A Short Note on Covert Action as a Policy Tool
Despite being a topic of limited research due to its confidential nature, covert action is frequently utilized as a means of policy implementation. Comparable to diplomacy and military power, it is a form of state power that can aid actors in shaping the world around them.
Covert action, despite recent attention in modern western democracies, has a long history dating back to the formation of early states and societies. This tool of statecraft was commonly employed by the ancient Romans, Syrians, South Asians, Greeks, and Arabs through clandestine operations, political assassinations, and paramilitary operations as part of their foreign policy. However, the earliest written works on intelligence and covert action were not from ancient Greece or Rome, but further East, in the form of The Arthashastra, attributed to Kautilya, and The Art of War, attributed to Sun Tzu or Master Sun from ancient China.
In these societies, covert operations were employed as a clever tactic to circumvent active warfare since both strategists suggested building alliances rather than involving in expensive military operations. Kautilya advised that “if the objective can be achieved through non-violent means, even through deceit and trickery, I would not recommend armed combat.” Similarly, Master Sun stated that “the ultimate skill in warfare is to conquer the enemy without fighting.”
Kautilya, in the Arthashastra (circa 150 CE), claimed that a “single assassin can accomplish more with weapons, fire, or poison than a fully mobilized army.” Similarly, Christopher Andrews notes in his book The History of Intelligence, that if Richard Bissell, the CIA’s Director of Plans at the time, had read the Arthashastra, the Americans may have had a better chance of assassinating Fidel Castro in 1960 by following the advice on the careful selection process required for recruiting assassins.
Successful covert actions are those that remain unknown to the public, although failed operations can sometimes be exposed. These operations, also known as special operations, disruptive actions, or active measures, enable governments to exert power and pursue their geostrategic goals, whether by preventing conflicts from escalating or enhancing their reputation both domestically and internationally. Although these terms may be used interchangeably, there are significant technological differences between them.
One instance of covert action is Operation Timber Sycamore, where the US trained and provided weapons to the ‘moderate rebels’ in Syria to overthrow President Bashar al Assad. This operation, conducted with the aid of allied intelligence agencies, was unsuccessful. Another well-known example is Operation Cyclone, where the US and its allies trained the Mujahideen in Pakistan and Afghanistan to combat communism. This operation contributed to the break-up of the Soviet Union.
Bibliography:
Andrews, Christopher. “The History of Intelligence,” 2018. Yale University Press.
Carson, Austin & Poznansky Michael. “The Logic for (Shoddy) U.S. Covert Action in Syria,” 2016. War on the Rocks. https://warontherocks.com/2016/07/the-logic-for-shoddy-u-s-covert-action-in-syria/
Cormac, Rory. “Disruption and Deniable Interventionism: Explaining
the Appeal of Covert Action and Special Forces In Contemporary
British Policy”, International Relations, vol. 3 no. 2, 2017, pp. 169–191.
Kautilya’s Arthashasthra. Translated into English by R. Shamasastry. Bangalore. Government Press. 1915.
Pear, Robert. “Arming Afghan Guerrillas: A Huge Effort Led by the U.S.” Archives. The New York Times. April 18, 1988.
Scott, Len. “Secret Intelligence, Covert Action and Clandestine
Diplomacy,” Intelligence and National Security. 19,2 (2004).
Sheldon, Rose Mary. “The ancient imperative: clandestine operations and covert action,” International Journal of Intelligence and Counterintelligence. 10:3, 299–315, (2017).
Sun Tsu. “The Art of War.” translated by John Minford. Published by the Penguin Group. 2006
