To Disclose or Deceive? Sharing Secret Information between Aligned States

Summary

When aligned states consider disclosing secret information about military plans to use force, the state initiating these plans may choose among four information-sharing strategies: collusion, compartmentalization, concealment, and lying. Three main considerations shape its decision: potential costs of deception, the partner’s intentions, and the partner’s capabilities. Case studies of Israel, Britain, and France's decision to use force against Egypt during the Suez Crisis; Israel's 2007 bombing of Syria's al Kibar reactor; and Israel's deliberations whether to attack Iran's nuclear reactor illustrate how states choose among information-sharing strategies.