Thanks for pointing out this article. Great stuff for educating soldiers on the complexities they'll face downrange.

Salon.com's Anna Badkhen's seems to be doing some good reporting from Iraq this month. The second page of her 12 MAY 08 entry ("Buying security in Baghdad") describes a U.S. Army captain's poker-faced response to a neighborhood council dust-up. The scene suggested to me an added level of complexity to the "chess not checkers" analogy--that the COIN/nation-building chess game is actually one in which one is not a player directly, but rather an advisor/mentor to one or more players.

That, and I was reminded of tantrum-throwing as a calculated technique for mental- and political-gamesmanship--think John McEnroe (in tennis) or Bobby Fischer (in chess).

Here's an excerpt:

His long dishdasha robe flowing, his kuffiyeh folded perfectly around his bearded face, al-Athawi rises from his chair, points a long, manicured finger in the general direction of American Army Capt. Andrew Betson, Iraqi police Gen. Baha al-Azzawi and council secretary Faras al-Qabi, and says in a clear, loud voice, "Why are you accusing me of being a member of al-Qaida?"

Suddenly, everyone is up on their feet, shouting.

"Please!" al-Azzawi bellows, rolling his eyes. "Let us put these differences behind us. It's over. Let's forgive. It's forgotten. Get over it."

"We never said any such thing about you," yells al-Qabi. "Why do you accuse us of accusing you?"

"Al-Qaida!" al-Athawi roars. "I am told that you spread rumors that I am al-Qaida!"

"Enough, enough!" shout fellow council members, grabbing each other's hands.

"Stop! Please!" implores al-Azzawi.

"No one is accusing you of anything!" screams al-Qabi.

Betson remains in his seat, watching the meeting of a council created to foster reconciliation in the war-torn neighborhood descend into a 10-minute shouting match.

Then everyone gets up and goes to a burger joint to lunch together.