The Role of Intelligence in America's Grand Strategy

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?