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system could work and the methodological framework around which the empirical evidence could be investigated. This chapter also serves as the precursor to developing a concept of a decentralised system that draws on the many contrasting features in international systems that compare favourably with those offered by centralised systems.
Chapter 2 examines the extent to which the configurations and patterns of relationships define systems of action in both the domestic and international systems. An understanding of the internal dynamics of these two systems provides the basis for developing a concept of collective intelligence in decentralised settings. The feasibility argument developed in this chapter attempts to answer two basic questions that provide insight into the general principles of collective endeavours: First, are the conditions for collective action theoretically feasible given the general constraints? Second, are there significant enough characteristics in a decentralised system that might enable us to define it as a coherent whole, comparable to those found in centralised systems? Chapter 3 provides a detailed analysis of these questions and discusses several solution concepts that aim to explain conditions under which collective endeavours can be said to be theoretically feasible.
A cursory glance at both the UN system and the more general features of intelligence reveal questions about the compatibility as well as issues of conceptual and doctrinal barriers inherent in developing a concept of intelligence capability within the UN system. Chapter 4 discusses the key features of the UN and explains how its principles contradict as well as provide opportunities for interfacing aspects of intelligence processes in the system. For example, while the UN charter presents degrees of obstacles in the way of deployment and use of intelligence, this chapter argues that creative interpretation of the charter has also enabled the organisation to circumvent established decision-making rules to develop and evolve new standards, patterns, and tools of managing conflicts.
Intelligence is a concept that to the less informed is shrouded in myth and secrecy, and its roles and functions are also subject to gross exaggeration in both official and scholarly works, as well as popular fiction. Chapter 5 examines the many characteristics of the intelligence institution