The intelligence of a country – state or military – is considered the ears and eyes of a country. In reality though, it performs a much more complicated role than merely gathering information. Raw information moves up an intricate chain of command, getting processed into intelligence for the policy makers to use as they see fit. Countries have come to rely on intelligence for both its national security to protect itself against adverse forces, as well as a tool in shaping its international relations. As such, most countries do not wait for the events, but engineer events to meet their wants.

In a world that is getting increasingly globalized, the role countries play in the international arena is becoming more important than ever. However, governments cannot simply use their might to coerce another nation into their bidding. For one thing, its own citizens must construe their government’s action as legitimate. An open confrontation would sooner than later disturb its own peace. In a civilized world, it must also keep its mask of respectability. That is the reason for democratic governments to engage in secret wars with other democratic states that really pose no justifiable threat to the aggressor. The simple objective been, furthering or protecting the aggressor’s interests.

The “Arab Springs” purportedly to bring democracy to people oppressed by dictators out to destroy America’s decent values is definitely more nobler cause than the actual fact of protecting the petrodollar. The truth that it was only to protect the ‘dollars for oil’ system that benefitted America, but left the region poor would have been a hard sell to the righteous minds of the American citizen. Even though America has been unmasked each time, their obfuscate role in the mess has created a convenient confusion as to the real cause to the mess.

After disintegrating Libya, Obama’s weak excuse that they did not have a plan for day after was offset by Hillary’s positive assurances. She stood by the stance that since despicable Gaddafi is out, things can only look up for Libyans – conveniently ignoring the fact that since his removal, Libya has nosedived to rock bottom. She assured that she has not given up on Libya. Her words however do not reflect the reality of the situation, where terrorism has exploded to dangerous proportions.

Her words, propagated disproportionately by mainstream media, are only suffice to keep the American mind lulled. The media is largely responsible for the regime change in Libya that was engineered without shame after Iraq. Up to date, the weapons of mass destruction that Iraq was to have, has never been found. Still, U.S. policy makers were able to justify regime change in Libya and repeat their attempts in Syria. It is interesting that no one asks the regime changers what lessons they have learnt from the disasters they have wreaked.

However, regime change is not a new phenomenon and protecting the petrodollar has not been the only objective. Suppressing communism and nationalism are also good enough motives. In 1954, there was a concerted effort by the CIA to tarnish and depose the democratically elected president of Guatemala, Jacobo Arbenz Guzman as a communist, leading to years of violence in the country. Mainstream media reported that the democracy in Guatemala has been restored. It conveniently failed to ask the most important question: how did the so-called freedom-fighters fund their victory against their State.

Likewise, with the help of the British government, the U.S. ousted Mohammad Mosaddegh, the legitimate prime minister of Iran. In 1981, Reagan challenged covertly the Sandinista government in Nicarague.

Besides these military coups and regime change operations, according to political scientist Dov Levin of Carnegie Mellon University, between 1946 and 2000, the U.S. has intervened in 81 presidential elections. Los Angeles Times notes his observations where, “these acts, carried out in secret two-thirds of the time, include funding the election campaigns of specific parties, disseminating misinformation or propaganda, training locals of only one side in various campaigning or get-out-the-vote techniques, helping one side design their campaign materials, making public pronouncements or threats in favor of or against a candidate, and providing or withdrawing foreign aid. In 59% of these cases, the side that received assistance came to power.”

Throughout the Cold War, the U.S. obsession was to keep communism dead and buried. After the U.S. ally Jean-Claude “Baby Doc” Duvalier was overthrown in Haiti in 1986, CIA continued to meddle with the country’s politics, undermining Jean-Bertrande Aristide.

According to Levin, U.S. interference costed the Italian communist party not only in 1948, but also in subsequent elections. In 1990, the CIA leaked corruption allegations against the Marxist Sandinistas to German newspapers that was used by the opposition. At the same time, CIA influenced elections in Czechoslovakia.

In 1996, with the U.S. backing, the International Monetary Fund passed a USD 10.2 billion loan to push Russia to capitalism. Yeltsin gained ground claiming only he with his reformist credentials could secure such loans. Before the elections, he used part of the money for social spending.

The Serbian leader, Slobodan Milosevic in 2000, faced economic sanctions and other harassments by the West for been a nationalist. If not for the millions of dollars the U.S. gave his opponents and independent media, chances are he would have served another term is Levin’s opinion. This is Mahinda Rajapaksa’s story as well.

However, it is not only U.S. or the West that try to architect governments to their comforts. Since World War II, Russia too has interfered with 36 foreign elections. In fact, CIA accuses Russia of interfering with the 2016 U.S. presidential elections. This is perhaps a first for America and they are certainly not enjoying their own medicine.

