# How populist leaders dismantle intelligence agencies from within: New study reveals the 'intelligence cyclone'

Source: [Science News - Mathematics, Economics, Archaeology, Fossils](https://phys.org/news/2026-11-populist-leaders-dismantle-intelligence-agencies.html) · 2026-11-13 · Life
Page: https://themorning.science/story/how-populist-leaders-dismantle-intelligence-agencies-from-within-new-study-revea-b22f3469a65b479c
Kind: research · Impact: medium

## In brief

- A joint study by Ben-Gurion University of the Negev and The Hebrew University of Jerusalem examines how populist leaderships weaken intelligence agencies.
- According to the study, these leaderships undermine and discredit agencies, and ultimately capture them, turning national security bodies into political instruments.
- The study describes this process as an 'intelligence cyclone'.

## Why it matters

It offers a research-based account of how democratic institutions can be eroded from within, which is relevant to readers studying political science, governance and national security.

## Timeline

- 2026-11-13: Joint study by Ben-Gurion University of the Negev and The Hebrew University of Jerusalem reported

## Coverage

- [How populist leaders dismantle intelligence agencies from within: New study reveals the 'intelligence cyclone'](https://phys.org/news/2026-11-populist-leaders-dismantle-intelligence-agencies.html) — Science News - Mathematics, Economics, Archaeology, Fossils, 2026-11-13

Tags: intelligence agencies, populism, democratic backsliding, national security, political science

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Brief generated by AI (claude-haiku-5-5) from the reporting listed under Coverage. Headlines belong to their publishers. The Morning Science – https://themorning.science