Pashtun / Pashtunwali / Pashtunistan (catch all)

**jcustis** · 03-27-2011

Originally Posted by Guardian

Go to Marine Corps Intelligence Activity. They have Pashtunwali smart cards.

It's a good tool to familiarize Marines with how locals think. However, once deployed, you should try and analyze how locals deviate or follow other patterns of behavior.

Concur on this. I started writing the following before I circled back and saw that Guardian had posted much the same:

There is a small hip-pocket guide book (actually just a small booklet/smart card) put out, if I remember correctly by the Marine Corps Intelligence Activity which I found to be functional and practical. It deals specifically with Pashtunwali, and is fairly accurate. I believe it was produced in concert with the Center for Advanced Operational Culture and Language (CAOCL). I will have to dig out my copy in order to figure out the title, but the boys in the S-2 shop should be able to get dozens easily

The guide is one of the small products that appeared before the last deployment. The second one that is relevant is the Afghanistan Micro Mission Guide. That one delves with the Pashtunwali in an small way, but is actually more focused on the aspects of initial meetings, how to conduct oneself in a shura, and how to "do the dance" relative to addressing the concerns of the local without promising too much, and while ensuring the elders maintain face. It's a good product too, and when paired with the discussions you will have with the linguists you guys will see attached to the Bn later in the training plan, will give you a good foundation. The rest requires being on the ground.

Take note though that you will likely be dealing with a mix of Pashtun and other tribes, to include Kuchi Pashtun Hit me up offline via .mil email and I will fill you in with more info due to the OPSEC issues.

I cannot remember the name of the blog webpage, but it was produced by some Army folks who I think were on an ETT, and they wanted to share lessons learned with those headed downrange. One of the clutch comments made on a post referred to the time when an elder came to the author and complained about the detention of one of the local men, who was in fact a known insurgent facilitator or such. The elder was giving the author a lot of guff about this guy, proclaiming his innocence to no end. The author flipped Pashtunwali on him in a way, and said something to the effect of, "why do you ask me to compromise my honor as a soldier by asking for me to release these men? I am only doing my duty as I know how to do it. If this man is innocent, then the rule of law will prevail, but I am not responsible for the law. The Afghan people are responsible for the law, and I am here to simply help the security forces enforce it."

Remarkably simple and effective right? I would agree that it was, and I had to use that several times last deploy to put and end to some of the discussion about dead-end topics.

If for some reason you cannot score either of the two aforementioned guides without drama, shoot me an email and I'll dig them up and you can stop by (I am at AITB now) and grab mine. They are good material for the concurrent training at the individual level you guys are doing. The Pashtunwali guide is just right for PFC to Maj/LtCol, so no need for stratification of training at the lower enlisted level, and then the officer level.

BTW, have you hit up some of the XO's to discuss the issue? I can recommend one or two who should have decent gouge, based on their experience from the last deployment, who you could seek out and discuss this requirement with.

If I had to do it all over again, I would try to convince the boss to not worry about the language stuff or cultural training all that much. Having a solid grasp on greetings, a few key words dealing with security and governance, and a grasp of 50-100 control words and about 30-40 control phrases is all you will need to know to do your job. Save the time some devote to Rosetta Stone to studying the threat, the AARs, and talking with the guys (especially the NCOs) from the last deployment. Understanding body language, and talking with the LEPs to get a read on the subtle cues when a suspect is being deceptive, is also a skill you might not otherwise have. Learning it is not intuitive.

The people know you are going to goof it up regardless, and they are very forgiving. Being able to show you are doing what you do in good faith, can listen well, and are sincere, are the most desirable traits I think come into play. I think the cultural consultants have gotten themselves into a pretty nice boondoggle and are making mad cash with little return on investment, or at least relevant return.

**thomasruttigAAN** · 03-27-2011

try this one, just published. but read the disclaimer (in the intro) that this about pashtunwali's ideal version: http://www.aan-afghanistan.org/index.asp?id=1567

**Jedburgh** · 03-27-2011

Originally Posted by jcustis

....There is a small hip-pocket guide book (actually just a small booklet/smart card) put out, if I remember correctly by the Marine Corps Intelligence Activity which I found to be functional and practical. It deals specifically with Pashtunwali, and is fairly accurate. I believe it was produced in concert with the Center for Advanced Operational Culture and Language (CAOCL). I will have to dig out my copy in order to figure out the title, but the boys in the S-2 shop should be able to get dozens easily....

I think you're referring to the CAOCL pub Afghanistan: Operational Culture for Deploying Personnel, published back in May '09.

...The second one that is relevant is the Afghanistan Micro Mission Guide.

That is also an excellent, concise reference - second the recommendation.

