked. If the secretary general is serious the protocol will change.
The United Nations World Food Programme (UNWFP) in the meanwhile has issued a warning about global food crisis deteriorating further. The UNWFP said continued poor harvests and flooding in North Korea will result in millions of people facing starvation.
The WFP will start providing food to vulnerable 6.4 million North Korean from late this year. This UN body is now feeding 1.2 million people there. The people have been forced to cut on their protein intake and are relying on cereals and vegetables. The intestine diseases are widespread among children under five. This should be an eye opener for Bangladesh as well.
US intelligence agencies brought under single umbrella
From Fazle Rashid | Published: August 02, 2008 00:00:00 | Updated: February 01, 2018 00:00:00
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