Every operation demands a set of original methods, especially if we are talking about strategic intelligence. I give you a few examples.

1. “Domino” or “chain reaction.” A coup, revolution or civil war in one country provokes the same actions in other countries (neighbors).
2. “False flag”. The planned, but never executed, 1962 Operation Northwoods plot by the U.S. administration for a war with Cuba involved scenarios such as hijacking a passenger plane and blaming it on Cuba.
3. “Sliding” strategy. Transformation of a secret operation into an open one: support of illegal opposition/coup.
4. “Restriction.” You damage (limit) international and economic connections (projects) of the enemy.
5. “Monopoly.” Special operation to keep country’s monopoly or status as economic leader or special (nuclear) holder, or high tech producer. Includes actions to restrict the attempts of other countries to get strategic raw materials and modern weapons and technologies.
6. “Reverse effect.” The government declares a certain goal and launches a military or special operation, but the result is something quite different, possibly opposite. Examples: instead of separating (ethnic) group “A” from group “B” both of them are being exterminated; instead of peace and democracy in a certain region, power is being concentrated in one group and the opposition is being exterminated.
7. “Clash.” You “clash” the government and opposition of a target country and support civil war until the country is ruined and you get it for free.
8. “Salami-slice strategy”. It’s a process of threats and alliances used to overcome opposition. It includes the creation of several factions within the opposing political party, and then dismantling that party from inside, without causing the “sliced” sides to protest.
9. “Positive shock.” A domestic operation; to save the government during a crisis, special service provokes artificial civil conflict or sabotage, imitation (terror), and the government takes care of the “problem.”
10. “Controlled crisis export” (see “Foreign Policy”)
11. “Sanitation border.” “Fencing” the target country by enemies (neighbors).
12. “Alibi.” You build a “chain” of evidence (witnesses) and move the investigation to a dead end.
13. “Passive sabotage.” A very effective strategy used to cover up a major action like the assassination of a President or the destruction of several office towers. You just “do not see the bad guys” who are going to kill the President or blow up the city. In any case you win — the perpetrators are not sure you are watching them; you can arrest them if the object survives or liquidate them once the object is dead. You don’t need a big conspiracy, you just give the order to ignore certain people until their plan materializes.
14. “Special tour.” You help the target country to “build democratic institutions” (the government and local administrations) by sending official crews to help. Actually, they rule the country and that’s a “hidden occupation.”
15. “Mask.” You mask your actual global plans (reforms) by another big action (war).

Other Strategies. Breaking Up the USSR

As an example, we can look at the strategies that were used to break up the USSR. This was political warfare on unprecedented scale, which means very aggressive use of political tools to achieve national objectives. It means a constant policy of taking political actions against the vital interests of another power. External strategies that were used to destroy the USSR included: economic exhaustion by the arms race, dollar intervention, prohibition to sell high-tech equipment to Soviet Union (official explanation — they could be used for military purposes; reality — they could be used to boost economic production), incentives to go for “dead end” economic projects, induced to engage in a senseless war against Afghanistan, aggressive “anti-communist” propaganda. Internal strategies used to destroy Soviet Union included: incentives and provocations (through local media and opposition parties) of national, religious and social conflicts; inducement into military conversion programs; encouragement of the disintegration of the Soviet republics under the appeal of illusory calls to undefined values like “democracy,” “self-determination,” and “freedom,” instigation of corruption within the Kremlin; support of Soviet leader Gorbachev’s utopian to “plant” democracy in the USSR. As you understand by now, planned crowds etc. were also used extensively to force the government’s hand.