Educing Information: Interrogation - National Intelligence University

systems approach recognizes interrogation as a “complex, dynamic system that
is…greater than the sum of its parts.” 660
Fundamental training in interrogation views the process as a series of discrete
events (e.g., approaches, questioning, termination, and bridging). Systems
thinking, by contrast, requires the interrogator to adopt a perceptual framework
that goes beyond a focus on discrete events to one that can rapidly identify patterns
and the confluence of events that generate those patterns. This approach enables
the interrogator to skillfully engage the patterns of action and reaction in ways
that will “enhance or improve the situation without creating new and different
problems elsewhere.” 661 While the systems approach provides a uniquely helpful
framework for managing complex interactions, its ultimate value rests in its
ability to help propel events toward a specific outcome.
Whether or not the participants pay conscious attention 662 to the underlying
dynamic, each word and every action brings with it a cascade of possible alternate
scenarios. Extrapolating from studies of the application of complexity theory
to intelligence analysis, it can be said that within the context of interrogation,
“[i]ndividual agents within the network are constantly reassessing their need
preferences and the degree to which they will compromise to bond with other
agents.” 663 The degree of compromise in this vein may include, among many
others, acquiescence, understanding, withdrawal, defiance, or cooperation.
The Overriding Objective
Educing information from a source and negotiating the terms of agreement
between two countries are arguably the micro- and macro-manifestations of the
same interpersonal dynamic. Despite potentially dramatic differences in the scope
of interests, the number of participants involved, and the gravity of the outcome,
many of the fundamental principles involved apply in either context. This is
especially true with respect to the importance of intended outcomes. Professor
Roger Fisher, founder of the Harvard Negotiation Project, offers a powerful
insight into this important factor, observing, “[t]ime and again, those involved
in an international conflict — or in any conflict — fail to convert their goal into
a decision they would like an adversary to make. Although we often think of
ourselves as attempting to influence an adversary, we rarely think out just what
kind of decision our side might reasonably expect of the other.” 664
660
Joseph O’Connor and Ian McDermott, The Art of Systems Thinking (London: Thorsons,
1997). x.
661
O’Connor and McDermott, The Art of Systems Thinking, x.
662
Understanding — and preparing for — the intrinsic rules of engagement in this dynamic creates
a window of opportunity for the interrogator to enhance the probability of achieving his or her own
intended outcome rather than that of the source. This should be included as a fundamental objective of
third generation interrogator training.
663
Michael F. Beech, Lt Col, USA, Observing Al Qaeda through the Lens of Complexity Theory:
Recommendations for the National Strategy to Defeat Terrorism, Strategy Research Paper (Carlisle
Barracks: Center for Strategic Leadership, U.S. Army War College, July 2004), 5.
664
Roger Fisher, Beyond Machiavelli (New York: Penguin Books USA, Inc, 1994), 95.
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