Members' Voices

A collection of essays from AFIO members. The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed in these essays belong solely to the authors, and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of AFIO.

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Jan 09, 2026

Collaboration

By Larry Carlson

Collaboration has sometimes been defined as two or more people, entities, or organizations working jointly to complete a task or achieve a goal. And, it has also been defined as traitorous cooperation with an enemy.

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Jun 03, 2025

A Collection of Poems

By Yaacov Apelbaum

Each poem focuses on a different facet of intelligence work—surveillance, CI, sacrifice, and covert operations. [Continue]

Oct 01, 2024

The Intelligence Community Under Attack - From Within

By Lewis Regenstein

Normally, disputes within the intelligence community (IC) are handled privately, behind closed doors, and are usually conducted in a respectful manner. But now, the controversy over Havana Syndrome is spilling over into public view, characterized by an erosion of trust in top officials, bitter ad hominem attacks, vicious name calling and accusations of dereliction of duty -- and worse.

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May 27, 2026

Greece’s Unfinished Reckoning With Political Violence 

By Derek Owen

The May 21st, 2026 release of Alexandros Giotopoulos—the convicted mastermind behind 17 November, the far-left terrorist group responsible for decades of assassinations and bombings—may be legally permissible under Greek law. But legality alone does not erase broader questions about whether Greece ever fully confronted the moral and institutional failures surrounding 17 November. The deeper issue is about how democracies decay when trust in institutions collapses and societies apply different moral and procedural standards depending on who commits crimes—especially acts of political violence. 

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Jan 09, 2026

Collaboration

By Larry Carlson

Collaboration has sometimes been defined as two or more people, entities, or organizations working jointly to complete a task or achieve a goal. And, it has also been defined as traitorous cooperation with an enemy.

[Continue]

Jun 03, 2025

A Collection of Poems

By Yaacov Apelbaum

Each poem focuses on a different facet of intelligence work—surveillance, CI, sacrifice, and covert operations. [Continue]

Oct 01, 2024

The Intelligence Community Under Attack - From Within

By Lewis Regenstein

Normally, disputes within the intelligence community (IC) are handled privately, behind closed doors, and are usually conducted in a respectful manner. But now, the controversy over Havana Syndrome is spilling over into public view, characterized by an erosion of trust in top officials, bitter ad hominem attacks, vicious name calling and accusations of dereliction of duty -- and worse.

[Continue]