The Role of Intelligence in America's Grand Strategy

Abstract

The importance of intelligence in the American Revolutionary War is undeniable. However, although George Washington, the commander of the Continental Army and the first president of the United States, was an influential figure in American intelligence during this war, the conditions of the time did not allow for the institutionalization of intelligence practices. Indeed, after World War I, the United States abandoned its isolationist foreign policy. This shift not only influenced the liberal policies adopted by Woodrow Wilson but also led to significant changes in American state policies and intelligence strategies. During the Cold War, the perception of communism as a threat to liberal policies and the global economic order led the United States to adopt a more rational and pragmatic approach to dealing with this threat. As a result, the United States not only developed a more disciplined approach to intelligence operations but also institutionalized them. The indirect victory of the United States in the Cold War and the dominant role of the US dollar in the global economic system significantly contributed to the strengthening of American hegemony and the implementation of the American Grand Strategy. This study seeks to answer the question: What role does intelligence play in the American Grand Strategy?

Keywords

• Grand Strategy
• Intelligence
• International Relations
• Liberalism
• Hegemony

Amerika'nın Büyük Stratejisinde İstihbaratın Rolü

Abstract

Amerika Birleşik Devletleri’nin Bağımsızlık Savaşı’ndaki istihbaratın önemi tartışmasızdır. Ancak, bu savaşta Kıta Ordusu’nun komutanı ve ABD’nin ilk başkanı olan George Washington, Amerikan istihbaratında önemli bir figür olmasına rağmen, dönemin koşulları istihbarat uygulamalarının kurumsallaşmasına olanak tanımamıştır. I. Dünya Savaşı sonrasında Amerika Birleşik Devletleri, izolasyonist dış politikasını terk etmiştir. Bu dönüşüm, yalnızca Woodrow Wilson’un benimsemiş olduğu liberal politikaları etkilemekle kalmamış, aynı zamanda Amerikan devlet politikalarında ve istihbarat stratejilerinde de önemli değişikliklere yol açmıştır. Soğuk Savaş dönemi, komünizmin liberal politikalara ve küresel ekonomik düzene tehdit olarak görülmesiyle ABD’nin, bu tehditle başa çıkabilmek için daha rasyonel ve pragmatik bir yaklaşımı benimsemesini sağlamıştır. Sonuç olarak, Amerika Birleşik Devletleri, istihbarat faaliyetlerinde daha disiplinli bir yaklaşım geliştirmekle kalmamış, aynı zamanda bu alanda kurumsallaşmaya gitmiştir. ABD’nin Soğuk Savaş’taki dolaylı zaferi ve Amerikan dolarının küresel ekonomik sistemdeki belirleyici rolü, Amerikan hegemonyasının güçlenmesine ve Amerikan Büyük Stratejisi’nin hayata geçirilmesine önemli katkılar sunmuştur. Bu çalışmada, şu soruya yanıt aranacaktır: İstihbarat, Amerikan Büyük Stratejisi’nde nasıl bir rol oynamaktadır?

Keywords

• Büyük Strateji
• İstihbarat
• Uluslararası İlişkiler
• Liberalizm
• Hegemonya

References

1. Aydın, G. (2019). The ebb and flow in the US trade policy: Does the hegemonic stability theory have explanatory power?, Journal of Economic and Administrative Sciences, 33(4), pp. 1345 – 1366.
2. Aydın, M. (1996). Approach, theory and analysis in international relations, Ankara University Faculty of Social Sciences Journal, 51(1), pp. 71-114, DOI:https://doi.org/10.1501/SBFder_0000001917
3. Arslan, L., & Yıldız, S. (2023). Colonization in the Americas and the establishment of the United States, Journal of Multidisciplinary Research, 6 (Special Issue for Prof. Dr. Drumuş Ali Arslan), pp.242-260, ISSN: 2717-6592
4. Avcı, Ö. (2018). İletişim ve Propaganda: Propagandanın Türleri, In M. Karaca & C. Çakı (Eds.), Konya: Education Publishing House.
5. Bağce, E. (2003). Theories of imperialism and American public diplomacy, Journal of Political Science, Istanbul University, 28( 74), pp.63-79.
6. Birdişli, F. (2011). The historical and philosophical foundations of the concept of national security, Journal of Social Sciences Institute, 1(31), pp.149-169.
7. Brad, M., & Mensch, J. (2018). The first conspiracy: The secret plot to kill George Washington, New York: Flatiron Books.
8. Chang, I. F. (2023). Hegemony & anti-hegemony in US-China relations, U.S.: Independently published.

