National security, military intelligence and access to information in Mexico

Existen tensiones entre la seguridad nacional y el acceso a la información que no exentan a México. El presente artículo profundiza en el estudio de la relación entre la seguridad nacional y la inteligencia militar en un marco institucional apegado a la rendición de cuentas, la transparencia y el acceso a la información. Principalmente, se enfoca en la demanda de información por parte de los ciudadanos respecto a la inteligencia militar en México y parte de las siguientes preguntas: ¿qué tipo de información demandan los ciudadanos sobre inteligencia militar a través de los mecanismos de acceso a la información? y ¿cuál es la respuesta de las dependencias de seguridad nacional ante esta demanda de información? A partir de la evidencia empírica, se concluye que existen brechas entre la demanda de información en materia de inteligencia militar y la atención a esta demanda por parte de las dependencias de seguridad nacional, que deben acotarse en aras de la transparencia y la rendición de cuentas, sobre todo en aquellos casos que no comprometen asuntos confidenciales.      Abstract There are tensions between national security and access to information that does not exempt Mexico. In this article I analyzes the relationship between national security and military intelligence in an institutional framework attached to accountability, transparency and access to information. Mainly focuses on the demand for information from citizens about military intelligence in Mexico and part of the following questions: What kind of information do citizens demand about military intelligence through the mechanisms of access to information? and What is the response of the national security agencies to this demand for information? Based on the empirical evidence, I concluded that there are gaps between the demand for information on military intelligence and the attention to this demand by the national security agencies, which should be limited in the interests of transparency and accountability, especially in those cases that do not compromise confidential matters.There are tensions between national security and access to information that does not exempt Mexico. In this article I analyzes the relationship between national security and military intelligence in an institutional framework attached to accountability, transparency and access to information. Mainly focuses on the demand for information from citizens about military intelligence in Mexico and part of the following questions: What kind of information do citizens demand about military intelligence through the mechanisms of access to information? and What is the response of the national security agencies to this demand for information? Based on the empirical evidence, I concluded that there are gaps between the demand for information on military intelligence and the attention to this demand by the national security agencies, which should be limited in the interests of transparency and accountability, especially in those cases that do not compromise confidential matters