Military Review English Edition March-April 2015 | Page 10

Afghanistan, coalition forces struggled to
understand local drivers
of conflict and instability.
Coalition forces sometimes unintentionally empowered predatory and
criminal actors, fostered
exclusionary political and
economic orders, and
alienated thereby key
elements of the population. The Taliban, regenerating in safe houses
in Pakistan, portrayed
themselves as patrons and
protectors of aggrieved
parties in Afghanistan.
In Iraq, an inadequate
understanding of tribal, ethnic, and religious
drivers of conflict at the
local level sometimes led
to military operations
(such as raids against suspected enemy networks)
that exacerbated fears
or offended the sense of
honor of populations in
ways that strengthened
the insurgency. Later, in
both wars, as U.S. Army
and Marine Corps forces
“surged” into areas that
had become enemy safe
havens, they developed
an understanding of
local drivers of violence,
often acting as mediators
between the population
and indigenous army and
police forces. Ultimately,
more inclusive and legitimate governance and security
forces helped U.S. and Iraqi forces move Iraqi communities toward temporary political accommodations that
removed support for illegal armed groups that were
perpetuating violence and instability.
8

The cultural, social, economic, religious, and
historical considerations that comprise the human
aspects of war must inform wartime planning as
well as our preparation for future armed conflict.
Terrorist and insurgent organizations across the
March-April 2015  MILITARY REVIEW