In Depth

Nation States' Espionage and Counterespionage

An overview of the 2007 Global Economic Espionage Landscape

By Christopher Burgess

It was, therefore, surprising to the NIS when in mid-November 2007, it uncovered activities inside Korea by two executives of an indigenous firm that stole key technologies from another indigenous firm. The two were indicted, and the value of the intellectual property was placed at 1.7 trillion won (approximately $1.7 billion USD).

The investigation showed that the two executives had previously worked at the victim's firm for more than 20 years and stole the technology by downloading the data onto USB drives. The duo then took the accumulated data with them when they were hired by their current employer.

Zimbabwe's president, Robert Mugabe, announced the establishment of the "Robert Mugabe School of Intelligence" near Harare during a speech on the role of intelligence in Zimbabwe that occurred in late October 2007. The multi-billion-dollar school will offer degrees and diplomas in security and intelligence studies. Mugabe noted that the school was complying with international best practices, saying, "Japan and Switzerland have industrial espionage schools to train businessman in the art of economic intelligence gathering." Mugabe hit the nail on the head when he noted that intelligence gives a national competitive advantage, not only in intelligence analysis but also in the art of espionage, which has become a scope of industrial development. Fair warning: The school is expected to open its doors in 18 months (Feb/Mar 2009).

In early July 2007, Iranian counterintelligence services captured 14 squirrels, carrying "foreign spy-gear" as they attempted to infiltrate Iran, according to the state-sponsored Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA). No other details have been released on this incident, including who may have been the sponsor of the rodent infiltration attempt, other than to note Iran has stepped up its anti-espionage efforts against the West.

In July 2007, the Chinese government expressed indignation at the FBI's placement of classified advertisements in a variety of Chinese-language press, soliciting assistance from the Chinese-speaking community, "Chinese living here have often helped the FBI prevent subversive elements from penetrating and harming our country. In order to protect our freedoms and democracy, we continue to seek your assistance. We especially welcome anyone who has information about the Chinese [government] or State Security."

Foreign ministry spokesman Qin Gang was noted as insisting that China's national security authorities would never violate the sovereignty or territorial integrity of another nation. Qin, dismissed the ad with, "A handful of people in the United States are acting against the trend of the times and cling to a Cold War mentality, attempting to stain China's image."

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