Shocking new findings suggest that brute force and blowing people up into smithereens is not the way to win wars.
The WSJ astutely notes: “But like other guerrilla conflicts from Vietnam to Iraq, Afghanistan’s war is an armed popularity contest. To win, soldiers — especially commanders — need skills that go well beyond good tactics and good aim; they must also blend the street smarts of a beat cop with the sensitivity of a social worker, the cultural awareness of an anthropologist and the deal-making abilities of a big-city mayor.”
Ah yes. Iraq and Vietnam, those other two shining victories in American military history. Also, anthropology graduates can now finally find something useful to do with their lives.
Who's who in Afghanistan
“The trick for a successful handover from one unit to another, say U.S. officers here, is for the outgoing commanders to pass on an anthropologist’s guide to the local power structure, economy, rivalries, kinship, ambitions and fears.”
You know, nothing that you can’t glean from flicking through an outdated copy of Lonely Planet on the Middle East.
Just kidding! Soldiers instead read Wiki-Afghan, which is like Wikipedia but all about Afghanistan, but The Kite Runner will also suffice.
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