October 26, 2017

At a time when the United States is faced with numerous security threats from beyond our borders, the United States Intelligence Community is confronted with a tough dilemma: how to effectively identify and understand foreign threats while also upholding democratic liberties and the ethical standards our country holds sacred.

An upcoming symposium at Catholic University, “Double Lives and Moral Lives: An Exploration into the Ethics of Intelligence,” on Wednesday, Nov. 8, aims to explore the ethical dimension of U.S. intelligence, including relevant questions like:

  • How do we determine the right balance between security and liberty?
  • What moral dilemmas do U.S. intelligence officers encounter in their work?
  • How effective are the various mechanisms of accountability related to intelligence — especially congressional oversight?
  • Can a Christian or ethical person serve as an intelligence officer?

The event, which is co-sponsored by the Intelligence Studies Program and the Institute for Human Ecology, will be held  from 5:15 to 7 p.m. in Heritage Hall in Father O’Connell Hall on campus, 620 Michigan Ave., NE.

Featured participants will include former CIA director Michael Hayden, as well as a distinguished panel with diverse backgrounds in journalism, the law, and the intelligence profession.

“Americans, whatever their religious creed or background, have generally expected that our democratic government will be guided by ethical standards in all its activities and functions,” said Nicholas Dujmovic, director of the Intelligence Studies Program. “Intelligence, despite the misleading portrait of it offered by popular culture, is not, nor can it be, a ‘values-free zone.’”

“This unique event,” Dujmovic continued, “promises to bring insight and understanding regarding the moral challenges facing the men and women who serve in U.S. intelligence.”

For more information on this event and its participants, visit the Institute for Human Ecology website.  

MEDIA: To cover this event, or schedule an interview with Dujmovic or Gen. Hayden (print only), contact the Office of Marketing and Communications at communications@cua.edu or 202-319-5600.