Asking out of curiosiry. Do you have an contemporary actors in mind that operate on the same level as CIA? Because it seems to me like there is much concern about other "conpetitors", but I do not know of any. Not to be missinterpreted, I don't say there aren't spy agencies from other countries trying to do similar things, I'm saying I am not aware of any that operate on a similar scale and range as CIA. Interested in learning about those

KGB did not go anywhere since USSR’s collapse. They literally operate a mafia superpower with nuclear capacity right now in form of Russia. They are also more sophisticated in terms of people operations since they’ve been at it for quite a bit longer and they were never restrained by even a facade of moral responsibility USA places upon itself by pretending to be democratic and leader of the free world.

Whatever China’s counterpart to CIA is can’t be small either be it in scale or sophistication.

Don’t underestimate those by comparing purely financial side of things, agencies that operate on ideology tend to have way more motivated and focused humans which more than makes up any financial shortcomings. The whole industry operates on the idea of asymmetric response and making the US waste so much resources is part of the goal.

Again, I appreciate the existence of others. Do we have any knowledge of them doing what CIA has? Have they organized dozens of coups on the other side of the globe or something?

you only have knowledge about CIA because they willingly declassify information after some time. KGB doesn't. people that talk suddenly get polonium in their tea or novichok on their door handles, and that's how they operate on UK's soil in freaking London, people in other places just disappear without a trace and investigation.

as for what have they organized.. well, let's check the last couple year: USA presidency - check, UK exit from EU - check, Catalania almost leaving Spain, Marine le Pen almost becoming president of France, huge rise of AfD popularity in Germany, hacking of various high profile corporations, olympic games and governments. destabilization of global alliances and international relations is what they do for decades.

> you only have knowledge about CIA because they willingly declassify information after some time.

Willingly declassify information? Ok this is hard troll teritory, I refuse to dig deeper.

The entire legacy of ashes book is compiled from such declassified documents.