Quote Originally Posted by marct View Post
Hi Wilf,



I think we'll have to agree to disagree on this. For me, the problem lies not with studying your opponents philosophy, etc., but for confusing that philosophy with its pragmatic applications in the field of conflict.

So, for example, studying Marx was useful since it would illuminate potential motivations amongst a target population, although junk for getting at Soviet perceptions (Russian history and culture is the basis of that...). In the same manner, studying "radical Islam" is useful for getting at motivations and logics, but studying Afghan culture and history will do a lot more for understanding operations.
Absolutely. Studying Islam, radical or not, will absolutely help one gain insights into the Taliban. Cultural fluency is critical if we're going to reshape the middle east.