Covert Action Presenter Woonju Roh I 47002 Date

Covert Action Presenter : Woonju Roh (I 47002) Date : 2020. 05. 22

Question 01. What do you think had the primary motives of American decision-making elites when they opted to use covert use of force instead of overt use of force?

01. Background of covert actions in Indonesia The initiation of American covert actions in Indonesia The US VS Sukarno -The security & commercial interests of the U. S existed in Indonesia -Sukarno was not a communist, but PKI was in the back of his power -He preferred neutralism & Guided democracy rather than Western democratic policies Source: Aspenia Source: wikipedia The Eisenhower administration decided to collaborate with the regional rebellion forces and launched the largest covert paramilitary action to oust Sukarno.

01. Kennedy’s “Action Plan” to Johnson’s “Low Posture Policy” Different administration, and different policies Kennedy’s Action Plan “Alliance for progress” ->Reverted to a series of Covert Action programs to deal with Indonesia Source: wikipedia Johnson’s Low Posture Policy Used clandestine military aid as its primary means of maintaining contact with the Indonesian army. Source: wikipedia -Supported the right-wing forces of Indonesian army. The coup was a logical outcome of the long, complicated American covert operations involving the mobilization of anti Sukarno forces and economic, political, and psychological, as well as military, warfare.

01. Covert Action as a Means of Conflict Resolution The external constraint & The internal constraint The External Constraint The objects of secrecy lie outside the territorial boundary of the states that initiates the action →Maintaining secrecy is crucial to protect the agents/agencies that may already have been successful at their mission The Internal Constraint Elites in a democracy may resort to the covert use of force to skirt constraints imposed by domestic political participants. →The foreign policy decisions of democracies reflect in general the will of the public

01. Covert Action as a Means of Conflict Resolution Application to the case of Indonesia Covert Action’s benefits - Significant political costs X - Far fewer resources, both human and economic, than open aggression The External Constraint The Internal Constraint Covert roles played by the U. S. government have become virtually ‘known-secrets’ outside the U. S In response to the constraint of public opinion and Congressional opposition The U. S. decision-making elites were concerned that “The American people not know of them “ Public Opinion and its Restraining Effect →The general public and Congress did not consider U. S. interests at stake in Indonesia. Critics argued that aid to Indonesia was in reality aid to Communists.

Question 02 Do you think a series of American covert war had achieved its purported political objectives?

02. Covert action of US in Indonesia Was it successful? Suharto regime’s pro-western policy The 1965 Coup related to Western democracies -In the name of preventing a Communist takeover, Western democracies abetted and condoned the mass murder of Indonesia -Suharto regime implemented pro-Western policy : Indonesia started to promote U. S. security and commercial interest in the region. The big investments and corporations from the West returned to Indonesia. -Suharto’s dictatorship continued→Ruined the basic human rights etc. . Can we say the U. S achieved their political aims? “Proliferation of Democracy” -> “Interests of the U. S” Source: hani. co. kr

02. Covert actions of US Was it successful? The series of American Covert Actions Process Concealment of force behind Results The achievement of Foreign and security policy The size of input Security exposure Iran (1953) Guatemala (1954) Afghanistan (1982 -1988) Minimum people & Budget A lot of people & Budget X X O Short-run Pro-American Pahlevi Dynasty ->Successful -Obtained economic Withdrawal of former benefits Soviet Army troops -Pro-American regime Long-run 1979 Iranian Revolution ->Diplomatic Relationship got worse Rise of Anti-American Sentiment in the Sentiment in Latin middle east & affected America to the breakup of 9/11 terror Source: “The Assessment of the Utility of Covert Action as a Means of Foreign Policy : The U. S. Cases. ”

Question 03 Can covert action(or covert war)be justified as legitimate foreign policy tool of democratic country?

03. The pitfalls of covert actions of United States Unpleasant side effect The surveillance of one’s own citizens : a result of government fears that its citizens would be influenced by covert activities of other state Successful, but in the long term. . Italy - Covert action along with diplomatic and economic efforts, was viewed by government officials as an enormous success as the U. S Greece - Although most U. S. actions in Greece were carried out overtly, the CIA did conduct many covert operations, notably in the areas of propaganda and psychological warfare. However, the long term the policy had serious drawback Indonesia - Indonesian generals began a campaign to eliminate to communist sympathizers throughout Indonesia. Estimates of the number killed ranged from a low of 30, 000 to a high of 1 million

03. How effective are covert actions? The weakness of covert actions : For the United States, it seems to be that covert operations are not all they are believed to be. The criticism is longstanding. - The standard operating procedures are not always followed. - U. S. officials often resort to implausible excuses in an attempt to preserve plausible deniability. - Once a covert action has been carried out, Washington tends to assume that the problem has been solve

03. What reforms are needed? Covert action can be should be like ü Before undertaking a covert operation, an administration should at the very minimum, seek outside sources of judgement rather than rely solely on the advice of those who would be carrying out the operation. ü The role of covert operations in U. S. foreign policy must be addressed explicitly. ü The new administration should also explicitly prohibit such actions as assassination plots, economic destabilization measures, and interference in election processes.

04. Conclusion Can covert actions be justified as tools of democracy? 1. During Cold War, against the covert actions of Soviet Union (Its propaganda to spread communism), it was legitimated. → Post Cold War : No legitimacy as it interferes the sovereignty of state as idealists argue. 2. Covert actions can give a lot of negative aspects to the people in the state - Assassination, Terror, destruction -Fear and nervousness 3. Who has the accountability for this policy? -It has no substance with its clandestine character ->it cannot be the policy means of democratic countries If the issues cannot be solved with the official military route or foreign means, covert actions can be used as the final method to solve the problems, and those actions can have the legitimacy if it shows the efforts to minimize the damages

Thank you

References Jaechun Kim, “U. S. Covert Action in Indonesia in the 1960 s: Assessing the Motives and Consequences”, Journal of International and Area Studies 9 -2 (2002). Jaechun Kim, CIA Blackbox. Seoul : Planet Media, 2011 David Isenberg, “The Pitfalls of U. S. Covert Operations”, Cato Policy Analysis No. 118 (April 7, 1989). Woong Chun, “The Assessment of the Utility of Covert Action as a Means of Foreign Policy : The U. S. Cases. ”, Korean Journal of International Relations, vol. 49. no. 4, pp. 139 -164 (2009)