Critical Thinking for Strategic Intelligence

by Katherine H. Pherson, Randolph H. Pherson

Overview

With Critical Thinking for Strategic Intelligence, Katherine Hibbs Pherson and Randolph H. Pherson have updated their highly regarded, easy-to-use handbook for developing core critical thinking skills and analytic techniques. This indispensable text is framed around 20 key questions that all analysts must ask themselves as they prepare to conduct research, generate hypotheses, evaluate sources of information, draft papers, and ultimately present analysis, including: How do I get started? Where is the information I need? What is my argument? How do I convey my message effectively? 

The Third Edition includes suggested best practices for dealing with digital disinformation, politicization, and AI. Drawing upon their years of teaching and analytic experience, Pherson and Pherson provide a useful introduction to skills that are essential within the intelligence community.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781544374284
Publisher:	SAGE Publications
Publication date:	08/14/2020
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	464
Sales rank:	566,789
File size:	39 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.

About the Author

Katherine Hibbs Pherson, President of Globalytica, LLC, consults with government and private industry on building strong analytic communities, the use of structured analytic techniques, and security issues. She teaches certificate courses on structured thinking and presentation for the security association ASIS International and in the Intelligence Masters program at Universidad Rey Juan Carlos in Madrid, Spain. As Vice Chair of the Intelligence and National Security Association (INSA)’s Security Policy Reform Council, she was primary drafter of its white paper titled “Next Steps for Security Reform: Industry Proposals to Enhance Efficiency and Reduce Costs in National Security Contracts,” which has generated a series of productive exchanges among government and industry.

Ms. Pherson is also Chief Executive Officer of Pherson Associates, LLC, and a founding Director of the Forum Foundation for Analytic Excellence, a nonprofit established in 2011 to promote the effective use of critical thinking skills and structured analytic techniques by teaching, certifying, and applying these skills in universities in the United States and Europe. She retired from the Central Intelligence Agency in 2000 after a twenty-seven-year career in intelligence and security analysis and resource management. Her leadership in the security arena led to the adoption of a risk management methodology, the strengthening of overseas security countermeasures, and improvements in dealing with unsolicited contacts. As head of the Director of Central Intelligence’s Center for Security Evaluation, she managed the Intelligence Community’s involvement in rebuilding the penetrated US Embassy in Moscow. She is a recipient of the CIA’s Distinguished Career Intelligence Medal
and the Intelligence Community’s National Distinguished Service Medal. She received her AB from Vassar College, an MA in Spanish
linguistics and Latin American studies from the University of Illinois, and an MA in

Randolph H. Pherson is president of Pherson Associates, LLC; CEO of Globalytica, LLC; and a founding director of the nonprofit Forum Foundation for Analytic Excellence. He teaches advanced analytic techniques and critical thinking skills to analysts in the government and private sector. Mr. Pherson collaborated with Richards Heuer Jr. in developing and launching use of Analysis of Competing Hypotheses, and he developed several analytic techniques for the CIA’s Sherman Kent School, many of which were incorporated in his Handbook of Analytic Tools and Techniques. He coauthored Critical Thinking for Strategic Intelligence with Katherine Hibbs Pherson, Cases in Intelligence Analysis: Structured Analytic Techniques in Action with Sarah Miller Beebe, and several other guides for analysts on writing, briefing, indicators, and managing the production process. Mr. Pherson completed a twenty-eight-year career in the Intelligence Community in 2000, last serving as National Intelligence Officer (NIO) for Latin America. Previously at the CIA, Mr. Pherson managed the production of intelligence analysis on topics ranging from global instability to Latin America, served on the Inspector General’s staff, and was chief of the CIA’s Strategic Planning and Management Staff. He is the recipient of the Distinguished Intelligence Medal for his service as NIO and the Distinguished Career Intelligence Medal. Mr. Pherson received his B.A. from Dartmouth College and an M.A. in international relations from Yale University.

