THE GIST of Editorial for UPSC Exams : 04 JULY 2019 (Not a bloodless option for India (The Hindu))

Not a bloodless option for India (The Hindu)

Mains Paper 2 : International Relations
Prelims level : U.S.-Iran tensions
Mains level : The fulfillment of the criterion of pre-emption would allow India to argue and justify the operation on international forums.

Context

• Amidst U.S.-Iran tensions, an American drone was shot down by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps in June.
• President Donald Trump delivered a customary response on Twitter stating that Iran had made a “very big mistake”.
• A military strike was planned, and even authorised, but later called off by Mr. Trump who apparently favours bloodless wars.

The implicit criteria

• India’s response against Pakistan, especially on the past two occasions, a few implicit criteria relating to the handling of the aftermath of an operation can be deduced.
• It is necessary to meet, or foresee the meeting of, these criteria before any operation is incorporated into India’s arsenal of retaliatory options.
• It is pertinent to note that these criteria are not in the context of the operational requirements of the Indian armed forces.
• The criteria are: pre-emption, non-military nature, and deterrence.

Pre-emption

• The fulfillment of the criterion of pre-emption would allow India to argue and justify the operation on international forums. It feasibly falls under the exception of Article 2(4) of the UN Charter through the passage of self defence.

Non-military nature criteria

• In such instances, the operational aim has never been to target the Pakistani people or even the Pakistani military. Accordingly, it is imperative for any operation to be able to claim that it is non-military in nature.

Deterrence Criteria

• The operation should be of such an impact that it creates deterrence, that is, it fulfils the purpose of imposing substantial damage on the enemy, which invariably leads to deterrence.

Aimed at the establishment

• The conduct of U.S. cybercommand was aimed at the Iranian establishment, specifically targeting its military installations.
• If India conducts a cyberstrike against Pakistan’s military command or systems, it will be termed as one against Pakistan and not the terrorists.
• The non-military nature and pre-emption of the operation will be viewed through the perspective of attacking Pakistani military and Pakistan in essence, rendering them as futile, for example in terms of diplomatic parleys.
• Further, a cyberstrike against Pakistan will call for counter-cyberstrikes. Instead of the intended deterrence, it will likely lead to an escalation.
• In such a situation, all or at least most of the criteria will not be met. Hence, a cyberattack is not a feasible retaliatory option for India at present.

Way forward

• It is, however, noteworthy that the dependency of terrorist groups on computers, networks and the Internet has increased. Various, if not all, terrorist groups use the Internet for propaganda.
• This can certainly be curtailed by any necessary cyberoperation. Most importantly, such an operation should not be a ‘retaliatory operation’ but a ‘regular operation’.

Conclusion

• A cyberattack can certainly be an option when the situation changes, and India decides to act against providers of safe haven to terrorists.
• In such instances, the Pakistani establishment might be targeted beyond diplomatic pressures. The ability of the Indian armed forces to conduct such cyberstrikes is not completely known, and rightly so, given that disclosure of such details would take away the element of surprise.

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Prelims Questions:

Q.1) According to analysis released by the Swiss National Bank (SNB), consider the following statements:
1. India has moved down one place to 74th rank in terms of money parked by its citizens and enterprises with Swiss banks at the end of 2018.2. Among the five-nation BRICS block of emerging economies, India is ranked the highest while Russia is ranked the lowest.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
A. 1 only
B. 2 only
C. Both
D. None

Answer: A
Mains Questions:
Q.1) A cyberattack may not prove to be a feasible retaliatory measure for strategists in New Delhi. Comment.