Can intelligence services remain secret in democratic societies?
Damien Van Puyvelde, Associate Professor and Head of the Intelligence and Security Research Group at the Institute of Security and Global Affairs, has presented the findings of his new book, The DGSE: A concise history of France’s Foreign Intelligence Service, across a range of international media outlets.
Van Puyvelde also translated and published a French version of his book. Recent coverage in French media including Le Point, L’Express, Le Rubicon/Le Collimateur, as well as anglophone platforms such as The Cipher Brief, and The International Spy Museum’s Spycast, provided opportunities to discuss how France’s foreign intelligence service, the DGSE, has adapted to geopolitical and technological change, alongside growing demands for democratic oversight.
A rare insight into France’s foreign intelligence service
The DGSE is the first comprehensive English-language account of France’s foreign intelligence service. In the book, Van Puyvelde examines the history, structure, and culture of France’s external intelligence service and broader intelligence community. Across interviews, podcasts and reviews, he highlights how the service has adapted to counter-terrorism, cyber threats and growing public expectations for accountability, while maintaining a tradition of secrecy central to intelligence work.
International media spotlight on intelligence, secrecy and accountability
In Le Point, Van Puyvelde reflects on the evolving role of the DGSE since the early 1980s, particularly its response to technological transformation and democratic scrutiny. He explains how intelligence services increasingly face the challenge of balancing operational secrecy with demands for greater transparency and legitimacy within democratic societies.
In L’Express podcast Nid d’espions, Van Puyvelde discusses the public perception of French intelligence services and the cultural myths surrounding espionage. Referencing popular portrayals ranging from OSS 117 to Le Bureau des légendes, he explores how intelligence work is often misunderstood, despite its growing strategic importance in international affairs and national security.
On Le Collimateur’s Zone grise podcast, the discussion focuses on the history and operational capabilities of the DGSE. Van Puyvelde examines the service’s distinctive organisational culture, its missions, and its place within the broader French security apparatus. Additional podcast appearances include an episode of Spycraft 101, which featured a more extensive discussion of the book, as well as forthcoming appearances in The International Spy Museum’s s Spycast, and the New Book Network podcast series.
In The Cipher Brief, former CIA officer William D. Murray describes Van Puyvelde’s book as ‘an excellent overview’ of the DGSE and its development over time. The review highlights several themes explored in the book, including the service’s close ties to French strategic interests, its traditionally limited public oversight, and its increasing adaptation to technical intelligence and counter-terrorism operations after 9/11.
Secrecy, security and democratic accountability
Across these contributions, Van Puyvelde shows how intelligence services are shaped not only by security threats, but also by political culture, institutional traditions, leadership, and democratic expectations. His work provides insight into the unique characteristics of the French intelligence system and the broader role intelligence services play in modern democratic states.
As Van Puyvelde demonstrates, understanding intelligence services requires moving beyond isolated successes and failures, stereotypes, and fictional portrayals to examine how these organisations operate in practice, how they evolve over time, and how democracies seek to balance secrecy, security and accountability.
Read the full articles or listen to the podcasts on the websites of Le Point, L’Express, Le Rubicon and The Cipher Brief.