With lot of inherent disadvantages associated with direct conflict like – loss of life, high cost of military engagement along with the threat of economic sanctions many countries have found carrying out proxy war, militarily or politically, in the targeted nation as a much viable alternative compared to conventional war.
The proxy war over the years has become a very potent weapon in the hands of predator nations vying to arm twist the targeted nations to prevent them from pursuing independent policy discrepant with their ulterior self serving objectives. As and when their objectives are not served due to the targeted govt not succumbing to the bullying tactics they then go-ahead with their intensified proxy war to dismantle the Govt that chose to defy them and install Govt that show willingness to collaborate.
Nations that embark on proxy war recruit their proxies from the Targeted Nations citizenry covering a large section of the society through their spy network. The proxies may be disgruntled and unscrupulous – politicians, political parties, top bureaucrats, academicians, student wings, educational institutions, constitutional authorities, chair persons of professional bodies, media establishments etc from a long list of possibilities. Apart from this the proxies can also be recruited from various international bodies and NGOs.
These proxies do not come for free; they have a price tag attached to them depending upon whether they don a permanent role or a temporary one. The role of the proxy is to check mate the Govt and its policies which are not in line with the proxy war sponsoring Nation. Concerted media campaign, public unrest, group clashes, Internationalization of domestic issues, propaganda through social media, filing numerous court appeals to brow beat the victim Nation’s Govt, become order of the day.
It is quite evident that huge funding is required to support and sustain such agenda driven proxy war. Even for rich Nations this can become a tricky issue because such out flow of funds have to be justified back home to their own legislative bodies. Therefore mostly illicit money gotten from dealings with underworld are channelized for such subversive activities and often the services of the underworld is also enlisted for heinous criminal jobs like assassinations, kidnapping etc.. Many terrorists organization also double up as mercenary groups to garner funds for their terror organizations.
Enforcement Directorate of India have unearthed sinister Chinese plot to overthrow Modi govt. ED’s follow up on suspicious money trails and many raids at suspected centers aided in unveiling of such plots. However here again the advent of Crypto currency has blunted the ED’s money trail tracing weaponry to unearth clandestine funding.
Apart from huge funds, for a successful covert operation a very effective and advanced communication system becomes imperative. Given that the subversive activities are scripted from outside the Nation’s border and with so much of coordination requiring to be achieved between various proxy groups located in far off locations the success of these subversions hinges on a very advanced stealth communication system.
The dastardly acts of word trade centre bombing, bombings at embassies of various countries, perpetrating attacks on the parliament of a Nation, hijacking of planes, attacks on military convoys etc would have required elaborate plans and coordination through shrouded communication system. An expansive communication surveillance system would have prevented such tragedies.
The fact that world has averted many such disasters and such barbarous acts are far and few between since 2001, is a direct outcome of bold initiatives taken by many Nations, to deploy advanced surveillance technology, over riding the privacy guarantees incorporated in their respective constitutions. It may be of interest to note here that President Obama who promised to protect privacy of American citizens and civil liberties while on his run to the US presidency however when faced with the reality advocated and defended the electronic mass surveillance after becoming the President.
In Indian context too the violence and terror unleashed in Mumbai city attack, Parliament attack, Elgar parishad conspiracy plot, the CAA stir, The farmers stir, Phulwama attack, Massacre of CRPF Camps in Naxal areas all have had better coordination between the proxies and their handlers. An effective and exhaustive communication surveillance of the suspected parties could have helped in thwarting off those diabolical events.
The unscrupulous groups pursuing nefarious agenda are always one step ahead of those who are trying to fend them off thanks to advancement in technology. Use of satellite phones, routing calls through multi towers, use of drones for transmission relays and use of crypto currency for funding make the job of subversion prevention by Nations under attack that much more difficult. Recently it was in the news in many international news channels about the kind of attack the US Embassy staffs in various countries were subjected to through some kind of audio frequency bombardment leaving most of the staff sick and mentally unstable. This portends what to expect in future proxy wars.
