Intelligence agencies once operated in the shadow of two superpowers; now, DW argues, they are becoming power centers in their own right. The film opens with a stark data point: the United States has lost more spies and informants since 2010 than at any point since the Cold War, and German intelligence officials admit their own services are struggling. Interviews with intelligence analysts and former officials trace how money, data access, and technology (drone strikes, hacking, mass surveillance) have replaced old-fashioned tradecraft as the real currency of power. The 2016 US election runs through the film as a case study, with American intelligence agencies stating flatly that Russian operatives helped elect Donald Trump. The documentary widens out to Saudi Arabia, Turkey, China, and Iran, asking whether Washington can still act as a stabilizing force as allies chase independent agendas. Archival footage and expert testimony build a picture of intelligence work less about secrecy than about visible, unaccountable influence over governments that never voted for it.