The Political and Ideological Definition
Many times in our life, we listen about this theme but a few time we search for the meaning of this unusual word. The concept of subversion is very old, it was used in China, back in the fourth century BC, by a general and philosopher named Sun Tse.
Since that time this has been the way to win a war without a battlefield.
In the Dictionary of the British Oxford University, the word subversion makes its entry, in the late Middle Ages, to the English language from the French subvert; and this, in turn, Latin “subvertere” sub compound prefix and suffix below verter- change. The Larousse dictionary defines it as: “an action against established values.” For intelligence agencies, subversion is a style of war tactics that distracts attention from the real target and from those who execute it because it is done within a framework of acceptable legal action using the most civilized channels of relations between the different factors that make up a country including diplomatic and academic relations between the different countries, especially when it comes to countries with totalitarian models, these two categories are absolutely used according to Intelligence and Subversion.
Operational Concept
There are many operational definitions of the concept of Subversion, and all in one way or another make it easier to understand its essence.
The subversion is a process to be described as an attack on the public morale and, “the will to resist intervention are the products of combined political and social loyalties which are usually attached to national symbols. Disintegration of political and social institutions of the state, these loyalties may be detached and transferred to the political or ideological cause of the aggressor. ”
[1] Subversion is used as a tool to achieve political goals because it carries less risk, cost, but much more time and difficulty as opposed to open belligerency.
Like clear advantage, it is a relatively cheap form of warfare that does not require large amounts of training.
[2] A subversive is something or someone carrying the potential for some degree of subversion. In this context, a “subversive” is sometimes called a “traitor” with respect to (and usually by) the government in power.
The Subversion: Operative Definitions
Some concepts may make easier to understand because the word “Subversion” has a very wide uses, probably the problem with defining the term subversion is that there is not a single definition that is universally accepted.
[9] Charles Townsend described subversion as a term, “so elastic as to be virtually devoid of meaning, and its use does little more than convey the enlarged sense of the vulnerability of modern systems to all kinds of covert assaults”.[10] What follows are some of the many attempts to define the term:
“Subversion is the undermining or detachment of the loyalties of significant political and social groups within the victimized state, and their transference, under ideal conditions, to the symbols and institutions of the aggressor.”[11]
“Subversion — Actions designed to undermine the military, economic, psychological, or political strength or morale of a governing authority.”[12]
“Subversive Activity — Anyone lending aid, comfort, and moral support to individuals, groups, or organizations that advocate the overthrow of incumbent governments by force and violence is subversive and is engaged in subversive activity. All willful acts that are intended to be detrimental to the best interests of the government and that do not fall into the categories of treason, sedition, sabotage, or espionage will be placed in the category of subversive activity.”[12]
“Subversive Political Action — A planned series of activities designed to accomplish political objectives by influencing, dominating, or displacing individuals or groups who are so placed as to affect the decisions and actions of another government.”[12]
Subversion — “A destructive, aggressive activity aimed to destroy the country, nation, or geographical area of your enemy… [by demoralizing the cultural values and changing the population’s perception of reality].[13]
Subversion — Roger Trinquier defined subversion as a term that could be lumped together under the name modern warfare, “as being interlocking systems of actions, political, economic, psychological and military that aims at the overthrow of established authority in a country.”[14]
Conceptual understanding of subversion
Defining and understanding subversion means identifying entities, structures, and things that can be subverted. Furthermore, it may help to identify practices and tools that are not subversive. Institutions and morals can be subverted, but ideology on the other hand cannot.[15]
The fall of a government or the creation of a new government as a result of an external war is not subversion. Espionage does not count as subversion directly because it is not an action that leads directly to an overthrow of a government. Information gathered from espionage may be used to plan and carry out subversive activities.[16]
To gain an understanding of what is considered to be subversive requires understanding the intent of those taking action. This makes defining and identifying subversion a difficult process. As Laurence Beilenson points out, “to criticize a government in an effort to reform it or to change its policies is not subversion, even though such criticism may contribute to overthrow. But criticism intended to help a projected overthrow becomes subversive without regard to whether it is right or wrong.”[17]
The “Fake News” is the Voluntary Subversive Role
Subversion however is also often a goal of “dummies”, artists and people in those careers.[3] In this case, being subversive can mean questioning, poking fun at, and undermining the established order in general.[4] When a comedy or comic is referred to as being subversive, it is as much of a compliment to their work as it could be an accusation,[5] from comics like Charlie Chaplin, Lenny Bruce, Andy Kaufman and Stephen Colbert to writers like Paddy Chayefsky, Larry Charles and Mel Brooks, and activists like Abbie Hoffman and Michael Moore. Satire is one of the most potent forms of subversion for artists and comics, and it can take shape in films, television, books, and even political protest. The Media is the main resource of Subversion can be voluntary or by purchase.
