Divide and rule explained

Divide and rule should not be confused with divide and choose.

Divide and rule policy (Latin: divide et impera), or divide and conquer, in politics and sociology is gaining and maintaining power divisively. This includes the exploitation of existing divisions within a political group by its political opponents, and also the deliberate creation or strengthening of such divisions.

The strategy, but not the phrase, applies in many ancient cases: the example of Aulus Gabinius exists, parting the Jewish nation into five conventions, reported by Flavius Josephus in Book I, 169–170 of The Jewish War (De bello Judaico).[1] Strabo also reports in Geographica, 8.7.3[2] that the Achaean League was gradually dissolved when it became part of the Roman province of Macedonia, as the Romans treated the various states differently, wishing to preserve some and to destroy others.

Elements of this technique involve:

Uses of the phrase

The use of this technique is meant to empower the sovereign to control subjects, populations, or factions of different interests, who collectively might be able to oppose its rule. Niccolò Machiavelli identifies a similar application to military strategy, advising in Book VI of The Art of War (1521).[3] a captain should endeavour with every act to divide the forces of the enemy. Machiavelli advises that this act should be achieved either by making him suspicious of his men in whom he trusted, or by giving him cause that he has to separate his forces, and, because of this, become weaker.

The maxim divide et impera has been attributed to Philip II of Macedon. It was utilised by the Roman ruler Julius Caesar and the French emperor Napoleon (together with the maxim divide ut regnes).

The strategy of division and rule has been attributed to sovereigns, ranging from Louis XI of France to the House of Habsburg. Edward Coke denounces it in Chapter I of the Fourth Part of the Institutes of the Lawes of England, reporting that when it was demanded by the Lords and Commons what might be a principal motive for them to have good success in Parliament, it was answered: "Eritis insuperabiles, si fueritis inseparabiles. Explosum est illud diverbium: Divide, & impera, cum radix & vertex imperii in obedientium consensu rata sunt." ("You would be invincible if you were inseparable. This proverb, Divide and rule, has been rejected, since the root and the summit of authority are confirmed by the consent of the subjects.")

In a minor variation, Sir Francis Bacon wrote the phrase as separa et impera in a letter to James I of 15 February 1615. James Madison made this recommendation in a letter to Thomas Jefferson of 24 October 1787,[4] which summarized the thesis of The Federalist#10:[5]

Divide et impera is the third of three political maxims in Immanuel Kant's Perpetual Peace (1795), Appendix I, the others being Fac et excusa ("Act now, and make excuses later") and Si fecisti, nega ("If you commit a crime, deny it"): "Divide et impera, the reprobated axiom of tyranny, is under certain (some) qualifications, the only policy, by which a republic can be administered on just principles."[6] Kant refers this tactic when describing the traits of a "political moralist."

In economics, the concept is also mentioned as a strategy for market segmentation to get the most out of the players in a competitive market.[7]

Foreign policy

Divide and rule can be used by states to weaken enemy military alliances. This usually happens when propaganda or disinformation are disseminated within the enemy states in an attempt to raise doubts about the alliance. Once the alliance weakens or dissolves, a vacuum will allow the hostile state to achieve military dominance.

The divide and conquer strategy is similar to the notion of a Wedge strategy (diplomacy).

United States

Some analysts assert that the United States is practicing the strategy in the 21st-century Middle East through their supposed escalation of the Sunni–Shia conflict. British journalist Nafeez Ahmed cited a 2008 RAND Corporation study for the U.S Armed Forces which recommended "divide and rule" as a possible strategy against the Muslim world in "the Long War".[8]

Israel

See main article: Israeli support for Hamas.

Professor Avner Cohen, a former Israeli religious affairs official, publicly acknowledged that Hamas was "Israel's creation."[9] Similar statesments have been made by Yasser Arafat.[10]

Assertions of Israeli support for Hamas date back to the late 1970s and early 1980s, a period marked by significant political upheaval in the Middle East. Former Israeli officials have openly acknowledged Israel's role in providing funding and assistance to Hamas as a means of undermining secular Palestinian factions such as the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO). Brigadier General Yitzhak Segev, who served as the Israeli military governor in Gaza during the early 1980s, admitted to providing financial assistance to Muslim Brotherhood, the precursor of Hamas, on the instruction of the Israeli authorities. The aim of the support was to weaken leftist and secular Palestinian organizations.

