Destabilising a Country: The Political Dynamics at Play

Introduction

In the previous blog, we saw the different motives behind destabilising any country. Needless to say, those were just a few examples, and the motives could be endless. A good politician sees such opportunities and cracks the deal.

All that you can read in my article is ‘Destabilizing a Country: The Political Motive at Play – PolyBlogger.com’.

In the previous article, we saw ‘why’, and in this article, we will see ‘how’ one destabilises the country. The motive behind this article is just education, awareness, and knowledge; it is undoubtedly not to motivate anyone to commit offences.

History has witnessed many kingdoms being overthrown from their roots because of such instability. This ultimately changed the demography and religion, and people fled the region forcefully, leaving all their ancestors’ legacy properties behind.

Let’s see, one by one, the ways in which the political dynamics destabilize the country.

Creating Internal Instability

The simplest way to destabilise any country is to create internal unrest. When internal unrest occurs, the government comes under pressure either to leave the chair or to take a series of incorrect actions, which ultimately will overthrow the power.

Internal unrest can be –

• Religious riots—by causing two or more communities to clash openly, they will have a lasting impact on the region, religion, and demography. This is the most straightforward and simpler way of creating internal unrest among all. Because people are prone to such sensitive topics, even a tiny spark can turn into a wildfire.

• Sectoral Unrest – This means creating unrest in any particular sector like MSME (Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises), Farming sector, Industrial sectors, Education sector, etc. and creating riots, road blocks or running media campaigns showing the unfaithfulness of government, putting no-confidence votes, etc. In this type, a particular sector is given false (sometimes genuine) information to create discontent and unrest. They then create a nuisance across the country. If the government takes action, the propagandists bring the media, the public, and Human Rights for support.

• Financial Market crash – This is also a common practice that creates unrest in the country. The party that wants to destabilize the country brings such statements from such a powerful source that even if the source is a liar, people believe it.
  For example, George Soros’s acts and statements. He is believed to be responsible for the crash of England’s banking systems and has earned millions of pounds from that. He is related to Hindenburg, which is infamous for exploding secrets, be it accurate or otherwise.
  This combination often caused the financial system (especially stock markets) to crash heavily. Please note that I am not fully aware of all these things, but the internet and other media are full of such information. I am just providing a reference to help you understand the topic.

• Terrorist attacks, explosions, attacks on religious places or pilgrimages, etc. – Any type of such attacks are just to create panic and unrest in the country. This is the way by which the attackers make governments apply intelligence agencies, military, police systems, laws, and a lot of money to investigate and capture the targets.

This automatically raises questions about the country’s safety and security. Opposition parties often take advantage of such scenarios and try to create more unrest.

The Role of Corruption in Destabilization

Corruption is the most important and capable factor in unseating governments and eroding public trust. When leaders prioritize personal gain over the welfare of their citizens, the results can be devastating.

All politicians must understand that their country should be their topmost priority. When dealing internationally, selfish motives should be the priority, not personal gains.

How Corruption Breeds Unrest

Corruption often leads to widespread dissatisfaction and disappointment among the common people. Here’s how:

• Resource Misallocation: Public infrastructure and community support funds are often siphoned off, leaving citizens without essential services. People believe that the government is hopeless and may try to create unrest or riots.
• Inequality: The gap between the wealthy elite crowd and the poor widens, creating a breeding ground for hatred, discontent, and anger.

Case Study: Venezuela

In Venezuela, widespread corruption has left its citizens in dire poverty, even as the elites prosper. The situation is so bad that people do not even have money to buy medicine. This country has an abundant oil resource. Petrol costs just $0.03 per litre in the country. Imagine if they will sell it internationally how rich they can. However, the sanctions over it have stopped their oil sale completely in the international market. The mismanagement of oil revenues and rampant theft of public funds have fuelled protests and unrest, further destabilising the nation.

“Corruption acts as a disease that can spread through the veins of governance, weakening a nation’s structure from within.”

Social Media, Mis Information, and Their Impact

In recent years, social media have become a significant force in shaping political regimes worldwide. This is a medium to create internal or worldwide unrest. Often, media users portray themselves as a genuine informer and trustworthy source of news, which may be the case, but not always.

In the digital age, misinformation can spread like wildfire, leading to confusion, fear, unrest, riots, and political instability. Whether deliberate or accidental, false information undermines national peace and cohesion.

Consequences of Misinformation

Misinformation can destabilize a country in several significant ways:

• Polarization: False narratives can create divisions among citizens, making consensus increasingly difficult.
• Erosion of Trust: People who can’t trust reliable sources may turn to fringe groups or conspiracy theories for guidance. Often, when it reaches the common people, a simple statement may become a gigantic allegation if the sources are not trustworthy.

