External agency, IB are India's first arms of offence and defence: ex-RAW chief

Vikram Sood, former secretary of the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW), said on Saturday that India's external intelligence agency and the Intelligence Bureau (IB) constitute the country's first line of offence and defence respectively in geopolitics, and the two must function in tandem.

Speaking at an event in Chennai organised by the Chennai International Centre and the Deccan Centre for International Affairs, on the theme "Covert Wars and Great Power Games", Sood noted that the pace of global events is accelerating, and the sheer volume and depth of disinformation being directed at India requires intelligence agencies to adapt and find ways to counter such challenges.

Sood, who has authored books on espionage and great power politics, also commented on the US approach towards Iran. He said Washington believed it could conclude its operation in Iran within days, but Tehran had anticipated the attack and prepared for it, drawing lessons from US actions in the Balkans in the 1990s and in Iraq during the George W. Bush administration.

On Pakistan's possible role, Sood said another attack could be planned, but he ruled out Saudi and Turkish involvement in the conflict. He described the current situation as a local arrangement in the Middle East aimed at containing Iran, and a signal to the US that regional players intend to manage their own security without purchasing American equipment.

Sood also dismissed the notion that the US has consistently fought for democratic causes, asserting that American interventions have been driven by national interests. He pointed out that at one point, the US was supported by 65 autocratic or non-democratic countries in its campaigns.