Israel contributed to the construction of parts of Islamist politician Ahmed Yassin's network of mosques, clubs, and schools in Gaza, as well as the expansion of these institutions.[11]

Shlomo Brom, retired general and former deputy to Israel's national security adviser, believes that an empowered Hamas helps Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu avoid negotiatings over a Palestinian state, suggesting that there is no viable partner for peace talks.[12] Bezalel Smotrich, a far-right lawmaker and finance minister under Netanyahu Government, called the Palestinian Authority a "burden" and Hamas an "asset".[13]

Russia

Contemporary Russian affairs have characteristics of a "divide and rule" strategy, too. Applied domestically to secure Vladimir Putin's power in Russia,[14] it is used abroad in Russian disinformation campaigns to achieve "regime security, predominance in Russia’s near abroad, and world-power status for Russia".[15]

Politics

In politics, the concept refers to a strategy that breaks up existing power structures, and especially prevents smaller power groups from linking up, causing rivalries and fomenting discord among the people to prevent a rebellion against the elites or the people implementing the strategy. The goal is either to pit the lower classes against themselves to prevent a revolution, or to provide a desired solution to the growing discord that strengthens the power of the elites.[16]

The principle "divide et impera" is cited as a common in politics by Traiano Boccalini in La bilancia politica.[17]

Psychopathy in the workplace

See main article: Psychopathy in the workplace. Clive R. Boddy found that "divide and conquer" was a common strategy by corporate psychopaths used as a smokescreen to help consolidate and advance their grip on power in the corporate hierarchy.[18]

Historical examples

Asia

Mongol Empire

While the Mongols imported Central Asian Muslims to serve as administrators in China, the Mongols also sent Han Chinese and Khitans from China to serve as administrators over the Muslim population in Bukhara in Central Asia, using foreigners to curtail the power of the local peoples of both lands.[19]

British India

Some Indian historians, such as politician Shashi Tharoor, assert that the British Raj frequently used this tactic to consolidate their rule and prevent the emergence of the Indian independence movement, citing Lord Elphinstone who said that "Divide et impera was the old Roman maxim, and it should be ours."[20] A Times Literary Supplement review by British historian Jon Wilson suggests that although this was broadly the case a more nuanced approach might be closer to the facts.[21] On the other hand, Proponents of Hindutva, the ideology of the current and recent Indian governments over the years, stress strongly Hindu-Muslim conflict going back centuries before the arrival of the British.

The classic nationalist position was expressed by the Indian jurist and supporter of Indian reunification Markandey Katju, who wrote in the Pakistani paper The Nation in 2013:[22]

Historian John Keay takes a contrary position regarding British policy, writing:

General S.K. Sinha, former Vice-Chief of Army Staff, writes that contrary to what the notion of divide and rule would predict, the British Indian Army was effectively integrated:

Ottoman Empire

The Ottoman Empire often used a divide-and-rule strategy, pitting Armenians and Kurds against each other. This strategy no longer worked in the Republic of Turkey because the Armenians were eliminated in the Armenian genocide.[23]

Europe

Colonialism

According to Richard Morrock, four tactics of divide and rule practiced by Western colonialists are:[34]

  1. The manufacture of differences within the targeted population;
  2. The amplification of existing differences;
  3. The use of these differences for the benefit of the colonial empire; and
  4. The carry over of these differences into the post-colonial period.

Mexico

See main article: article and Chiapas conflict.

