The Growing Trend Of In 'Alien Warfare'

U.S. Marines observe surrounding compounds during a security patrol in Washir district in Helmand province, Afghanistan, Sept. 29, 2014. The Marines are assigned to Bravo Company, 1st Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment. The Marines patrolled to disrupt enemy operations against the Bastion-Leatherneck Complex. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. John A. Martinez Jr.

Dominic Tierney, National Interest: The Rise of Alien Warfare

From the War of 1812 to today’s campaigns in the Middle East, both Washington’s enemies and the local populations have become steadily less familiar in terms of language, religion and social traditions.

IN 2011, the United States launched a new television show in Afghanistan called Sesame Garden. It was an Afghan-themed version of Sesame Street designed to win local hearts and minds. Unfortunately, the producers had to cut the Count von Count character because Afghans had not heard of Dracula and could not comprehend the fangs.

The fate of the Count epitomizes the new Age of Alien Warfare—defined by U.S. military operations in culturally unknown environments. From the War of 1812 to today’s campaigns in the Middle East, both Washington’s enemies and the local populations have become steadily less familiar in terms of language, religion and social traditions. Alien warfare reached its apogee with the post-9/11 mission to refashion Afghanistan—a landlocked country seven thousand miles away, with a largely unknown culture and a literacy rate lower than that of America in 1650.

WNU Editor: Whether we like it or not .... future wars will probably be fought in regions that are culturally and socially completely  different from ours .... and unless we are willing to spend the money and time to transform these distinctly different societies .... the end result will be something like Afghanistan .... years of warfare but no quick resolution on the conflict .... or something worse like Somalia and the U.S. withdrawal in the 1990s.