Understanding Afghan Culture
Newsletter 12-18
September 2012
Table of Contents
- Introduction
- Strategies for Developing and Practicing Cross-Cultural Expertise in the Military
Louise J. Rasmussen, Ph.D. and Winston R. Sieck, Ph.D. - Battered Spouse Syndrome: How to Better Understand Afghan Behavior
Col. Erik W. Goepner, U.S. Air Force - Understanding and Communicating: Neutralizing the Arghandab River Valley Insurgency
LTC Michael J. Simmering - A Failure to Engage: Current Negotiation Strategies and Approaches
MAJ Aram Donigian, U.S. Army and Professor Jeff Weiss - Toward a Better Way to Engage: Insights from the Field of Negotiation
MAJ Aram Donigian, Professor Jeff Weiss, and Mr. Petitti - Influencing the Population: Using Interpreters, Conducting KLEs, and Executing IO in Afghanistan
CPT Michael G. Cummings - Combat Advisor 101
CPT Matthew Swain - The Real Challenge in Afghanistan: Toward a Quantum COIN
A. Lawrence Chickering - TAQIYYA: Protective Dissimulation Practiced by Afghanistan’s Ethnic Groups (Taqiyya–Dissimulation or Plain, Right-out Lying)
Tribal Analysis Center - Mad Mullahs, Opportunists, and Family Connections: The Violent Pashtun Cycle
Tribal Analysis Center - Religious Leader Engagement in Southern Afghanistan
Alexs Thompson - A Patchwork Strategy of Consensus: Establishing Rule of Law in Afghanistan
Mark R. Hagerott, Thomas J. Umberg, and Joseph A. Jackson
Introduction
This newsletter contains a collection of previously published articles that focus on Afghan culture and provides insight into effectively communicating with Afghans in order to achieve positive results. More specifically, the articles contained in this newsletter highlight methods to initiate and improve relationships with Afghans, the difficulties and challenges leaders and Soldiers experienced in communicating with Afghans, what worked and did not work, and how to foster and improve meaningful relationships with Afghans to achieve the desired outcome.
The articles in this newsletter cover a range of topics centered on developing an ability to quickly and accurately comprehend Afghan culture, then appropriately and effectively engaging Afghans (Individuals, groups, tribes, organizations, and military) to achieve the desired effect, despite not having an in-depth understanding of the Afghan culture.
The specific intent of the newsletter is to provide a situational awareness of some aspects of the Afghan culture and best practices and lessons learned to facilitate improved relationships with Afghans in mitigating challenges to achieve desired results. The articles should not be considered as all-inclusive. More specifically, this newsletter is an effort to capture thought provoking articles published in recent professional journals to inform leaders and Soldiers on relevant Afghan culture observations, insights, and lessons to improve situational awareness and understanding when interacting with Afghans.
In many instances, the ideas presented in these articles are personal opinion, and in some cases, not approved Army doctrine. The recommendations in these articles should always be validated with the latest approved Army and joint doctrine.
The Center for Army Lessons Learned (CALL) acknowledges and thanks the professional journals and authors who permitted the reprinting of these articles.
CALL editors note: Minor modifications to format were made by CALL editors to support the CALL newsletter format and in some instances pictures that were not referenced in the narrative were deleted to save space. Additionally, biographies were eliminated to avoid release of personal information.
Download CALL 12-18 Newsletter [PDF]
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