There's also an AWG smart-card type product, their Tactical Pocket Reference: Afghan Key Leader Engagement. And then there's a publicly available CALL pub, Afghan Culture: Observations, Insights, and Lessons, published last Sep and the TRADOC Culture Center's Afghanistan Smart Book, updated this Jan. And of course there's always the DLIFLC Cultural Awareness and Area Studies webpage

Aside from the references, etc., there are a couple of existing briefs floating around out there that you could simply download and update for your needs. One is also from the MCIA, Afghan Cultural Awareness, original dated 3 Jun 10; the other is by LCDR Tauseef Badar of the 3rd Marine Air Wing, Afghanistan for Dummies, original dated 4 Mar 10. PM or e-mail me if you need assistance in finding these.

**jcustis** · 03-27-2011

Ridicule as a Tool for IO/PSYOPS in Afghanistan

I would separate this article above for a more deliberate review at the upper levels of the chain of command, but there are some concepts that go a long way towards explaining why Afghan men do what they do.

It is pretty lame that even though I am required to use my CAC card to get to a sharepoint portal page that appears to support Afghanistan mission prep training, it is very thin on resources, and the ones I did find came after significant digging. Not intuitive at all.

I was able to find your mention

Afghanistan: Operational Culture for Deploying Personnel, published back in May '09.

Ted, but that is not the booklet I remember. It is specifically about using Pashtunwali offensively, and that may even be the title. I looked in my deployer bag, and I think I left that one behind for my replacement, since he had never seen it.

Granitestate, like I said before, the S-2 section should be able to get it for you. I just cannot provide the title or publication number at this point. Look for anything titled: Operational Pashtunwali, and with a front cover pic of Afghan elders sitting and looking over their shoulder at the photog. I think I remember it to be spiral bound as opposed to a fold-out like most culture cards. It will have a section that mentions specific Pashto Pashtunwali terms and expressions, and makes liberal mention of the concept of shame, how men use subtle teasing to bring breakers of the code back into line, and the lengths a Pashtun male will go to in order to restore honor. It is an excellent tool because it will help the Marines understand that lying, when set in the Afghan context of shame and honor, has a totally different significance than what we in the West hold.

Additionally, I had the blog page bookmarked after all:

Chai and the Pashtunwali

**Jedburgh** · 03-27-2011

Originally Posted by jcustis

....I was able to find your mention Ted, but that is not the booklet I remember. It is specifically about using Pashtunwali offensively, and that may even be the title....

There's one that fits that description, but its not a CAOCL or MCIA product - it was published by the NPS Program for Culture and Conflict Studies in June '09 (and is one of the references in the IO article you linked), Understanding Afghan Culture: Operational Pashtunwali:

U.S. personnel hear a lot about Pashtunwali. Most soldiers know from their training that the word means "the way of the Pashtun" people, and that it is a set of social values that determine how a Pashtun man will react and make decisions. Often lacking from training however is the operational linkage: How do you factor Pashtunwali into the planning process? And how do you use it on the street on a patrol? This short article is intended to provide guidance on how Pashtunwali can be translated into operational use.

In military terms, for planning purposes, Pashtunwali could be split into two types of operational use: "defensive Pashtunwali" and "offensive Pashtunwali."

"Defensive Pashtunwali" could be described as a form of force protection. It means observing certain rules of behavior that will avoid angering the local men to the point where they want to set an IED or mortar your FOB to get some payback for being dishonored or insulted. In other words, avoiding negatives outcomes.

"Offensive Pashtunwali" is going a step farther, and using these cultural principles proactively to achieve positive outcomes. The enemy is using Pashtunwali every day against us in effective ways -- but it is a two-edged sword, and we can use it, too.

There's also another MCIA product that may be useful, also from June '09, Cultural Islam in Afghanistan: How the Unique Practices of Afghan Islam Affect the Insurgency Battle:

...Afghan cultural Islam conflicts with the fundamentalist Islamic movements that influence the current insurgency. Knowing and exploiting these differences can be beneficial to counteracting insurgent IO campaigns and to discouraging local Afghans from identifying with insurgent groups vying for control of the population.

**jcustis** · 03-27-2011

Once again, you are dead spot-on jedburgh. That is the product for sure.

Granite_State, go to this page: http://www.nps.edu/Programs/CCS/index.html

The CCS Occasional Paper Series seeks to further the education and discussion of issues pertaining to culture and conflict in South and Central Asia. CCS disseminates scholarly essays on an ongoing basis that attempt to contribute to the creation of a more stable environment in Afghanistan. These papers identify and discuss contemporary and interdisciplinary issues that affect U.S. national security interests including politics, economics, ethnographic intelligence, culture, geostrategic interests, national and local development methods, regional and cooperative security, terrorism, and tribal relations. CCS papers are written by faculty and staff members of the Naval Postgraduate School, alumni, and guest contributors.

