This is not just the proverb. It is one of the world’s most powerful techniques to fulfil selfish or even good motives and make strong allies. Not necessary that the enemy will be a long-term enemy. Such techniques can help the country in the following ways –
- To make partners in the war like situations
- It helps receive support in the dispute situations
- To destabilise the enemy country
- Cut the trade between enemies and push their trade and help to Sneak clients
- To destabilise the region and gain importance
- Teasing
- Propaganda spreading
- Devastating the morale of the enemy
- Increasing power to show like a giant enemy
- Drug Trafficking
- Weapon Supply
- To bring ‘Pro’ government than ‘anti’ government
- Creating Military Bases, Economic Exploitation, and Selfish Motives
The list is long. However, we will study each of these points in detail. If I cannot finish discussing all the above points in a single post, please continue reading the second part.
1) To make partners in the war like situations –
I will start with an example directly. Because it will be easier for us to understand it better. ‘North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)’ is a classic example.
Post World War II, from 1945 onwards, an era of cold war began. Soviet Union (now Russia) became the enemy of many countries in Europe and USA, and Canada. A cold war between these countries began and it risen the tension of another war. In 1949, 30 European and 2 non-Europeans (USA, Canada) formed an intergovernmental military alliance and signed the North Atlantic Treaty. It became the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO). It is completely a security system created for the member nations of NATO. Article 5 of it clearly states that, an attack on any of NATO’s member countries will be considered as an attack on entire NATO and all countries jointly will tackle such attack from enemy countries.
Now, clearly, we know that many countries in the NATO are militarily incapable. They need security from external threats like Russia, the Middle East, African countries, terrorist, terrorist countries. They are dependent on NATO. On the other hand, amongst all the allied countries, militarily stronger countries need geographic access, secured shields, and good infrastructure including aerial space; for faster deployment of weapons, tanks, fighter planes and other protective equipment. They also need food supply, weather and geographic guidance in the respective area. Both, the member countries and NATO, work in harmony.
It is evidence, of how allying with the enemy of the enemy (Enemy of the Soviet Union, a few Asian Middle Eastern, and African countries) protects each other.
Another example is when Azerbaijan and Armenia faced war from Sep-2020 to Nov-2020, in the region of Nagorno Karabakh; Azerbaijan took the help of other countries like Turkey and Israel. In this case, Turkey and Israel were not enemies of Armenia but they were just opportunists. Turkey supported Azerbaijan and provided advanced drones called ‘Bayraktar’. Israel also provided a ‘Kamikaze’ drone to Azerbaijan. Turkey has a vested interest in the region and Israel wanted to test the drones. Both countries succeeded in their aim.
In some news, you can read that, Pakistani soldiers also fought in the war from Azerbaijan’s side. However, there was hardly any support for Armenia. Only wordy support and actual support differ. Azerbaijan had the upper hand over Arminia defense system just because it could make use of ‘Enemy’s enemy is our friend’.
2) It helps receive support in the dispute situations
It is very important to get the support of other nations in dispute-like situations. Support is needed to –
- put the views in a stronger way and to justify the acts
- pressurise opposition country (remember opposition country may not always be the enemy)
- keep the business running as usual
- prove the opposition country is a liar (even if that country is honest). While I agree, that you disagree with not being honest; this is politics. Eventually, it becomes ‘everything is fair in Politics’.
- receive military, financial aid
- receive the advantage in doing business
I will give only three examples; one is related to war and other is related to business.
Pakistan and China are not allies. But one uses the other on different occasions against their enemy, India. And when it comes to their establishment in the South Asian Sub-continent region, both will join hands. China wants economic and political advantages in the region. Pakistan wants money. But the brave countries surrounding to China and Pakistan will never provide any advantage to them. Pakistan is a beggar country and China is a capitalist and communist. China will join hands with Pakistan or with North Korea whenever it wants support and/or it wants its enemy to be de-stable.
China provides arms and ammunition to Pakistan; Pakistan simply hands it over to its terrorists and army. Terrorists then try to infiltrate the Jammu and Kashmir region of India and some parts of Afghanistan. China also provides weapons to rebel groups in Myanmar and keeps attacking the Indian army and territory in the far east of India. However, the Myanmar government takes the help of the Indian army to disarm these rebels. On many occasions, the Indian army seized/captured terrorists and rebels alive, having weapons from China. It is evident and always has been kept in records. This helps China. It gains the business in supplying weapons, and gain access to the land for establishing military bases and helps to curb the influence of its enemy countries like Taiwan, Philippines, Indonesia and India.
