The Israeli-Palestinian Conflict and Today's Operational Environment
Abstract
Current analysis indicates that the U.S. military does not have a thorough understanding of how the Israeli-Palestinian conflict relates to the operational environment, despite its influence on Arab and Islamic culture and its exploitation by extremist movements. Consequently, today's military is not able to effectively leverage this sensitive cultural issue to assist in gaining the vital trust and support of the people who make up the pivotal neutral population in what amounts to a global counterinsurgency against Islamic extremism. By demonstrating a fundamental understanding of how this conflict fits into Arab and Muslim cultures, military leaders will be more effective at everything from tribal engagement to coalition building and diplomacy. This paper argues that a more aggressive study of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is a logical next step to improving overall cultural awareness within the U.S. military. The bottom line is that the military can no longer ignore this particular aspect of Arab and Islamic history if it truly wants to be more culturally aware. The operational commander has the ability to influence this by providing specific guidance and resourcing to the training and education pipelines that feed his forces. By doing so, the military will gain a more complete understanding of the cultural dynamics that are influenced by this conflict, and will be better able to shape the operational environment.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- May 03, 2010
- Accession Number
- ADA525303
Entities
People
- Charles R. Cassidy
Organizations
- Naval War College