Other ways to make and Types of subversion
Generally, subversion can be broken down into internal and external subversion. This does not mean that each type of subversion follows a specific playbook using predetermined tools and practices.
Each subversive campaign is different because of the social, political, economic, cultural, and historical differences that each country has.
Subversive activities are employed based on an evaluation of these factors. This breakdown merely clarifies who the actors are. While the subversive actors may be different, the soon to be subverted targets are the same.
As Paul Blackstock identifies, the ruling and political elites are the ultimate targets of persuasion because they control the physical instruments of state power. [18]
Internal subversion is actions taken by those within a country and can be used as a tool of power. In most cases the use or threat of force is the last step of internal subversion. [19]
External subversion is actions taken by another country in cooperation with those inside the subverted country and can be used as a tool of statecraft. Foreign volunteers from another country are not qualified to qualify for external subversion. [17]
The reason for this is the Individuals That May legitimately share the cause of the internal subversive dissidents and legitimately Have Volunteered. Only when the government itself furnishes a nation with money, arms, supplies, or other help to dissidents can it be called external subversion. [twenty]
Better Social Environment to Apply the Political Subversion
Unfortunately, the more rights and freedoms they have in a country, the more it can be subverted.
For this reason, democracies that guarantee rights higher than they can actually offer become very weak and vulnerable to subversive attacks that are invisible and silent.
It would be practically impossible to penetrate a closed and totalitarian society because the media are under the control of dictatorships, as is the case of Russia, China, Cuba, North Korea, etc. Other countries that, although they do not have a totalitarian and centralized regime when they have a cultural heritage well internalized, can also be invulnerable to subversive processes, such as Japan India and the Arab world for its ancient religion. In both types of countries, totalitarians and closed culture, foreign propaganda always has a destination: go to the garbage and be consumed by fire; Even letters from individual to individual are prohibited so that the person does not receive information contrary to the official.
At present, espionage, as we see in novels and films, specifically focused on finding certain information occupies 10 to 15% of the economic resources and working time of the intelligence agencies of totalitarian countries; While subversion consumes 85% of the rest of the general intelligence activity.
Within this activity, there is the work of ideological penetration that can, without using nuclear missiles, subvert or change the profiles of a government in favor of the communists. This method has been successful in Rhodesia, Vietnam, Bangladesh, Cuba, Nicaragua, Angola, Venezuela, Bolivia, Ecuador, Chile, Argentina, Iraq, Ethiopia, North Yemen, Iran, the United States and others.
The arsenal of Psychological Warfare of the USSR is the most secret and perfidious weaponry ever used. I affirm it because I was able to prove it, when I was a teacher in the decade of the 70’s, and they assigned me the task of designing the content of the courses of Operative Psychology to impart to the cadets and officers of the Superior Institute of the Ministry of the Interior of Cuba between the years 1976-80.
The dean of the program had visited several academies of the Soviet Union to gain experience, but she was always denied information on Psychology and its application in Intelligence and Counter Intelligence. In reading the lectures of extraordinary courage of a Soviet deserter, called Yuri Bezmenov, then I understood the scope of this military specialty.
Shortly thereafter, I found an extensive report from the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) on the research of Soviet scientists in the use of Psychological Warfare and Military Psychology and its applications in many fields. These applications range from the use of telepathy and telekinesis in submarines to psychological preparation in behavioral programming. The KGB and GRU applying deep hypnosis could induce automatic behaviors in certain individuals to commit attacks, sabotage, etc. but really these are classic applications of Military Psychology.
As well as other techniques like the Cognitive Dissonance created by Leon Festinger, to create the modification of attitudes that the American pilots underwent when they were prisoners in North Vietnam taken secretly to Cuba to be subjected to special kind of torture to create contradictions to them when they were returned to the United States. Many of them have erratic thinking and behavior after they returned in freedom to USA when the War ended.
All this information gives us an explanation of how in many events occurred, the Soviets have gone unnoticed as the true authors of the same.
Subversive actions can be grouped into four interrelated categories:
- Establishing front groups and penetrating and manipulating existing political parties
- Infiltrating the armed forces, the police, and other Institutions of the state, as well as Important Non-government organizations
- Generating civil unrest through Demonstrations, strikes, and boycotts. [twenty-one]
- Creating new organizations with the agenda but with different name and leadership but under the control of the Communist.
“The victim stance is a powerful one. The victim is always morally right, neither responsible nor accountable and forever entitled to sympathy.”
Dr. Ofer Zur, Victimology Psychology
“The western world has been thoroughly saturated with Christianity for 2000 years… any country grounded in Judeo-Christian values cannot therefore be overthrown until those roots are cut… but to cut the roots, to change the culture – a Long March through the institutions is necessary. Only then will power fall into our laps like ripened fruit!”
Antonio Gramsci
This is a series of articles that will be in the new book “The Subversion Against America” written by Dr. Ed Prida.
In Part 2, the first ideological subversion plan against America is described – The Frankfort School
