Week 5, Assignment 2
The Concept of Ethical Obligations
George Tenet and the Last Great Days of the CIA
Modern Public Administration
Date:
Introduction
The purpose of this document is to analyze the case study titled, “George Tenet and the Last
Days of the CIA”. This case study was authored by Richard White, Jr. and depicted Mr. Tenet’s
strengths and weaknesses as they pertained to his position as director of the CIA. Moreover,
this case study evaluates the impact of his personality traits on his decision making as the leader
of such an important organization and the effect those decisions made towards his ethical
obligations as a public administrator. As a result, this document will focus on addressing four
questions posed as part of this written assignment to expound on findings researched based on
the case study written by Richard White, Jr.
Based on the findings, which include information obtained through the case study of Mr. Tenet
by the author Richard White Jr., along with other scholarly articles, Mr. Tenet is described as a
loyal man that began his professional career as a lobbyist. After building a reputation as a
pleaser, George Tenet was thrust into the position of the director of the Central Intelligence
Agency (CIA (Stillman, 2009, p. 484). Tenet’s resume was not exactly appropriate to take on
such a position of the director of the CIA along with the role of overseer of the intelligence
community’s alliances (Giraldi, 2007, p. 32). Hence, the following questions will be addressed
involving George Tenet and his decisions leading up to his resignation as the director of Central
Intelligence (DCI).
Identify four (4) cross-coded ethical dilemmas facing former CIA Director George Tenet
and assess their impact on his leadership abilities.
The concepts of ethical obligation Ethical obligations are rules and laws by which people are
expected to live and adhere to in order to undertake a profession. Most professionals as George
Tenet belonged to professional organizations which, among other things, are able to discipline
people for interfering in the ethical obligations and suspend or expel them from practice if the
interference is serious enough.
There were many ethical dilemmas experienced by the former CIA Director George Tenet,
among which were the violations of national and international human right policies. He was also
faced with the ethical dilemma of being honest to his colleagues, more so his field officers, and
most significantly the entire nation. All along he knew that the statements about Saddam
Hussein and chemical weapons were false, but he went along with them and cost American
families over four thousand lives. His mediation talks between former Palestinian leader Yasser
Arafat and the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was an ethical concern.
Some people within the government did not think it was right for the tenet to play such a
significant role, and it caused doubts in his cabinet and the administration. Healso had ethical
dilemmas of loyalty; he started ignoring his field officers foundations and went for the
administrations baseless stories of WMD and thus the subsequent war in Iraq. There was a
reference in our readings by Stillman that as public administrators climb higher in organizational
hierarchy, they must contend with an increasingly intense tug and pull of competing ethical
obligations, which in the end caused George Tenet to resign and also the decline of CIA. George
tenet ethical dilemmas had resulted to his colleagues and the nation losing their trust and faith in
his leadership.
In my research I have found that conflict of interest exists when a businessperson is faced with
a situation in which an action benefiting one person or group has potential to harm another.
Honesty and integrity is valued very high among employers. An employee who is honest can
be counted on to tell the truth. An employee with integrity goes beyond truthfulness. Having
integrity means adhering to deeply felt ethical principles in business situations. It would be like
employees doing a procedure right all the time and one that will ensure it is done that way by
everyone he can influence. He may talk and make things around better to influence that
procedure. Loyalty versus truth, businesspeople except their employees to be loyal and act the
best interests of the company, but when the truth about the company is not favorable, an ethical
conflict can arise.
Analyze four (4) ways in which Tenet addressed the prioritization of ethical concerns.
George Tenet implemented several approaches to tackle the prioritization of his ethical
concerns among which was the protesting of CIA policies. During his mediation talks with
Yasser Arafat and Benjamin Netanyahu, the presidents of Palestine and Israel respectively,
Tenet established that both leaders had ethical concerns of both leaders as they did not trust
one another (Tenet 2007).
The statements by Tenet caused discomfort to several Washington insiders. He addressed the
insiders concerns regarding his under takings by showing explicable leadership qualities by
reassuring those involved that there was not a more convenient way he could choose. Another
prioritization was in the Clinton Administration, Osama Bin Laden had for the first time come
under the radar of the US government; Tenet communicated the threat of Osama Bin Laden to
the administration’s top officials including President Clinton. He stated that the country was at
war, and did not want any expense spared when fighting this war both in personnel and other
resource means.
Tenet was concerned about the country not being prepared for an attack. When India began
testing their chemical weapon program on May 11th, 1988 it came as a surprise to the
intelligence agency of the United States, Tenet revealed to Senator Richard Shelby that they
had no idea of the undertaking of the Indian government. This was a rare moment in which the
truth was told, and this prevented the administration from reacting faster. The United States
intelligence armed with baseless information had war aircrafts bomb the Chinese embassy in
Belgrade in 1989; George tenet took responsibility for the wrong intelligence report and
findings.