Everyone knows China is a communist and expansionist country. It has disputes with all the bordering countries. It has an eye on Taiwan as well, which is a democratic country. Pakistan wants Kashmir to be part of their territory. So, both join hands in the dispute situations.
Unfortunately, this news gets less importance on the global stage may be because the tensions and territories do not belong to the reporters.
Another example of Business.
As China and Pakistan join hands to achieve their vested interest; India also joins hands with the Philippines, Afghanistan, Myanmar, Bangladesh, Russia etc. To counter the increasing invasion and territorial claims by China in the South China Sea, the Philippines is buying missiles and other weapons from India. India is looking for every opportunity to counter China and Pakistan and to give and take support from the regional countries. India is also trying to do business by selling weapons to counter enemies.
The last example is for point number ‘iv’ mentioned above.
As you probably have read China and India faced each other, in 2021, after the Chinese virus spread across the globe. One fight happened between the troops from both sides. Chinese killed 20 Indian soldiers brutally. They did not fire any bullets but used a stick with pointed steel nails, to kill soldiers. Indian soldiers, the other day, used martial arts techniques and knives and killed more than 40 Chinese soldiers. Now, China, everyone knows, will never bring out such news. They denied. But on the other hand, Pakistan who is a servant of China also publicly denied Indian statements. They said Indian soldiers do not have that capability. Pakistan whose 93,000 soldiers surrendered in front of India in the 1971 Bangladesh liberation war, made this statement. Indians can understand Pakistan’s situation and cannot even provide sympathy. However, Pakistan used this technique, the enemy’s enemy is our friend and tried to prove the enemy is a liar. However, when American and Russian intelligence agencies declared the Chinese deaths and supported the Indian statement, both China and Pakistan went on backfoot. Here India got the advantage of ‘enemy’s enemy is our friend’. China, however, still denies the claim of deaths. It also has asked the relatives of dead people to keep silent on the incident.
3) To destabilize the enemy country
Indeed, I need not give any examples here, because this is happening all over the world in every era and by every government who has vested interests. But still, we will see very few examples quickly.
Russia had influence and fought a war with Afghanistan from 1979 to 1990. This was also the peak time of the Cold War between NATO and the USSR (Russia now). The American government wanted to throw out Russians from the region otherwise Americans had a fear of losing its significance in the cold war. USSR had a border with Afghanistan. Today it is shared by countries broken out from Russia, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and Tajikistan. On the west side near the Caspian Sea, the USSR had a border up to Today’s Georgia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan, sharing a border with Turkey and Iran. USSR wanted to control Afghanistan so that it could enter into the central Asia region. Russia was worried about the Iranian revolution and feared that the revolution might arrive in Afghanistan. Also, the USSR wanted direct access to the Arabian Sea for trading, simply because the sea near today’s Russia gets freeze most of the time in the year. USSR wanted control over Afghanistan. The USA wanted to reduce USSR’s influence in the Central Asia region. So, the USA supported Pakistani Mujahidin and provided monetary and weaponry support to fight against the USSR. The USA brought Osama Bin Laden from Saudi Arabia. It created Al Qaeda to overthrow the USSR. On the other hand, Pakistanis also wanted to overthrow the USSR from the region because they believed that the USSR was killing Muslims. They also supported the USA and sent Mujahidin to Afghan, to fight against Russia.
USA used this technique ‘Enemy’s enemy is my friend’. Americans used the Enemy of Russia, Pakistan and Al Qaeda.
Al Qaeda later took revenge on the USA in the 9/11 attack for using Al Qaeda for selfish motives. Later USA killed Osama Bin Laden in Pakistan; everybody knows it.
USA and Pakistan’s, these moves later proved very dangerous to the entire world. Because Mujahidin later became the Taliban. Various terror organizations came into existence and got easy shelter and monetary support from Pakistan.
4) Cut the trade between enemies and push their trade
This technique ever is being used rigorously by many countries. Some may call this technique a ‘cutthroat competition’ in the business world. But such competition and ‘enmity’ are different. India needs fighter jets. Boing, Dassault Aviation, Lockheed Martin etc. are trying to push their deals. This is healthy competition. But if Country A asks Country B to stop the trade between Country B and Country C and start trade with Country A, this is called cutting the trade between enemy and friendly nations and pushing their trade. This has happened with India many times before. However, India’s foreign policy is different from others. They believe that they will take every step which favours India. There is no question of foreign delegates dictating India.
I hope you have understood the concept of ‘Enemy of Enemy is my Friend’, with examples. However, due to various interesting advantages and outcomes of this technique, I could only include seven in this blog. I will cover the rest of the outcomes or results of this technique in detail in the next blog.
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