Case Study: Consider the same news written in two different ways below and decide which is genuine and which is creating a lasting impact.

1. One person was shot dead near a bridge in the city
2. A Christian person allegedly shot dead by two Islamic people. Is it a religious issue?

While it may sound like both news are true, the second one is the best, giving maximum details. However, consider why it is incorrect to portray news in such a way

1. The person dead was a human being, even if he belonged to any religion. Killing is an offence. There is no question of religion, caste, sub-castes, etc. It can create unrest in a particular community and lead to unrest in the region.
2. Similarly, the killer is a killer from whichever religion.
3. When you are not sure why you are giving your opinion, whether it’s a religious issue or any other. The dead person could have been involved in crime, and out of rivalry, he may have been killed. Did anyone confirm why he was shot dead? No. Why create unrest?
4. What are you trying to say that the government is not protecting a particular religion? Or do you belong to that dead person’s community, and so you are concerned and trying to create a narrative? Where were you so concerned over other such crimes ever before?

Social media is used in such way that it will create unrest in the country and the riots, protests will take place. Information flows quickly and wildfires.

Generally, such news is spread because a particular section needs government to change, and they want their pro-government.

Foreign Intervention: A Double-Edged Sword

The role of foreign intervention in a nation’s political affairs is often controversial and devastating unless the country is capable of handling it diplomatically. While some interventions aim to restore stability, others can inadvertently escalate tensions and chaos.

Navigating Complex Relationships

Foreign intervention can destabilise a country in several ways:

• Military Interventions: Outside military forces can create divisions, alienating segments of the population. Several current examples support this statement. For example, though Syrian internal rebels have captured most of Syria, it cannot be without the support of a foreign military.

Hamas and Hezbollah try to destabilise Israel, but it is not possible without the support of a third cunning country, Iran.

• Economic Assistance: The picture shows economic assistance as aid, but such foreign financial support can promote an agenda of dependency without addressing underlying issues.
  Case Study China – China’s debt trap. Everyone who is well-educated and well-informed knows that China provides abundant debt that a country cannot even repay in the next 100 years. Also, that debt is again diverted to Chinese companies via an infrastructure project so that the Chinese government and Chinese companies can both benefit from it.
  
  So, if a country cannot pay the debt, then China demands political entry into that country, requesting access to important locations and taking them on lease for 99-100 years. Already, the debt has given entry to Chinese companies and now the Chinese government. Such moves from China are mostly for researching resource availability in the region, such as Fishing and mining opportunities, oil and other natural resources, spying opportunities, etc.

• Funding the instability and riots – People like George Soros, terror groups like ISIS and Al-Qaeda, and various governments across the globe try to fund such internal entities to create unrest in the country. Their activities include funding the riots and attacks, spreading propaganda, blaming the industries or ministers, imposing false and clueless allegations, etc. The sole aim of such funding is to deflate the confidence in governments and create unrest or simply crash the markets and earn and leave the country.

Historic Case Study: Iraq

The 2003 invasion of Iraq by the United States aimed to remove Saddam Hussein and establish democracy in Iraq. However, the world saw increased regional violence, leading to years of conflict and instability that continue in the region, even today.

“When foreign interests decide to intervene, they must tread carefully with proper agenda. Once the agenda is over, the country should exit, or the country intervened should be strong enough to ask the intervening country to leave.   Lack of agenda and poor exit timing can create ripples that last for generations.

Conclusion

Understanding the factors that contribute to political destabilization is crucial for grasping the intricate nature of governance. Internal instability, religious issues, Corruption, social movements, foreign intervention, and misinformation are all threads in a complex mechanism.

To promote stability, nations must focus on transparency, engage with citizens meaningfully, and create and increase trust in governance.

As we navigate the misty waters of politics, it is critical to remain informed and involved. By holding governments accountable and participating in the democratic process, citizens can contribute to a more stable and just society.

People of the country understand what is best for them, but till the time they understand it, they remain in slavery or become victims. Government and citizens should walk hand in hand.

Call to Action

1. Reflect on your country’s stability.
2. Think and speak up about how political factors influence your community.
3. Engage yourself in discussions, advocate for changes, or keep yourself well informed to counter destabilization.

If you found this article insightful, please share it on social media to spread awareness about the dynamics at play in political stability.

Sources:

• Transparency International on corruption Transparency.org
• Arab Spring Insights Council on Foreign Relations
• Misinformation trends Pew Research Center