WHAM: Winning Hearts and Minds in Afghanistan and Elsewhere
Abstract
Politics is as old as war. And political calculation has been a part of military strategy since time out of mind. Alexander and Caesar made temporary alliances, spared the lives of combatants, granted benefits to subjugated peoples, and divided enemies not from any humanitarian impulses but from canny political assessment. Turning an erstwhile adversary into a battlefield ally made for shrewd military politics. Numbers matter in conflict. Increasing the size of an army or fleet by winning over a neutral or a belligerent to one's side could spell the difference between victory or defeat. Dividing enemies and adding ranks is an elementary tactic in all forms of warfare, hardly needing any elaboration. In its contemporary rendition, the United States embraced an elaborate and financially costly strategy of Winning Hearts and Minds (WHAM) among the populations in Iraq and Afghanistan. The vast expenses of these two contemporary WHAM campaigns cast doubt on the strategy's replication to other violent theaters. Historically, not all commanders practiced the gentler gamester tactics, as penned by Shakespeare. The utter destruction of uncongenial neighbors represented the more routine practice in the history of warfare. Better a dead adversary than a possibly treacherous foe often summed up the warrior's thinking. Ancient and modern generals put to the sword not only enemy troops but also whole populations. Classical Rome fought wars and conducted pacifications with pitiless killing, destruction right down to the stone foundations as seen in leveling of the second Temple in Jerusalem, and even salting the ruins of vanquished Carthage.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Feb 01, 2012
- Accession Number
- ADA558145
Entities
People
- Thomas Henriksen
Organizations
- Joint Special Operations University