The CCS Occasional Paper series can be emailed to appropriate .mil email addresses. To receive a copy of any or all of our occasional papers, please contact us at ccsinfo@nps.edu or you may contact Professor Thomas H. Johnson directly at: thjohnso@nps.edu. Our papers include:

• Operational Pashtunwali: This paper on "“Operational Pashtunwali” is a slight departure from our previous CCS papers. In response to innumerable requests, we have created a tactical product specifically for squad leaders, platoon sergeants, platoon leaders and company commanders that explains the culture of the Afghan south and how to use it in tactical operations. We hope this paper answers the requests, by explaining how the “code” of the Pashtun people can be used both for force protection and as an offensive force multiplier.

And do the footwork to see if the command can request hard copies already bound. Messing around with electronic copies will work as a stop-gap until the products arrive, but the Marines need to booklets. I happened to stumble on the copy I wound up using. I think I came into owning it because Highlander 6 picked up a copy at one of the cultural training sessions he attended at the Division-level before the deploy.

There's also an AWG smart-card type product, their Tactical Pocket Reference: Afghan Key Leader Engagement.

This is also a good piece of gear. I drafted the battalion's KLE SOP with this product in front of me.

Again, this is just my personal commentary, but it's a shame that a product as simple as this could not be highlighted by the right people, to the people who need it. We've got plenty of experts telling us how important it is to use the appropriate greeting and buzzword, but that isn't operationalized to make us more combat effective. The single most important tool I used during the deployment came into my possession through random chance. I don't think we are getting the return on the investment that the cultural gurus tell us that we are.

**Fmr11A** · 03-27-2011

I doubt any one of these is exactly what you are looking for, but you can excerpt from them, as necessary.

Afghanistan Research Reachback Center, My Cousin’s Enemy is My Friend: A Study of Pashtun “Tribes” in Afghanistan, TRADOC G2 Human Terrain System 5 – 24 (United States Army 2009) available online.

Thomas Barfield, Weapons of the not so Weak in Afghanistan: Pashtun Agrarian Structure and Tribal Organization for Times of War & Peace, Yale University (February 23, 2007) available online.

Antonio Giustozzi and Noor Ullah, "Tribes" and Warlords in Southern Afghanistan, 1980-2005, Crisis States Research Center, Working Paper No. 7 (London School of Economics, September 2006) available online.

Bernt Glatzer, The Pashtun Tribal System in Georg Pfeffer, Deepak Kumar Behera, Contemporary Society Tribal Studies, Volume 5, The Concept of Tribal Society 265 (Concept Publishing Company 2002) available online.

Olivier Roy, Afghanistan: Internal Dynamics and Socio-Economic Dynamics and Groupings, 4 WRITENET Paper No. 14/2002 (March 2003), available online.

Susanne Schmeidl and Masood Karokhail, The Role of Non-State Actors in "Community-Based Policing' - And Exploration of the Arbakai (Tribal Police) in South-Eastern Afghanistan, 30 Contemporary Security Policy 318 available online.

**Jedburgh** · 03-28-2011

Originally Posted by jcustis

....And do the footwork to see if the command can request hard copies already bound. Messing around with electronic copies will work as a stop-gap until the products arrive, but the Marines need to booklets. ...

Well, I believe someone has taken a look at this discussion thread - CAOCL just uploaded the pdf booklet version of that NPS CCS paper this morning on their CAC-access website.

**jcustis** · 03-28-2011

Bonus...

That's the way it's supposed to work, when this community can support other communities in their quest to get better and remain relevant. I like that.

ETA: Unfortunately, it is farily un-intuitive to be able to get to the document. Granite_State, I emailed you a copy of the link that should take you directly to the shareport portal and the link to allow access to the .pdf file.

**carl** · 03-28-2011

Originally Posted by jcustis

The people know you are going to goof it up regardless, and they are very forgiving. Being able to show you are doing what you do in good faith, can listen well, and are sincere, are the most desirable traits I think come into play.

These are very wise words. The same thing works in Africa for civilians too. If falls under the rubric of being a gentleman I guess.

Originally Posted by jcustis

The author flipped Pashtunwali on him in a way, and said something to the effect of, "why do you ask me to compromise my honor as a soldier by asking for me to release these men? I am only doing my duty as I know how to do it. If this man is innocent, then the rule of law will prevail, but I am not responsible for the law. The Afghan people are responsible for the law, and I am here to simply help the security forces enforce it."

This worked in Africa too sometimes when fending off bribe solicitations, sort an honorable man approach. Being a gentleman again, people respect that.