Activities of foreign intelligence services as a threat to national mentality: philosophical approach

Background. The dialogue of cultures, which has become a consequence of the growing globalization processes of recent decades, has now led to the opposite effect. As a result, nation-states faced an urgent need to protect their mental space from outside interference. The purpose of the study is to identify the relationship between the activities of foreign intelligence agencies and the negative impact on the national mentality and to reveal ways to counter this phenomenon. Materials and methods. The present study was based on a mental approach. Its application made it possible to study the state and the people not only as an object of political, sociological or legal research, but also philosophical. The descriptive method and the method of historical analysis were also used. Results. The interrelation of such phenomena as the negative impact on the national mentality and the activities of foreign intelligence services is revealed. Different directions of combating the identified threat are considered: legal, informational, psychological, educational, etc. The potential of man and the state as subjects of the struggle for mental space is studied. Conclusions. Modern society needs security more than ever before. At the same time, a sense of security often becomes even more significant and preferable than knowledge of specific steps and results to ensure security, which remain under the jurisdiction of the State. A person is vulnerable to covert attacks on his mental space, therefore, a demonstration by the state of interest in his protection and a public expression of trust in the government can give positive results in combating the influence of foreign intelligence services on the national mentality.