During war time lot of restrictions to civil liberties come in to effect. Many Govts get empowered to open the mails or intercept communications at random to detect spy network or enemy support groups. In today’s world every Nation faces permanent threat of attack to its sovereignty from jihadists and other pestilent elements pursuing misguided mission.The enemy is no more to be found at the border but he is to be found within the society.
Every Nation is presented with the conundrum of safe guarding the civil liberties of its citizens or infringing on the privacy of few suspected individuals while putting up a defensive communication surveillance network. The debate on the morality of the common good vs. the individual liberties can endlessly go on without arriving at a justified conclusion. But then the Elected Govts have the difficult task of safe guarding the Nation from the ill designs and treacherous plots of inimical elements without getting constrained by the moral trappings of civil liberty and privacy invasions issues.
Quite often the Govts do not have indubitable inputs to fully authenticate a case for surveillance of individuals or groups suspected to be connected with a conspiratorial network. In the absence of which it has to spread its surveillance network based on best possible wisdom and rationale reasoning supplemented by intelligence inputs from agencies of its own as well as that of friendly Nations.
While there is so much of brouhaha by Media and unscrupulous politicians over the alleged invasion of their privacy, what is the reality on the flip side? The media in general go digging in to privacy of individuals, making public the alleged illicit relations from the past or present, photographs from private albums, messages from private communications and covert videos made from sting operations with spy cams and electronic bugs all of them with this presumption and justification that celebrities and public figures lose their privileges to privacy once they come in to public glare. Some media went to the extent of practicing voyeurism during late Princess Diana’s private outing in a Yacht and demonstrated to what obnoxious levels the media can invade privacy of people only with the justification that their subjects are public personalities.
Indian courts too have been very unclear with respect to right to privacy of public figures. Are our politician’s not public figures? Is their private life beyond public scrutiny especially when same consideration is not being given to other celebrities and public figures? Aren’t the media person’s not public figures? considering that many of them have thousands of followers in social media, many of them appear in National news channels regularly, many of them have been awarded prestigious civilian awards of the government. Why then these group of individuals in the opposition parties and anti establishment media cringe at the thought of someone else snooping on their communications.
Why is it perfectly all right for media to not disclose their sources of information and protect their sources of information where as a Govt availing the services of few pvt agencies of friendly nations to get inside information concerning some media persons and political leaders suspected be involved in conspiracy be viewed as a sacrilege of civil rights and liberties.
On the basis of right to information the media and the political leaders from opposition has every right to demand even very sensitive national security related information from the Govt. In the guise of being a part of the parliamentary committee on many political affairs the opposition leaders have the door of opportunity to get access to classified information of various ministries of the Govt.Why should not these persons be monitored for National security reasons? Why should such peoples oath during swearing in as members of parliament to uphold the sovereignty and integrity of India taken on its face value especially when they have indulged in all such activities that has undermined the sovereignty and the Integrity of India.
Why is that we are saddled with an unfair system, where the Govt is expected to maintain transparency at all cost, reveal whatever it does in the name of transparency, observe all the rules and tied by all the rules? Why is that the Govt is expected to deliver despite all the obstacles put forth in its way by inimical groups whose activities it cannot monitor or checkmate for the fear of culpability in violating privacy and civil liberties?
Why is that the constitutional body that is expected to function and perform is tied up in shackles where as the those who do not have the responsibility to perform have all the freedom through constitutional guarantees in disrupting the governance. Why should a democratic Govt be expected to become a sitting duck surrounded by all evil elements that enjoy the privilege of protection guaranteed by the very system that excels in tying the Govt that is expected to deliver with restraining shackles.
Where is the system of checks and balances of a Democracy headed for? All the checks are on the Govt which needs to deliver and no check on those who do not have to deliver but are hell bent on disrupting governance. The balance too is heavily loaded against the Govt with the opposition, the media and the subversive groups all ganged up together. The balance is further skewed up by the extra judicial activism of the Judiciary living in an delusional world totally out of sync with the real world.
Nothing special needs to be done to kill a Democracy! No one need to lose sleep over external threat to Democracy. The Democracy is capable of destroying itself with its own benignity.
