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This research has influenced professional standards, guidelines and training in intelligence in the wake of the intelligence failure that contributed to the 2003 invasion of Iraq. Specifically, the research has been used to inform new professional standards and guidelines for UK intelligence analysts and has informed guidance and thinking related to professional training at the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). Beyond this, it has also informed public and policy debate on broader security issues, including those arising from the 2010 Strategic Defence and Security Review (SDSR) and development of a UK National Security Strategy.
Through engagement with government, parliamentary committees, individual parliamentarians, and the media, this research has generated impact which is both significant and far reaching. It has influenced substantive reform in parliamentary oversight of the intelligence and security agencies and contributed to proposals for House of Lords reform. It has also informed debates about various aspects of parliamentary reform by challenging prevailing assumptions, including through engagement with the media and by influencing the work of other groups with an interest in parliamentary reform, such as the Electoral Reform Society and the Equality and Human Rights Commission.
Created in 2001, `Landscapes of Secrecy' constitutes a programme of research into secret service that has informed security and intelligence practitioners, shaped public policy debate and enhanced public awareness and attitudes. The focus has been official secrecy: how it is achieved; when it is appropriate; and how it is weighed against the right of democratic citizens to know about policies conducted in their name. Impact on key Whitehall users (Ministry of Defence, Serious Organised Crime Agency and Defence Advisory-Notice Committee) has been secured via workshops, policy-briefs and input into institutional design and training. Cultural and societal impact has been realised with internationally reviewed bestselling books, radio and television documentaries and a public exhibition in Washington DC.
Research conducted by Durham University on security sector reform has had substantial national, transnational and international impact. Specifically, it has: (1) substantially influenced good practice promulgated by the United Nations' (UN) Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms while countering terrorism; (2) informed the Intelligence and Security Committee's (ISC) response to a Government-led review aimed at improving security and intelligence agencies' accountability and, through this, the content of the Justice and Security Act 2013; (3) influenced the Council of Europe's (COE) decision to strengthen rights protection for members of its member states' armed forces; and (4) substantially contributed to the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) efforts to strengthen human rights protection for armed forces personnel across its 56 participating states.