NYT: A New Director or a New Direction?

Room for Debate: A New Director or a New Direction?

from NYT > Opinion

Should changes be made in the way the agency is run and the way intelligence is gathered and used?

Updated December 3, 2012 9:59 PM

A New Director or a New Direction?

Debaters

• 

  Transform the Agency’s Whole Structure

  Tim Weiner, author, "Legacy of Ashes"
• 

  Demilitarize the C.I.A.

  Gordon Adams and Jennifer E. Sims, Former intelligence officials
• 

  A 10-Year Term, Without the Politics

  Bruce Riedel, Brookings Institution
• 

  Restore Reliability and Accountability

  Melvin A. Goodman, Former C.I.A. analyst
• 

  Stick to the Basic Tasks It Was Created For

  Vicki Divoll, Former C.I.A. legal adviser
• 

  New Abilities for New Needs

  David F. Gordon, Former National Intelligence Council head
• 

  Focus on Officers, Not the Media

  Amy Zegart, Hoover Institution

Introduction

Pool photo by Dennis Brack The lobby of the Central Intelligence Agency in Langley, Va.

As the president considers a replacement for Gen. David Petraeus at the Central Intelligence Agency, is it time to consider not just a new leader for the agency but a new direction? Since 9/11 the C.I.A. has taken a more active paramilitary role with little public discussion. And it has continued to be embarrassed by intelligence shortcomings, like its failure to recognize the strength of the Arab Spring. Should changes be made in the way the agency is run and the way intelligence is gathered and used?
Read the Discussion