The impact of strategic intelligence on foreign policy making process: Cyprus problem and Turkish foreign policy (1950-1974)

While in the past, intelligence activities were carried out with a security-centered understanding, since the 20th century, intelligence activities have been carried out in many areas, including political, economic, biographical and cyber platforms. Sherman Kent, who played an important role in the recognition of intelligence as a scientific field, introduced the concept of strategic intelligence and claimed that this concept is one of the most important factors affecting foreign policy. As a matter of fact, states need to benefit from the outputs of strategic intelligence in order to pursue an active foreign policy. Thus, intelligence emerges as an important concept in the success or failure of a state in foreign policy. Therefore, while states that attach importance to intelligence and invest in it can have a say in world politics, states that do not understand the importance and value of intelligence cannot follow an effective foreign policy. In this context, this study is to prove that intelligence in general and strategic intelligence in particular, not only provide processed information to decision-makers in the foreign policy-making process, but also participates in the foreign policy actions determined by the governments regarding the problems through covert operations. At this point, the conceptual framework of intelligence is examined. In the second chapter, the conceptual framework between intelligence and foreign policy is explained. In the third chapter, the relationship between intelligence and foreign policy is explained with a sample over the Cyprus problem.