Strategic Directions in Iraq - and the idea of Cultural Identity as a CoG

[Rob Thornton]

SWC,
I was working on this essay for another reason, but thought it would make for a good discussion on how difficult it is to incorporate the DIME in a direction that makes sense in COIN. Below is my note to a reviewer, then an excerpt (lead in) and the essay is attached - Regards Rob

From the email traffic...
Tricky working around the 5 pg restriction - I finally decided that even outlining a strategy both required the "why" and the "how" - 5pgs was too little. However, If I stuck to the "why" and follwed up with some themes I might be able to provide "strategic direction". It certainly makes you appreciate how difficult it is to craft strategy in line with the political objective. Funny thing was, many of the things I thought were right were things we are in fact doing - we may not be doing them on purpose, maybe we are doing them by default and our strategy is being constructed by our tactical actions. The other related thing about our Iraq strategy that I noticed was how it seems we are failing to articulate it - this may be because the latter.


From the lead in...

This essay will describe how to realize the political goal of providing the basis for long term security and stability in Iraq. The Diplomatic, Informational, Military and Economic (DIME) capabilities of the United States, Iraq, their coalition partners, regional & global states, and NGOs (Non-Governmental Organizations) within this essay will be leveraged against the Center of Gravity (CoG) of Iraq’s instability, Cultural Identity, to bring it into proportion with national identity and restore stability. Cultural Identity can be defined as the belief system through which people perceive the world they live in. There are several key sub-systems of Iraqi Cultural Identity: Ethnic Identities (Kurd, Turkmen and Arab), Tribal (Barzani, Al-Jabori, Al-Hussein) and the Religious Belief System (Shia’a, Sunni, Christian and Yizidi). This strategy proposes that the Iraqi Religious Belief System has been perverted by Political Islam (specific visions of Islam being promoted as a form of government to advance a political objective), and that this is the catalyst of polarization used by insurgent-extremists for justification of hatred and moral apathy. It is the chief element of destabilization in Iraq through which others are exaggerated and influenced.

This essay proposes that because Cultural Identity is so important, only by overcoming the perceived benefits by Shia and Sunni, Kurd and Arab of a government which is more exclusive to their single Islamic sect or ethnic group can Iraqis find stability. Only by balancing normal cultural beliefs with the benefits of national identity, can Iraq succeed in providing a base, pluralistic government from which long term stability will grow.