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A powerful history of Israel's intelligence community, from 1948 to the crises of today. Stopping Iran's nuclear program involves sabotage, assassination, intimidation, and deception. The book tells the story, never told before, of Kidon-- the super-secret operations unit that is like a Mossad within the Mossad

Since Edward Snowden revealed the sheer scale of the PRISM program, the U.S. National Security Agency (NSA) - the organization tasked with intercepting communications likely to pose a threat to the United States - has been bombarded with criticism. General Michael Hayden, who led the agency from 1999 to 2005 before being named Director of the CIA (2006-2009), kindly agreed to an exceptional interview with Politique Internationale about this international scandal. Now retired, General Hayden makes no excuses: in developing a vast network for intercepting and decoding communications in the aftermath of 9/11, he was just doing his job. His mission was to protect the security of his country and its people. That mission was accomplished. Countries who speak out so forcefully against such practices should, he believes, put their own house in order. Adapted from the source document.

An interview with Robert Ford, Former US ambassador to Syria (2010-2012). In February 2010, President Obama appointed you ambassador to Syria. This post had not been held since 2005, the year of diplomatic relations between Washington and Damascus. You finally took office in January 2011, after a long delay due to the opposition of congressional Republicans to the restoration of bilateral relations. What were your expectations when you arrive in Damascus? We all wondered if Syria would be preserved of revolutionary contagion that had already hit Libya, Egypt and Tunisia. But the main element of my roadmap was related to our concerns about the links between Damascus and Hezbollah (2), and on activities of Hezbollah in Lebanon. I also had to make sure that Syria comply with its international commitments in the nuclear field - commitments which involved, in particular, it allows international inspections on some specific nuclear sites (3). Finally, my goal was to get the Syrian authorities information on their chemical weapons program. Ideally, we wanted this program might be destroyed; at least, had to submit to inspections. Adapted from the source document.

Although he was Vice President of the United States from 1993 to 2001 and narrowly missed becoming President in 2000, AI Gore will be remembered above all for his environmental activism. His struggle in favor of the environment, which earned him the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize, has now taken a new turn with the publication of an epoch making book entitled The Future. In it, he explores what he calls the 'six drivers of global change' which are shaping our planet's future: the climate crisis of course, increasing economic globalization, worldwide digital communications, the shift of power to non-state players, unsustainable growth, and advances in genetics, making cloning possible but with potentially grave consequences. In this exclusive interview, Mr. Gore talks about the dangers which threaten us all and what we can do about them. Adapted from the source document.

Forbes is a famous name around the world - most famous, perhaps, as that of the American business magazine which publishes the hotly-awaited list of the richest people on Earth each year. The proprietor and editor-in-chief of this prestigious publication (motto: 'the Capitalist Tool') is none other than Steve Forbes, grandson of the magazine's late founder (and son of its famous former publisher Malcolm Forbes). A diehard advocate of free-market economics, twice unsuccessful candidate in the Republican primaries (in 1996 and 2000), Mr. Forbes tirelessly propagates his views through his magazine and in his books. He is a well-respected analyst in the United States, and in this exclusive interview he delivers a harsh verdict on the EU's methods for tackling the economic crisis. He explains that countries should repay their debts, not by increasing the weight of taxation but by reducing it, thereby stimulating their citizens' entrepreneurial spirit and reaping the resulting tax revenues. But will anybody listen? Adapted from the source document.

Amos Yadlin was the head of Aman, the Israeli Military Intelligence Directorate, from 2005 to 2010. Before that, this Harvard University graduate served as a fighter pilot (he took part in the famous bombing raid that destroyed Iraq's Osirak nuclear reactor in 1981), Secretary-General of the Israeli Labor Party, and Minister of Education. In other words, his knowledge of the military and political situation in Israel is unrivalled. In this exclusive interview, General Yadlin, who retired less than a year ago, speaks freely of his experiences as head of Aman. With Israel agonizing over its response to the "Arab spring", he analyzes all the burning issues of today for our readers: Israel's negotiations with the Palestinians and relations with post-Mubarak Egypt, the appropriate response to the crackdown in Syria, how Barack Obama has changed America's stance on the Middle East, and more. A document packed with revelations. Adapted from the source document.

Over a period of 18 months, from early 2009 to mid-2010, Admiral Dennis Blair held a key post at the heart of the U.S. security system, Director of National Intelligence. The post was created in 2004, with the aim of coordinating the activities of the country's numerous intelligence agencies and to inform the President of any threats to national or international security. For a year and a half, Dennis Blair was effectively the man who briefed Barack Obama on the state of the world. He was dismissed under controversial circumstances, and in this exclusive interview with Politique Internationale he speaks for the first time about his work. Admiral Blair addresses all current red button issues, including Islamist terrorism, fears about Iran's nuclear program, the exchange of intelligence with allied countries and the gathering of confidential information. This unique and edifying document reveals the unstinting efforts of the U.S. to ensure they remain one step ahead of their enemies. Adapted from the source document.

Sri Mulyani, Managing Director of the World Bank, and therefore No. 2 in this influential Washington, D.C.-based institution, was the Indonesian Minister of Finance for the five previous years. In this probing interview with Dan Raviv for Politique Internationale, Sri Mulyani draws on her wide-ranging experience to analyze some of today's most burning issues: have Western countries started an ineluctable decline? Are countries in the South in the process of replacing them? Is it possible for the poorest regions of the planet to believe in the future? Are there any economic 'recipes' that work in all cases? Sri Mulyani successively examines the lessons of the Asian crisis of 1997, global demographic trends and technological advances that are changing the shape of the world to drive home her message: perhaps the world isn't in such great shape, but it can always count on the World Bank! Adapted from the source document.

With the notable exception of George W. Bush, all American presidents in the last 35 years have called on the talents of Dennis Ross. An acknowledged Middle East expert, the discreet Mr. Ross has contributed to most peace efforts by the U.S. in this region, from the Madrid Conference in 1991 to Barack Obama's Cairo speech in 2009, not to mention the negotiations between Ehud Barak and Yasser Arafat at Camp David in 2000. A few months after leaving his White House post as advisor to President Obama for family reasons, Mr. Ross agreed to talk with Politique Internationale and share his analysis of the latest developments in this region. Whether addressing possible repercussions from the Arab Spring, the eternal roadblocks to the Israeli-Palestine peace process, the crisis engendered by Iran's nuclear program and many other burning issues, Dennis Ross's opinion is almost always considered the last word on the subject. Here, he gives a sort of master class... Adapted from the source document.