• This piece tells how India has been targeted over the years and why it important for Indians of today to learn from the past, shedding aside their differences. At the same time, India must not suffer from a victimhood complex – study moves-go beyond the headlines before arriving at a decision.

There are no coincidences in international relations. Most actions and events are carefully choreographed by nations to achieve their objectives. Events of the last year after Operation Sindoor fit into that definition.

On 8th October 2026, the US Secretary of Labour, in presence of Vice President JD Vance declared, “We are cutting off the head of the snake — the companies that enabled this abuse for decades,” Sonderling told reporters at Thursday’s briefing. “There has been no company in the United States, unfortunately, that has abused this system more than Microsoft,” Vance he said. Taipei Times Without naming India it was implied. The US was opening a second front on targeting Indian services exports after tariffing out Indian commodities exports. On protecting American workers also read this Express report & Telegraph According to this TOI report the, “Donald Trump administration has barred as many as eight technology companies from participating in a programme that is used to seek green cards for foreign workers.”  

When it suited the U.S. government it encourage India to buy crude from Russia yet later imposed sanctions on India for buying such oil. This increased oil and gas prices. With India reeling under such a price rise and facing a drought due to El Nino, these American measures were meant to create a perfect storm for Indian government. As a final entry, a non-entity was built up through social media algorithm and planned violence was unleashed in the Indian capital. The stage was set for a Bangladesh like regime change in India.

For the last several years, the social media companies have carried out ‘test’ cases of how to generate violence through WhatsApp messages, a classic case of lynching of Sadhus in April 2020 in Maharashtra. Closer to today, a single accident, a heinous crime like rape etc routinely gathers hundreds and thousands of people on roads. Highways are blocked for days on end. It is a tribute to the police that more violence does not take place.

But, why is Uncle Sam so p…ed with India? For an answer to that question we have to go back a year to the Operation Sindoor.  During the operation, on 9 May 2025 India successfully demonstrated the ability to carry out a pre-emptive strike on Pakistan’s nuclear capability. The ‘inadvertent’  (in the words of former Chief of Defence Staff) hitting of Kirana hills demolished the American strategy of using Pakistani nuclear weapons and its threat to bully India.

After the 2019 revocation of Article 370 and peace in Kashmir, the Americans have lost both these pressure points against India.

Going back in time, the 1974 agitations started after India tested a nuclear device in May that year. Then, there was an energy crisis and intemperate calls by JP (Jai Prakash Narayan) to the armed forces to revolt. Mujib, a pro India President of Bangla Desh was murdered (1975) and a pro US General Zia-ur-Rahman seized power in 1975 and officially took over as President in April 1977.

CJP agitation, tariffs pressure on IT companies, are all attempts to re create the Indian dependency on the US. Regime change is part of this effort. Before the usual suspects begin to accuse me of conspiracy theory and worse let me recount the playbook that has been successfully used from Iran, Ukraine, Egypt to Chile.

As is his habit, President Trump openly said that he can politically destabilize Modi, but won’t since he is his ‘friend’ (threat or light-hearted id debatable). Historians like this author also remember Henry Kissinger’s threat to Bhutto on the nuclear issue! ‘We will make a horrible example of you’, Henry K is reported to have threatened in 1976. We all know what happened to Bhutto in 1979.

It is indeed ingenious on part some Indians to deny this long and consistent history of American perfidy and pretend that the sudden rise of Cockroaches’ to national prominence is  perfectly normal and natural occurrence.

The Chilean model is extremely relevant even today. Under Operation Mockingbird, launched in the late 1940s, a domestic and international influence campaign was carried out where the CIA recruited prominent journalists, funded student and cultural front organizations, and heavily influenced major media outlets. The objective was to systematically shape public opinion, push pro-opposition narratives, and suppress unfavourable news about foreign interference.

Thirty years ago I was personally a witness to some extremely prominent literary figures receiving a monthly ‘pension’ of 300 US $, a very large sum at that time.

This has been an ongoing operation in India.

Pre-Coup Destabilisation (1970–1973) in Chile lasted from 1970-73. The U.S. government initiated a blockade to block loans and trade. Concurrently, the CIA funded opposition media, political parties, and strikes to intensify social polarisation. India is currently in that stage.

The destabilisation plot nearly succeeded on 29 July 2026 when the protesters attempted to march to the parliament. The storming of the parliament was straight from Bangladesh, Nepal and Sri Lanka playbook. Read  Why India is stable in an Unstable Neighbourhood

In Delhi 2026, all that the protesters desperately needed was police violence and deaths! It is to the eternal credit of the great restraint shown by the Delhi police that the agitators were deprived of a martyr! They followed a similar approach during the Farmer Protests when a flag was hoisted at the Red Fort.

If a single student or agitators had died that day, Delhi might have burnt!

Unlike their American or European counterparts, Indian police and paramilitary forces are well-trained in handling large crowds. The Indian authorities realized that the best way to stop violence from taking place is to prevent a collection of a mob. This was successfully done during the October 2026 protest and a citizen’s backlash to disruption have now set in.

It is futile to think that this is the end of destabilization game.

The next round will see rumours around the proposed Indo-US trade deal and how India has sold out its farmer interest to the U.S. Farmer leaders are only waiting for a nudge before they bring their tractors to the capital. The farmers must be well-off to make regular tractor visits to Delhi, the national capital.

The external interference in India’s internal affairs and attempt to throw out a strong govt will continue indefinitely. The only time these attempts will cease is when India like China, acquires economic or military muscle to hit back at the West. Till, the power asymmetry between the two lasts we must expect these attempts.

Indian citizens, well aware of the foreign designs, can nullify these false narratives if properly inoculated against the virus of dis-mis information. The government too needs to communicate regularly through Indian English and local language newspapers/TV Channel and social media platforms.

Being aware of the information warfare is the first step in that long road to national development.

This article represent personal views of the author. Please click on links for deeper reading and forming an opinion.

About Author A Athale:   A former soldier who fought in 1971 war and in Kashmir.  Spent one year in Pakistan as a prisoner of war. Did his doctorate from Pune University studying the Middle East while in service. Was on deputation in Defence Ministry and was head of the  History division in 1990 when he took voluntary retirement. 

Post retirement was the founder of a security think tank in Pune. Has written a book on Arab Israel War 1967 and 73. Was awarded Fulbright and Kennedy fellowships to study insurgency. Has researched and written a book on Sri Lanka. Worked on Kashmir problem for the govt and wrote a book ‘Let the Jhelum Smile Again’.

Other books by him include Nuclear War:  The Satyagraha Approach and the historical fiction “IF BOSE HAD LIVED?” Under a fellowship of the Parrikar Inst. of Defence Studies and Analysis, undertook research on Maratha history with particular reference to their resistance to the British. The book Titled “Legacy of Shivaji the Great: Military Strategy, Naval Supremacy, and Maratha Empire” has been recently published by the Indus Source Books Publishers, Mumbai. In connection with his studies of insurgency, he has extensively traveled to various hot spots like Kashmir, Sri Lanka, North East India, Northern Ireland, Vietnam, South Africa, and Central Asia. He has lectured and taken part in seminars on issues of war and peace in the US, Canada, Germany, and Australia.  Briefly was part of Track II diplomacy with China and Pakistan.

He is a rare breed of historian who has practical knowledge of warfare and training as a historian. This gives him unique insight into the phenomenon of war.

To read all articles by author

To read The Legacy of Shivaji by Col Athale

To buy books by Col Athale Online

To read author’s Rediff articles

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