Without a doubt, there is "a" plan or "many" plans behind this, but I sincerely question there being just "the" plan — far too much random opportunism and different groups we might call "they" moving in contradictory directions.

No group of people — however, rich, powerful or influential they may be; for good or for bad — has ever been able to come together and agree on everything and flawlessly execute a plan, from Egyptian and Roman times to modernity... seems incredibly unlikely that there suddenly would be a unified "they" orchestrating all this in unison.