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Flavius Josephus, The Wars of the Jews, Book I, section 159 . . 2011-08-27.
  2. Web site: Strabo, Geography, Book 8, chapter 7, section 1 . . 2011-08-27.
  3. Book: Machiavelli, Niccolo. The Art of War. The University of Adelaide Library. 2003. Thomas. Steve. 6. https://web.archive.org/web/20070625213056/http://etext.library.adelaide.edu.au/m/machiavelli/niccolo/m149a/chapter6.html. 2007-06-25. dead.
  4. Web site: Constitutional Government: James Madison to Thomas Jefferson . Press-pubs.uchicago.edu . 2011-08-27.
  5. Web site: The Federalist #10. constitution.org.
  6. Web site: Immanuel Kant: Perpetual Peace: Appendix I. live. 11 October 2021. Online Library of Liberty. https://web.archive.org/web/20201218192525/https://oll.libertyfund.org/title/latta-perpetual-peace-a-philosophical-essay-1917-ed . 18 December 2020 .
  7. Book: Webber, Harry. Divide and Conquer: Target Your Customers Through Market Segmentation. 1998-06-19. John Wiley & Sons. 978-0-471-17633-6. en.
  8. News: The Pentagon plan to 'divide and rule' the Muslim world . en . Middle East Eye . 2018-06-29.
  9. News: Higgins . Andrew . How Israel Helped to Spawn Hamas - WSJ . 1 May 2024 . WSJ . 24 January 2009 . 26 September 2009 . https://web.archive.org/web/20090926212507/http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123275572295011847.html . live .
  10. News: How Israel went from helping 'create' Hamas to bombing it . 1 May 2024 . The Business Standard . 14 October 2023 . en . 1 May 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240501014540/https://www.tbsnews.net/hamas-israel-war/how-israel-went-helping-create-hamas-bombing-it-718378 . live .
  11. News: Sayedahmed . Dina . Blowback: How Israel Went From Helping Create Hamas to Bombing It . 30 April 2024 . The Intercept . 19 February 2018 . 1 December 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231201211111/https://theintercept.com/2018/02/19/hamas-israel-palestine-conflict/ . live .
  12. News: Mazzetti . Mark . Bergman . Ronen . 'Buying Quiet': Inside the Israeli Plan That Propped Up Hamas . 30 April 2024 . The New York Times . 10 December 2023 . 1 May 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240501235259/https://www.nytimes.com/2023/12/10/world/middleeast/israel-qatar-money-prop-up-hamas.html . live .
  13. News: Israeli far-right Minister Bezalel Smotrich described Hamas as 'asset' in unearthed tweet . 1 May 2024 . The National . 23 January 2024 . en . 1 May 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240501014540/https://www.thenationalnews.com/mena/palestine-israel/2024/01/23/israel-bezalel-smotrich-hamas-asset/ . live .
  14. Book: Reddaway, Peter . Peter Reddaway . Russia's domestic security wars: Putin's use of divide and rule against his hardline allies . Palgrave Pivot . 2018 . 978-3319773919.
  15. Karlsen . Geir Hågen . 2019-02-08 . Divide and rule: ten lessons about Russian political influence activities in Europe . Palgrave Communications . en . 5 . 1 . 1–14 . 10.1057/s41599-019-0227-8 . 2055-1045. free .
  16. 10.1080/03017605.2016.1199629 . Divide et Impera: Vertical and Horizontal Dimensions of British Imperialism. Critique: Journal of Socialist Theory. 44. 3. 221–231. 2016. Xypolia. Ilia. 2164/9956. 148118309. free. p. 221.
  17. 1 §136 and 2 §225
  18. Boddy, C. R. Corporate Psychopaths: Organizational Destroyers (2011)
  19. 41930343. Journal of Asian History. 13. 2. 1979. 137–8. Harrassowitz Verlag. Sino-Khitan Administration in Mongol Bukhara. Buell. Paul D..
  20. Book: Tharoor, Shashi . Inglorious Empire: What the British Did to India . 2017 . Hurst . 978-1-84904-808-8 . 101 . en.
  21. Wilson, Jon, 2016, India Conquered: Britain's Raj and the chaos of empire, cited in a review of Tharoor's work by Elizabeth Buettner in "Debt of Honour: why the European impact on India must be fully acknowledged", Times Literary Supplement, 11 August 2017, pages 13-14.
  22. Web site: Markandey Katju . The truth about Pakistan. . 2 March 2013 . 29 January 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20131110103720/http://www.nation.com.pk/pakistan-news-newspaper-daily-english-online/columns/02-Mar-2013/the-truth-about-pakistan . 10 November 2013 . en. live . Markandey Katju .
  23. Cheterian . Vicken . Denial of violence. Ottoman past, Turkish present, and collective violence against the Armenians 1789–2009, Fatma Müge Göçek, New York, Oxford University Press, 2014, pp. 656, US$78.00 (hardback), HC 978-0199334209 . Nationalities Papers . 2016 . 44 . 4 . 652–654 . 10.1080/00905992.2016.1158006 . 156252380 . Yet, irony of history, instead of chasing the Armenians from the eastern provinces to make a new home for the Balkan Muslim refugees, they practically eliminated Armenians and consolidated an ethnic Kurdish presence in eastern Anatolia. Having lost the capacity to practice imperial policies of "divide and rule", today Turkey finds itself face-to-face with Kurdish nationalism..
  24. Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War, 8.46.2
  25. Web site: France: The Roman conquest . . 6 April 2015 . "Because of chronic internal rivalries, Gallic resistance was easily broken, though Vercingetorix's Great Rebellion of 52 bce had notable successes.".
  26. Web site: Julius Caesar: The first triumvirate and the conquest of Gaul . . 15 February 2015 . "Indeed, the Gallic cavalry was probably superior to the Roman, horseman for horseman. Rome's military superiority lay in its mastery of strategy, tactics, discipline, and military engineering. In Gaul, Rome also had the advantage of being able to deal separately with dozens of relatively small, independent, and uncooperative states. Caesar conquered these piecemeal, and the concerted attempt made by a number of them in 52 bce to shake off the Roman yoke came too late.".
  27. Web site: The Revolutionary Movement of 1848-9 in Italy, Austria-Hungary, and Germany: With Some Examination of the Previous Thirty-three Years. Edmund Maurice. C.. 11 December 2019.
  28. Book: A History of Ukraine: The Land and Its Peoples, Second Edition. 9781442698796. Magocsi. Paul Robert. 18 June 2010. University of Toronto Press .
  29. Book: Grob-Fitzgibbon. Benjamin. Imperial Endgame: Britain's Dirty Wars and the End of Empire. 2011. Palgrave Macmillan. 978-0-230-30038-5. 285.
  30. Book: Jordan. Preston Lim. The Evolution of British Counter-Insurgency during the Cyprus Revolt, 1955–1959. 2018. Springer. 9783319916200. 58.
  31. Web site: International Justice: The Case of Cyprus. 13 May 2016 . The HuffPost. 1 November 2017. Washington, D.C..
  32. News: McGreevy. Ronan. 100 years ago today the partition of Ireland was made official. 2021-01-04. The Irish Times. en.
  33. Web site: University. Stanford. 2019-03-08. Partition of 1947 continues to haunt India, Pakistan. 2021-01-04. Stanford News. en.
  34. Morrock . Richard . 1973 . Heritage of Strife: The Effects of Colonialist "Divide and Rule" Strategy upon the Colonized Peoples . Science & Society . 37 . 2 . 129–151 . 40401707 . 0036-8237.

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