While Russia’s involvement in this elections are still to be proven, India’s role in changing the regional political makeup is fairly well noted. India played a decisive role in the creation of Bangladesh. Using a double agent, India exposed Pakistan for sponsoring the terrorist organization Al-Fatah. He, according to plan, posing as a member of National Liberation Front of Pakistan Occupied Kashmir, hijacked an Indian Airlines aircraft (retired from service). Landing in Lahore, he demanded the release of 36 Al-Fatah members in India custody.

India not only declined to release the terrorists, but also gave worldwide publicity to the Pakistan’s ‘role’ behind the hijacking. The unsuspecting Pakistani officials hailed him as a freedom fighter in Pakistan and gave him asylum. This gave legitimacy to the Indian government to ban all Pakistani flights over Indian territory. This hampered Pakistan’s efforts to curb the unrest in East Pakistan. The shortest route between east and west Pakistan was via the Indian airspace. Other alternate routes, where Pakistan had to go around India and through Sri Lanka, were at least three times longer, costing as much time and fuel. Thus, they were unable to send vital resources on time to the troubled areas, giving India and founders of Bangladesh a strategic advantage.

Indira Gandhi in 1972 instructed the Research and Analysis Wing to install a pro-Indian government in Sikkim – a Buddhist country similar to Sri Lanka in size and also the birthplace of Venerable S Mahinda Thera. Since Indian independence, Sikkim was ruled by a Maharaja, who India recognized with the title Chogyl (Dharma Raja).

RAW found that the Maharaja was having a love affair with an American air stewardess. They advised him to terminate the relationship, claiming that she was a CIA agent. When he secretly continued, the Indian Army marched in and held a referendum to get the people’s consent to become a state of India. With deft manipulation, RAW got the desired results and Sikkim became the 22nd State of the Indian Union in 1975. For losing the independence enjoyed by Sikkim for thousands of years, India granted them one seat out of 543 in the Indian Parliament.

Whether India got the desired results in their meddling with Sri Lanka is a serious question that Indian policy makers must examine in depth. Since Sri Lankan independence, PM SWRD Bandaranaike was assassinated, a near military coup was foiled simply because of one honorable officer and Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna had its first insurgency in 1971, for which the government was again woefully unprepared to counter. Still, when the ’70s decade ended, Sri Lanka had only a ceremonial army. The intelligence agencies – especially military intelligence – was not at a credible level.

However, as a direct result of Indian sponsored terrorism, Sri Lanka military from the ’80s decade transformed into a fighting force. There were many debacles and other shortages the military faced, especially in terms of sophisticated, modern weaponry. At the same time, the adverse forces against Sri Lanka increased. At the end, Sri Lanka was not fighting a terrorist group, but with giants from the West as well as from India. Economically and reputation-wise Sri Lanka suffered greatly. Yet, against all odds, Sri Lanka produced a military that even in its worst day, still managed to contain terrorism without giving in to the absurd demands of the terrorist-fronted entities despite the enormous pressures to do so. When the war against terrorism ended finally in 2009, Sri Lanka had one of the best military intelligence in the world.

In turn, India lost one of Her PM candidates when Rajiv Gandhi was assassinated in Indian soil. The Indians are not happy with the role the Indian Peace Keeping Force played in Sri Lanka, nor over the loss of Indian lives in Sri Lankan soil. Despite India’s protests of goodwill, only the politically motivated really believes them. Thus, the Economic and Technical Cooperation Agreement India is trying to push is meeting with hostile suspicion from Sri Lankan professionals, trade unions and the business community. In the same manner, the free Indian ambulance services were also vehemently opposed.

On the other hand, when talks to lease the Magampura Port to the Chinese for at least 99 years surfaced, there is a significant group who is agreeable. More than economic advantage and development, they are optimistic that the Chinese presence will balance the Indians. Such is the revulsion Sri Lanka reserves for India.

How different it would have been for India had they engaged with Sri Lanka in a positive manner and managed a relationship as China had done so with us. At least now, they must rethink their strategy concerning Sri Lanka.

Intelligence is however not only used to topple governments and create disharmony in other countries. Good intelligence is vital to understand the battlespace to know enemy’s capabilities and vulnerabilities. It is inferior forces’ only chance to counter superior adversaries. Operation Entebbe is a classic example where over 100 Jewish hostages were rescued by the Israelis from the Entebbe – Uganda’s main airport. For a week, Israelis planned the rescue operation. They gathered as much intelligence as possible – including the layout of the terminal the hostages were kept, which they replicated and strategized. Finally, under an hour the rescue operation was successfully concluded. In reality, Israel is a speck in the Arab world. Yet, because of their meticulous intelligence, they have proven to be a force to reckon.