Stanley Kober

This point must be stressed: economic competition is not a threat to national security; it is the preconditionof economic development. Instead of focusing its attention on other democracies and their commercialenterprises, the intelligence community would be better advised to monitor nondemocratic, aggressivelyexpansionist governments and movements–notably those of religious fundamentalism and nationalexclusiveness–that are now sweeping much of the globe. In their intolerance and willingness to resort toviolence, such movements are the heirs of earlier totalitarian regimes, which we fought so hard and solong to defeat. Watching those forces for the emergence of threats to U.S. security is the proper mission ofthe CIA, not spying on economic activities taking place in a capitalist global marketplace.