Romanian Intelligence Studies Review (Dec 2022)
ALTERNATIVE SCENARIOS IN ANALYZING THE DEVELOPMENT OF CONSPIRACY THEORIES AT NATIONAL LEVEL
Abstract
The article presents the format of an exercise conducted within the Summer School “Strategic communication, governance and security within the European Union”, organized in June 2022 by the “Mihai Viteazul” National Intelligence Academy, as part of the Jean Monnet EUSEGOV Module. The text emphasizes on the techniques of preparation and implementation, without disclosing neither the topic of the exercise, nor the results obtained during the summer school. The present exercise introduces the reader in the alternative scenarios technique and in the field approached through the analysis- conspiracy theories, it presents the context of the premises of the topic, establishes the instructions for the participants, proposes instructions for the moderators, and highlights the analysis directions in the process of building the alternative scenarios. The theme proposed makes the exercise accessible for a high range of participants, with educational and/ or professional background in fields such as European studies, security and intelligence, public administration, academia, civil society, research, NGOs, mass-media and others. As such, the exercise is addressed to M.A. and PhD students, and also to experts interested in the theme and in the technique. The steps and explanations included validate the exercise as a learning and as a teaching tool, as it can be replicated into conducting similar exercises.