9. Caldwell, Q. G. (2018). The importance of spies to Washington's success, NCO Journal, Sergeants Major Course Class 67.
10. Cohen, B. J. (2008). International political economy, New Jersey: Princeton University Press.
11. Ellis, D. C. (2009). U.S. grand strategy following the George W. Bush presidency, International Studies Perspectives, 10(1). pp. 361-377
12. Fingar, T. (2012). Intelligence and grand strategy, ORBIS, 56(1), pp. 118-134.
13. Folley, T. D. (1994). The role of the CIA in economic and technological intelligence. The Fletcher Forum of World Affairs, 18(1), pp. 135-145.
14. Grizzard, F. E. (2002). George Washington: A biographical companion, New York: ABC-CLIO.
15. Hartmann, F. (1957). The Relations of Nations, New York: The Macmillan Company.
16. Heidenrich, J. G. (2007). The state of strategic intelligence, Studies in Intelligence, 51(2).
17. Hurst, S. (2009). The United States and Iraq since 1979: Hegemony, oil and war, Scotland: Edinburgh University Press.
18. Hooker, R. D. (2016). American grand strategy, Washington.: National Defence University Press.
19. Kaplan, R. (1990). The hidden war: British intelligence operations during the American Revolution, The William and Mary Quarterly, 47(1), pp.115-138. DOI: https://doi.org/10.2307/2938043
20. Kılıçaslan, A. (2022). The emergence and institutionalization of social work as a discipline: The example of the USA, Master's Thesis, Sociology Department, Istanbul University Social Sciences Institute.
21. Langguth, A. J. (1978). Hidden Terrors, New York: Pantheon Books.
22. Layne, C. (1998). Rethinking American grand strategy: Hegemony or balance of power in the twenty-first century? SAGE, 15(2), pp.8-28.
23. Machiavelli. (2002). The art of war, (Nazım Güvenç, Trans.), Istanbul: Anahtar Kitapları.
24. Manfred, S. B. (2006). Globalization, (Abdullah Ersoy, Trans.), Ankara: Dost Books.
25. Martel, W. C. (2015). Grand strategy in theory and practice: The need for an effective American foreign policy, London: Cambridge University Press.
26. Molzhan, W. (2023). The CIA’s In-Q-Tel model and its applicability, Acquisition Review Quarterly, Winter 2003.
27. Morgenthau, H. (1976). International politics, (Baskın Oran & Ünsal Oskay, Trans.). Ankara: Turkish Political Science Association Publications.
28. Morgenthau, H. (n.d.). Scientific man vs. power politics, Middlesex: Latimer House Limited.
29. Navari, C. (2016). Hans Morgenthau and the national interest. Ethics & International Affairs, 30(1), pp.47-54. DOI:10.1017/S089267941500060X.
30. Özdal, B., & Karaca, K. (2015). Diplomasi Tarihi I, Turkiye: Dora Publishing.
31. Perkins, J. (2009). Confessions of an economic hitman, (Cihat Taşçıoğlu, Trans), Istanbul: APRIL Publishing.
32. Porter, P. (2018). Why America’s grand strategy has not changed, International Security, 42(4), pp. 9–34.
33. Prabhakar, R. (2010). Hegemonic stability theory and the 20th century international economy, E-International Relations.
34. Rose, P. K. (n.d.). The founding fathers of American intelligence, Retrieved July 31, 2024, from www.cia.gov.tr
35. Rowe, R. A. (1945). The Need for Strategic Intelligence on Economic War Potential, Proceedings, 47(7).
36. Sencer, M. (1987). The American Revolution in terms of human rights, Human Rights Yearbook, Number.9.
37. Stokes, D. (2013). Achilles’ deal: Dollar decline and US grand strategy after the crisis, Review of International Political Economy, 21(5), pp. 1071-1094 DOI:http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/09692290.2013.779592 l
38. Trifunovic, D., & Curcic, M. (2021). National interest in security science: A realist perspective, NSF Journal, 22(3), pp.73-89. DOI: https://doi.org/10.37458/nstf.22.3.3
39. Williams, B. (2021). Japanese foreign intelligence and grand strategy from the Cold War to the Abe era, Washington.: Georgetown University Press.
40. Tezkan, Y. (2000). Siyaset, Strateji ve Milli Güvenlik, Ankara: Ulke Books.
41. Internet Reference
42. Crunchbase.com. (n.d.). In-Q-Tel. Retrieved June 6, 2024, from https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/in-q-tel/recent_investments
43. Defense Intelligence Agency. (2014). George Washington: More than a general and a president. DIA Public Affairs. Retrieved August 1, 2024, from https://www.dia.mil/News-Features/Articles/Article-View/Article/566965/george-washington-more-than-a-general-and-a-president/#:~:text=Not%20only%20was%20George%20Washington,funding%20on%20intelligence%2Drelated%20activities.
44. SSA, FDR's Statements on Social Security. Retrieved June 4, 2024, from https://www.ssa.gov/history/fdrstmts.html
45. Notre Dame International Security Center, (2022), Retrieved June 4, 2024,https://ndisc.nd.edu