Quote Originally Posted by MikeF View Post
Many times, we just don't know how our actions effect the community. By flooding cash to certain leaders, our armed social work may disrupt the natural order of things that only stokes underlying tensions.
Exactly! And furthermore, we are unlikely to understand the 2d and 3d order impacts, no matter how culturally aware we try and make ourselves.

A commander must use discretion and discernment with all of his weapon systems.
True. Including the money.

Their grievance was not about what they did not have. It was envy over what others had. In cases like that, there's not much we can do.
It seems we have both come to the same conclusions. Your development money profoundly affects the prestige and pecking order of societies. This is fine, as long as you understand you are doing so. I had heated arguments with a former co-worker over this - he insisted on "balanced development" across an AO, while I argued that development (CERP-level) should be employed as a reward/incentive for cooperation.

In the clearance and hold phase, money can be used effectively to achieve security and stabilization, but this short term effect does not equal long term development and prosperity. I'm not convinced that this type of work can be accomplished by those in uniform.
Agreed. The military cannot effectively perform this kind of work. Our goals are too short term and transitory. That's why I don't think CERP should be used with long term development in mind. As you indicated, its a weapon system to be employed as a useful part of a broader combined arms/full spectrum approach to COIN.

To address one of the original points though, I found paying 20 individuals $50 to fix their own small problems bought more goodwill/info/cooperation than spending $5000 on a contractor to do a larger project. We also liberally used the small and micro rewards programs to a variety of purposes. This worked great in Tal Afar, oddly, MNF-W banned it at unit level in Anbar. It was a useful way for commanders to hand out up to $100 at a time to those that helped us in some way.