The manager of the American Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) John Ratcliffe paid a secret visit to Brussels. Its aim was to confirm Washington's commitment to intelligence cooperation with EU partners. This is an crucial step in the European Union's relations with the US, which has been highly tense recently.
American specialised media, followed by European news services, reported a secret visit by CIA manager John Ratcliffe to Brussels in late October this year. He gave a speech at the North Atlantic Council meetings and held a series of meetings behind closed doors, including the head of the Estonian government Kaja Kallas, representatives of EU diplomacy, INTCEN analysts and European Union military intelligence directors.
The abroad media, however, point out that the visit was not officially informed – there were no communications, notes or joint press conferences, and the visit was only revealed as a consequence of media “fluids”.
According to abroad working commentators, John Ratcliffe's secret CIA chief mission had 1 goal: to reassure European partners. Although there have not been large words, Europe has understood the message that, for now, it can inactive number on support from the US. No additional Ratcliffe stops outside Brussels were recorded in media communications. However, the function model of the CIA in Europe remains known: short, classified visits calibrating relations.
The consistency of leaks and comments indicates a consciously designed expression for CIA manager meetings in Brussels. Quoted by Liz Lyon, a spokesperson for the U.S. services, she spoke of "evolving threats from Russia and China" and denied "questions about the credibility of the US". This is simply a classical spin – addressed not to the media, but to European partners who were to hear that the US remained loyal to existing intelligence cooperation mechanisms.
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And let us add that within strategical defence architecture, the exchange of intelligence data is 1 of the key tools – frequently invisible to the public, but highly important. In this context, the visit of the CIA chief to Brussels can be seen as an effort to strengthen the communication channels that have been tested in fresh months.
What may seem to be only a diplomatic communication is in practice of real importance for defence technology companies, industrial groups or financial institutions – as their operations increasingly require access to intelligence and hazard analysis in kind cross-border.
Europe Carefully
The background to this visit has been building signals in Europe for months about a more careful approach to sharing delicate data from the US, inform the EU media. In particular, the Dutch authorities' decision, described by the Financial Times, draws attention as a clear expression in limiting intelligence cooperation, motivated by fear of politicalisation of decisions in Washington and possible violations of human rights.
Directors of the Dutch civilian and military services, Erik Akerboom (AIVD) and Peter Reesink (MIVD), in an interview with "De Volkskrant" indicated that cooperation with the US remains a "star", but their country will now be more selective about sharing information – especially in Russia.
However, the American media is paying attention to a number of scandals involving the disclosure of information to the Russians, which are on the side of EU countries. They besides stress that cooperation with the US is peculiarly in the interest of the Union.
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Intelligence Diplomacy
Despite differences of interest, European services intensify their work on their own data exchange architecture – independent, standardised, little susceptible to political turmoil in allied countries. In the analyses published by ‘Le Monde’, Intelligence Online and another specialised sources are besides increasingly emerging the concept of "intelligence diplomacy" – not so much as a poetic phrase, but a description of real practice: meetings, arrangements, smiles and assurances behind closed doors.
Therefore, the manager of the CIA, erstwhile visiting Brussels, was to be an emissary of stableness between the US and the community – not a negotiator, but a Washington signaler who would give a clear message: “We hold the line, we do not change the game”.
Importantly, the northern European countries were most curious in this issue. Norwegian and Swedish services – including Omni – they described that the message “Europe can inactive number on us” was deliberately directed to these capitals, where the fear for the sustainability of American guarantees has late grown.
The presence of the CIA chief in this context highlighted not only political unity but besides operational readiness: data exchange is not an addition to strategy, but a foundation.
Analysts from Intelligence Online and independent European think tanks emphasise that the key is the repetitiveness of contacts at the highest level and the parallel strengthening of EU structures. Only specified a model – as they compose – will reduce the impact of politics on operational trust, essential for joint action in Russian theatre, the mediate East or cyber threats.
John Ratcliffe’s visit to Brussels will not go into past as a breakthrough, but will be remembered as a sign of the times. erstwhile trust requires care and partnership is no longer based on geopolitical realities, intelligence diplomacy becomes a bridge – not between countries, but between systems that gotta trust each another for a second before the threat.