Identify and explain four (4) strategies used in competing ethical obligations in relation
to the many intergovernmental organizations that overlapped his office.
There were four strategies that were used to implement ethical obligations in relation to the
many intergovernmental organizations that overlapped Tenet’s office. These strategies were
often used to ensure that all the corporate undertakings were legal, ethical, and that they
complied with all the approved regulatory guidelines and policies. Ethical strategies and plans
are used to provide directions to ensure that developments are been undertaken both for
individual and organizational outlook which are designed to be accomplished through the
ethics programs and training of employees. Ethics strategies are also used as a means for
overseeing and policing organizational undertaking, as taking this approach helps reduce both
the rate of legal and ethical violations. And in situations where ethical programs are not in
place, individual board members are held responsible for ethical lapses.
Communication is another strategy that is used to assist in building a sustainable and ethical
culture, and this method includes communicating behavioral expectations, training on
compliance issues, expectations and resolution of already existing situations. Use of this
method enhances compliance, and prevents both abuse and fraud, while adding to the
organizations value and effectiveness. The statement of values strategy, which provides
assistance in the communication and creation of organizations values, it also provides the
needed guidance to the individuals within the agency.
Furthermore, the use of the code of ethics underlines the importance of commitment to the
ethical behavior throughout the agency highlighting available methods of application of the
values in a representative situation. Lastly, leadership strategies as monitoring code
enforcement are important additions because they establish a locating responsibility for the
ethics program of any organization; ensuring that an organization receives consideration and its
requisite overlooked.
Elaborate on four (4) relevant notions for designing ethical maps for defining and
prioritizing ethical obligations.
Several of George Tenet’s major priorities were clearly defined goals and mission, improved
employee morale, improved working conditions, better undertaking of intelligence reports and
analysis, reinforcement of units with new qualified recruits and recalling past and proven
officers, better training, and better funding. To guarantee that these top priorities are met, Tenet
started rebuilding and appointing personnel. People such as distinguished retired veterans were
called back from retirement (Weiner 2007); he also sought out more funding but endured little
success with funding getting only a minimal raise (Tenet 2007).
Al-Qaeda was also a thorny and top priority issue and there was always a public and media
outcry when top intelligence officials wrote detailing highly uncomfortable secrets of on-going
top priority security issues. The CIA chief recorded the AL-Qaeda as the most recent security
warning, reporting that they were trying to strike with an atomic threat having developed a
nuclear weapon. (Pfiffner 2007)
Some of the approaches involved creating a stable government regardless of the circumstances.
He sought that governments should also make use other severalmethods including obedience to
the supervisors and only disobeying in private disregarding policies and directives that were
unethical, unfair, and establishing partnerships among entities at all governmental level.
Another notion would involve the formation of an agency that is well equipped to deal with
situations such as when internal opportunities for reporting one’s dissent diminish.
Conclusion
The concept of ethical obligation has to apply to all professionals. We need to remember that it
is the honorable nature of the profession otherwise there is little to talk about ethics.
Comprehensive codes of ethics do not guarantee ethical practice but rather this lies in the
fundamental nature of being responsible for our actions. Honesty and honorable undertaking
are, of course, required from every person, whether he or she is engaged in professional
practice or in any other gainful occupation. But in a profession, pecuniary success is not the
only desired achievement.
In his farewell speech to his staff, I really liked the quote he used from President Roosevelt
which summed up everything, “It is not the critic who counts or the man who points out how
the strong man stumbles or whether the doer of good deeds could have done them better. The
credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat
and blood.' Central Intelligence Agency, the men and women of this agency, were born into the
arena, and we are still there.” (Koppel, 2009)
References:
Coll, S. (2006, Jan 12). Frontline The Dark Side. (PBS, Interviewer)
Denhardt, R.B., &Denhardt, J.V. (2009). Public administration: An action orientation: 2010
custom editiond. (6th ed.). Belmont, CA: Thompson – Wadsworth – Cengage Learning.
Koppel, T. (2009). Person of the Week: George Tenet. ABC News, 1-2.
Pfiffner, J (2007). Intelligence and Decision Making Before the War in Iraq in the Polarised
Presidency of George W. Cush.New York: Oxford university press.
Posner, Steve (1998).The spy at wye.Washington post. October 27. New York : Harper Collins.
Tenet, G. (2007).At the Centre Of the Storm: my years at the CIA .New York: Harper Collins.
Stillman, R. J. (2009). Public Administration: Concept and Cases (9th ed.).
Weiner Tim (2007).Legacy of Ashes: The History of the CIA. New York: Double day.