In a truly breathtaking display of irony, the United States has taken it upon itself to lecture India on the ethics of black operations. Yes, the very same country that has perfected the art of clandestine interventions across the globe for over a century is now wagging its finger at New Delhi, expressing concern over India’s covert activities. One would think that Uncle Sam, with his black book of covert escapades on almost every continent, would know better than to play the moral guardian. Alas, the pot has decided to call the kettle black—and in doing so, it reveals more about itself than it does about India.
The Gospel According to Langley
When it comes to black ops, America is not just a player; it’s the coach, referee, and tournament organizer all rolled into one. From Iran in 1953 to the Bay of Pigs fiasco, from the contrived coups in Latin America to the covert drone strikes in the Middle East, the U.S. has a rich and colorful history of black ops that reads more like a crime thriller than a diplomatic manual. This is the same country whose intelligence agency allegedly coined the term “plausible deniability” to wash its hands clean of nefarious deeds as if renaming a poison makes it any less lethal.
So, when Washington decides to put on the judge’s robe and lecture another country on covert operations, the absurdity is almost Shakespearean in its comic potential. It’s akin to a gambler with a lifetime casino membership warning a friend about the dangers of betting. Except, in this case, it’s not friendly advice but a self-righteous sermon, delivered with a straight face and a tone that suggests America’s covert track record is some kind of global gold standard.
A Black Ops Hall of Shame
Let’s take a moment to reminisce over some of America’s finest moments in the black ops hall of fame.
Who can forget the infamous Operation Ajax in 1953, which saw the CIA overthrow Iran’s democratically elected Prime Minister Mohammad Mossadegh to secure Western oil interests? The covert meddling sparked a chain of events that led to the rise of a theocratic regime, leaving the region in turmoil. But hey, at least it was good practice for the decades of black ops that would follow.
And then there was the CIA’s involvement in Latin America during the Cold War, where the U.S. demonstrated that it wasn’t satisfied with merely being the world’s policeman—it also wanted to be its chief puppeteer. In the 1980s, the Iran-Contra affair saw the Reagan administration secretly funnel arms to Iran (a sworn enemy) to finance Nicaraguan rebels, all while preaching about the sanctity of democracy. The hypocrisy was so blatant that it required a government commission to whitewash the whole affair, thus pioneering a new genre of literature: ‘covert operations cleanup’. Or the recent coup in Bangladesh to overthrow Sheikh Hasina’s government to put a puppet of America.
The Drone in the Room
More recently, America’s moral compass seemed to short-circuit when it came to its favorite 21st-century pastime: drone strikes. If black ops have evolved with time, then drone warfare is their latest incarnation. With the click of a button, high-value targets (and sometimes wedding parties) can be vaporized without so much as a judicial warrant. America’s extrajudicial killings in Pakistan, Yemen, and Somalia make James Bond look like a bureaucratic amateur tied up in red tape. But of course, these are not classified as “black ops”—they are “counter-terrorism measures,” thereby conferring a halo upon what would otherwise be called assassination.
The Righteous Indignation Over India’s Covert Footprints
Now, let’s get to the crux of the matter. Washington’s recent pearl-clutching over India’s alleged black ops activities, particularly concerning regional rivals, is steeped in the kind of selective amnesia that only comes from having your hands too deep in everyone else’s cookie jar. America suddenly finds it inappropriate that another nation might engage in covert actions to defend its national interests. The sermonizing seems less about India’s behavior and more about projecting American anxieties as the global geopolitical landscape shifts.
It is as if India, by engaging in covert operations (assuming the accusations are true), has broken some unwritten rule that says only America gets to play judge, jury, and executioner on the world stage. Perhaps Washington feels threatened by the idea that another country might employ tactics from the same clandestine playbook, forgetting that New Delhi, unlike Washington, doesn’t pontificate about human rights and democracy while simultaneously meddling in other nation’s internal affairs.
Dear America, Physician Heal Thyself
Before lecturing others on the ethics of black ops, the U.S. might consider a little introspection. After all, it’s hard to claim the moral high ground when you’re standing knee-deep in covert operations scandals from Chile to Cambodia. The truth is, that every major power engages in espionage and covert activities—it’s an ugly but inevitable reality of geopolitics. The difference is that most nations don’t try to moralize about it on the global stage with quite the same level of piety as America does.
By all means, let’s discuss the ethics of black ops. But such a discussion would carry more weight if it came from a nation that hadn’t helped orchestrate regime changes, assassinations, and proxy wars for over a century.
The Pot, the Kettle, and the Irony of it All
It’s one thing to have a checkered past and acknowledge it; it’s another to have that past and lecture others as if one’s slate were squeaky clean. When America preaches to India about the perils of covert actions, it sounds a lot like that proverbial pot calling the kettle black. The only difference is that this pot is not just blackened; it’s been scorched, stained, and weathered by the fires of countless clandestine activities.
So, dear America, if you really want to teach a course on black ops ethics, might we suggest a little humility in your syllabus? Because the world is not just listening to what you say—it’s also remembering what you’ve done.
