Snowden & Spying : What Kautilya says ?

To a question whether Spying is wrong ? May be right, may be wrong ? It was always there though the latest sophisticated technologies have changed the way it is done. After Edward Snowden's episode we have a flurry of questions raised and circulated by the Leftists in the form of propaganda against their imaginary enemy Imperialist America. If all the countries have to remain like isolated islands with out any connection to the other geographies or the peoples of other nationality then reliance on this medium to ensure political stability at home is minimum because, in that case we may have to deal with only internal trouble makers for which spying is still indispensable.

Snowden is China's stooge ?

I thought America just resolved Anna Chapman episode and we had this Wikileaks now the Avalanche impact of Snowden's revelations. Just before Snowden's revelations US has been making a lot of noise about Chinese cyber attacks on its corporations and accused it of stealing trade secrets and intellectual property. It was never specific, no body was sure whether it was about to release more details. China may have many Snowdens deep inside the American Enterprise holding key positions in government and private enterprises they must be identified and eliminated, for they are rear annoyance as per Kautilya's Arthashastra. China used just one Snowden to shake the applecart slightly, there are many more to come ? If China is spying to steal trade secrets and intellectual property, US does it to secure democracy and peace for its citizens, the notoriety is there to judge for all of us. There are already reports surfacing about another US citizen a retired general leaking the details on Stuxnet Virus, so there is a lot of crisis ahead for US.

Kautilya's's take on Spies in his Arthashastra :

The legendary Kautilya - senior advisor in Mauryan administration who toppled the powerful Nandas from throne in his Arthashastra talks in detail about Spies.

In chapter III of Book IX - The work of an Invader he talks about the internal and external troubles a state could face and which should be dealt with on a priority basis.

OF the two things, slight annoyance in the rear, and considerable profit in the front, slight annoyance in the rear is more serious; for traitors, enemies, and wild tribes augment on all sides the slight annoyance which one may have in the rear. The members of one's own state may be provoked about the acquisition of considerable profit in the front.

Slight annoyance in the rear he refers to the internal troubles or unknown/known enemies internally, is more serious than known external enemies. So that must be looked up in to first before. And further he defines what is an internal enemy or a rear annoyance.

The provocation of any one of the minister, the priest, the commander-in-chief, and the heir-apparent is what is termed internal trouble.

And explains what to do about it - the phenomena of Internal enemy

The king should get rid of such an internal enemy either by giving up his own fault or by pointing out the danger arising from an external enemy

The above statement has two aspects getting rid of such an internal enemy and convincing him by telling him the danger of an external enemy or giving himself up, though we may not have consensus on using these two solutions but we might agree on one thing ie., to get rid of him. Making sure that he is ridden with out flouting the principles of modern day justice is indeed a challenging task. I am sure Americans can innovate.

The focus should be to expose China's theft, one at a time, I think it is already started. China stealing an American company's Turbine Software ?