Culture... A Neglected Aspect of War
of democracy, peace, and the rights of the individual. Violence, war, oppression of the weak, and human suffering are regarded as universal evils.
The strength of these values are prevalent throughout America and institutionalize a common bond among Americans. Since these values are so dominant throughout society, Americans readily and incorrectly assume their values are universal, and that other countries should embrace and share these same views. However, history proves this untrue.
The desire of American culture is to avoid armed
conflict or to seek quick resolutions to a conflict
once it has been initiated. Unless an act of war has threatened the sovereignty of the United States, Americans will normally go to war only after all other political measures of arbitration have failed.
Once the decision has been made to enter a war,
society expects victory quickly. Americans are
impatient and resistant to protracted operations.
The intolerance to accept casualties, ingrained in
the value of the individual, also contributes to
a lessened resolve of commitment in other than vital interests.
Cultural similarities and geographical factors helped shape the boundaries of the emerging states.
With few exceptions, the wars "of the kings" were
over, and the wars "of the nations" had begun.
Cultural-differences became subordinate to
the political and economical needs of the nation,
and the traditional cultural struggles were eclipsed
by wars of territorial expansion (a physical cause). Nations fought to become the predominant political
and economical influence in Europe and throughout
the world. Balance-of-power politics characterized Europe from the period of the mid-seventeenth century through the beginning of the twentieth century.
Why will cultural conflict dominate the future nature
of war? Demographic and environmental stressors, combined with the resurgence of irredentism, will
cause people to seek similar cultural-preferences.
These boundaries will act as the "fault-lines" of future conflict. Consequently, this results in conflicts among some adjacent civilizations that attempt to expand
their influence and control over each other.
The emergence of the nation-state and colonialism
led to the establishment of geographical boundaries
that are based on western prototypes rather than
cultural similarity. The concept of the state as
a sovereign community--unified politically, morally,
and territorally--is being subjected to the processes
of erosion in all parts of the world. Its substance is being worn away by fragmentation and separatism
along narrow ethnic or linguistic lines; by civil disobedience and a faltering faith in law; and by war, covert foreign interventions or military aggression
from without.
Cultural conflicts, often embodied with their unbridled savagery, are an ominous portent of the twenty-first century. The cataclysmic response of cultural war, combined with natural and man-made disasters, will require that the United States become even more actively engaged in world events in order to effect stability.
The daunting temptation to view the problem,
its causes and solutions exclusively from the American perspective will likely continue. However, in the
multi-cultural environment of the modern world,
foreign policy-makers and military strategists must recognize and analyze the multiple and distinct differences of cultures, as well as the different political and economical systems of both their enemies and allies. The approaches to the issue of culture and conflict may be diverse, but without embracing culture as a contributor to conflict, we will fall to develop
the correct political and military means for
their solutions.
The nature of war today underlines the importance of quality of leadership as technology and unconventional conflict will place greater responsibility on small unit leaders. A Chinese philosopher stated over 2,500 years ago:If you know the enemy and know yourself, you
need not fear the result of a hundred battles. lf you
know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat. lf you know
neither the enemy or yourself, you will succumb
in every battle.
Major B. C. Lindberg, USMC
CSC 1996
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