Table of Contents

The Critical Thinker’s Checklist
List of Figures
Foreword
Preface
About the Authors
Introduction to the Third Edition
Introduction
Part I: How Do I Get Started?
Chapter 1: Who Are Your Clients?
Chapter 2: What Are the Key Questions?
Chapter 3: What Is the Broader Context for the Analysis?
Chapter 4: How Should I Conceptualize My Product?
Chapter 5: What Is My Analytic Approach?
Chapter 6: Can Collaboration Contribute to a Better Answer?
Part II: Where Is The Information I Need?
Chapter 7: How Do Models Help My Analysis?
Chapter 8: What Types of Information Are Available?
Chapter 9: Can I Trust the Sources?
Chapter 10: How Should I Assess the Reliability of Internet Information?
Part III: What Is My Argument?
Chapter 11: Are My Key Assumptions Well-Founded?
Chapter 12: Can I Make My Case?
Chapter 13: Did I Consider Alternative Hypotheses?
Chapter 14: How Do I Deal With Politicization?
Chapter 15: How Might I Be Spectacularly Wrong?
Part IV: How Do I Convey My Message Effectively?
Chapter 16: Is My Argument Persuasive?
Chapter 17: How Should I Portray Probability, Levels of Confidence, and Quantitative Data?
Chapter 18: How Can Graphics Support My Analysis?
Chapter 19: How Do I Present My Message in the Most Compelling Way?
Chapter 20: How Do I Know When I Am Finished?
Part V: Case Studies
Case Study I: Uncharted Territory
Case Study II: Russian Disinformation
Case Study III: Blackout on the Eastern Seaboard!
Case Study IV: The End of the Era of Aircraft Carriers
Case Study V: Puzzling Food Poisonings in Germany
Case Study VI: The Case of Iraq’s Aluminum Tubes
Glossary of Terms
List of Names
Recommended Readings
US Government Publications
Index
The Analyst’s Roadmap

Editorial Reviews

The Phersons have produced a clear and detailed guide to the application of critical thinking in the preparation of effective analytical presentations. This book should serve as essential reading for analysts everywhere, especially students and young professionals.”

Review - Gregory Moore

This is exactly what I have been looking for to use for the advanced analytics course, as it combines techniques with application and has some examples. It walks the new analyst through the process and discusses the techniques for success. Best book I have found on the practical aspects of intelligence analysis.”

Review - William O. Waddell

Many instructors of undergraduate students complain that their students do not possess the tools and skills for problem solving, research, analysis, and writing demanded for their academic programs. Deployment of this text, in any academic field or context, can help solve that problem.”

Review - John Hodgson

This is a wonderful resource for those beginning to master analytical writing techniques. It's thorough, complete and engaging. [The text is] an excellent resource for beginners who want to learn how to conduct intelligence analysis.”

Review - Mary Manjikian

This is exactly what I have been looking for to use for the advanced analytics course, as it combines techniques with application and has some examples. It walks the new analyst through the process and discusses the techniques for success. Best book I have found on the practical aspects of intelligence analysis."

--William O. Waddell "Review" (3/13/2019 12:00:00 AM)

"Many instructors of undergraduate students complain that their students do not possess the tools and skills for problem solving, research, analysis, and writing demanded for their academic programs. Deployment of this text, in any academic field or context, can help solve that problem."
--John Hodgson "Review" (3/13/2019 12:00:00 AM)

"The Phersons have produced a clear and detailed guide to the application of critical thinking in the preparation of effective analytical presentations. This book should serve as essential reading for analysts everywhere, especially students and young professionals."
--Gregory Moore "Review" (3/13/2019 12:00:00 AM)

"This is a wonderful resource for those beginning to master analytical writing techniques. It′s thorough, complete and engaging. [The text is] an excellent resource for beginners who want to learn how to conduct intelligence analysis."
--Mary Manjikian "Review" (3/13/2019 12:00:00 AM)

From the Publisher

Critical Thinking for Strategic Intelligence does an excellent job of teaching college students how to look at an issue; they figure out what is needed, find and evaluate information sources, and then put it all together in a coherent product which has facts, assumptions, implications, and conclusions. The book makes all these processes clearly identified.

Kenneth Stiles

Critical Thinking for Strategic Intelligence is engaging, easy to read and understand, and provides support for the needed learning objectives. Additionally, these readings highlight the role and value of critical thinking in the intelligence process. The “Key Takeaways” sections are a great way to summarize the learning for the individual chapters. I could see it useful in discussion of the intelligence community, intelligence analysis, and the critical thinking skills required for many other courses.

Scott Winegar

With Critical Thinking for Strategic Intelligence, Kathy and Randy have continued to make significant contributions to the development of the profession of Intelligence Analysis. Their work has been focused on improving the skills and the professionalism of the practitioner. They have through their consulting, their training, and their publications set a standard for all of us to follow who are committed to the same goals. Their model is impressive.

Dit Talley

"Pherson & Pherson’s Critical Thinking for Strategic Intelligence is the best example of applying critical thinking I've ever found. The book actually provides the "how to" do the things formatted according to the phases of the intelligence cycle other books present conceptually."

Dighton (Mac) Fiddner