Intelligence has never played a more prominent role in international politics than it does now at the opening of the twenty-first century. National intelligence services are larger than ever and play a more public role than ever before in the policy making process of important states and their role evolves constantly along with the character of international relations.
Access to information on the intelligence services has become more open since the early 1990′s. In the last decade, terrorist attacks and wars have placed intelligence in the spotlight. So here I have compiled a list of some of the most famous and active intelligence agencies in the world.