Kind Words and Guns
5th December 2009
With the Surge comes an illustration of the Rule: You Can Get Farther with a Kind Word and a Gun than with Either Alone. Consider from Forward Movement (through Small Wars Journal):
It’s the first operation post-surge announcement, though obviously the deployment and planning long preceded that. You’ll note that this operation is called “Cobra’s Anger,” not “Make Friends And Influence People.” While making friends with the Afghans is an important part of counterinsurgency, influencing them has to include convincingly reducing or eliminating the Taliban’s ability to make their lives difficult, while also influencing the softer elements of the Taliban to consider a friendlier course. Look forward to more squeeze plays of this sort coming on quick, as McChrystal and the soldiers and Marines under him work their way down their clear-and-hold list.
If we leave this at the Gun (”clear and hold”) without accompanying Kind Words (”influencing the softer elements”) we’ll see an illustration of a related Rule: Power Corrupts Persuasion or I’ve Got My Gun, What Have I Forgotten?
Don’t misunderstand. The Rules do not disparage Hard Power and its application. But, you’ve got to know how to use Power and Persuasion in combination. And the folks with our Guns can also use the Kind Words, it doesn’t require a guy like me.
We’ve discussed this before here and here.
Let’s also hope that Mr. Obama uses these Rules to everyone’s advantage.