Cellphone Photos of Women - A Cultural Problem

The rise of technology is generally considered a good thing. In Afghanistan the telecommunications industry (cell phones especially) has transformed Afghan society. Unfortunately, there are some downsides. One emerging adverse development is the selling of videos and photographs of Afghan women by the gigabyte to store on computers and cellphones. This, in a very conservative society like Afghanistan, is a cultural problem. Read more in "Cellphone snapshots of women cause stir in conservative Afghanistan", Stars and Stripes, October 11, 2014.

Baloch Culture in Afghanistan

The Baloch people of Afghanistan are very closely tied to those who live in Iran and Pakistan. This area of the world where the Baloch people comprise the majority of the population is the size of France. However, within their respective countries they are minorities. The Afghan Baloch number about two million people. The Baloch people of Afghanistan are seeing a cultural revival. Read more in "Afghanistan's Re-Emerging Baloch", The Diplomat,  September 26, 2014.

Three Afghan Soldiers Experience Culture of Cape Cod

The three Afghan Soldiers participating in a training exercise on Camp Edwards, Cape Cod, Massachusetts who had some navigational problems and ended up on the Canadian border have been busy soaking up the culture of the United States. Although they will certainly require remedial training in land nav and map reading they are making up for it in their cultural experiences. The Afghans were visiting the Cape Cod Mall as part of a program to experience American culture. During their visit they went missing. Reportedly the three ANA Soldiers stopped for lunch and entertainment at a Cape Cod "gentlemen's club" called Zachary's Pub prior to heading to the Canadian border. Just speculation, but perhaps they had heard about Saint Catherine's Street in Montreal? Read more on this story in "Afghan soldiers who went missing in U.S. stopped at . . . ", New York Daily News, September 23, 2014.

Afghan Girls Who Live as Boys

Jenny Nordberg has an article at The Atlantic that reveals a little known aspect of Afghan culture. The term bacha posh translates from Dari to English as "dressed like a boy". The practice is found in families that have only girls and no boys. A daughter is picked to satisfy the family's need for a son who could generate income, receive an education, and provide other social needs. This is an accepted and non-controversial practice as long as the "boy" is turned back into a women before puberty in time to marry and have children. Read more about this cultural practice in "The Afghan Girls Who Live as Boys", The Atlantic, September 8, 2014 at this link.

Paper - Cultural Intelligence and COIN

A paper has recently been published on Small Wars Journal entitled "Some Recent Approaches to Cultural Intelligence Gathering" dated February 23, 2014. The paper, written by Stephen J. Fallon - a MA Candidate at King's College London, examines the Human Terrain Teams employed by the U.S. military in Iraq and Afghanistan. You can read the report here at this link.

Human Aspects in Afghanistan Handbook

The NATO HUMINT Centre of Excellence has published a valuable reference on the human terrain of Afghanistan. Human Aspects in Afghanistan Handbook published in 2013 by NATO provides information on history, population, social aspects, governance, political aspects, economic aspects, criminality and security threats, communications and media, ANSF, cultural aspects, dos and don'ts, food, clothing, and ethnic groups. This very detailed handbook is 326 pages long (5 MBs). There are ample graphs, maps, charts, and pictures to help the reader comprehend the topics. The Adobe Acrobat PDF is available at the link below.

www.natohcoe.org/user_files/s2pic/Human_Aspects_in_Afghanistan_Handbook.pdf

Former Eagles Cheerleader Now with US Army

A former Eagles cheerleader, Rachael Washburn, has been a member of the United States Army for a number of years and has completed two deployments to Afghanistan. Her first deployment was as a member of a Cultural Support Team or CST attached to a Special Operations unit in Afghanistan. She has participated in the training and selection of women for the Female Engagement Teams or FETs that deploy to Afghanistan. Her current assignment is as a military intelligence officer. Her story was highlighted in a recent news story. See "Former Eagles Cheerleader now stars for the Army", USA Today, December 19, 2013. (Photo to left by DVIDS during a visit by Rachel to troops overseas).

Bacha Bazi - Afghan Dancing Boys

Young boys are being groomed as entertainers, companions for older males, and sexual partners in Afghanistan. This is a practice common of wealthy and prominent Afghans. Read more, see some photos and watch a video in "Afghanistan sees rise in 'dancing boys' exploitation", The Washington Post, April 4, 2012.

Pukhtoon Jirga And Peace in Afghanistan

Some outside observers criticize the Jirga system in Afghanistan as an out-moded traditional system that is no longer valid in a modern nation-state. Unfortunately, Afghanistan is not a modern nation-state and will likely not be one for many years. It is more a weak nation in the midst of an insurgency (some think a civil war is not too far away). In addition, the judiciary and police forces are corrupt, inefficient, and ineffective in providing security, justice, and rule of law to most of the rural areas of Afghanistan. One writer believes that the international community needs to reinvigorate the traditional Jirga system at the community level in an effort to provide justice and peace in Afghanistan. Read more in "The Jirga in modern day Afghanistan", by Ali Gohar of Open Democracy, April 2, 2012.

An Analysis of the Afghan Koran Burning

Ricard Falk, an international law and international relations scholar, provides an in depth analysis of the recent Koran burning incident in Afghanistan by U.S. military members. He concludes that the United States government does not appreciate the seriousness of the incident.  See "Koran Burning in Afghanistan: Mistake, Crime, and Metaphor", Foreign Policy Journal, March 10, 2012.  Read more about the Koran burning incident.

Afghan Anger Over the Quran Burnings - an Explanation

Stephen M. Walt in a piece published by Foreign Policy (March 1, 2012) provides an explanation of why the Afghan demonstrations and riots over the Quran burnings are taking place. He asks us to look at the situation through Afghan eyes - where you would see troops of a foreign power occupying your country for over ten years. Read his article "What the Quran burnings tell us".

Burning of Qurans by Bagram AFB Incites Protests and Violence Across Afghanistan

A number of protests and riots have occurred across Afghanistan following the burning of Qurans by NATO troops at Bagram Air Base, Afghanistan.  Several members of ISAF have been killed in attacks related to the Quran burnings. Read more in "Afghan president condemns fatal bombing at military airfield", CNN, February 27, 2012.

Seven U.S. Soldiers Injured in Grenade Attack in Sahib district, Kunduz, Afghanistan

Seven U.S. Soldiers, trainers stationed in northeastern province of Kunduz, were injured in a grenade attack during an Afghan demonstration incited by the Koran burning event at Bagram Air Field.  Read more in "7 U.S. soldiers wounded by grenade during Afghanistan protest", Sun Herald, February 26, 2012.

AfPak Hand One of Two Victims in Afghan Ministry of Interior in Koran Burning Backlash

2/26/2012 - HURLBURT FIELD, Fla. (AFNS) -- An officer assigned to Air Force Special Operations Command died Saturday of wounds suffered from a gunshot in Kabul, Afghanistan. Lieutenant Colonel John Darin Loftis, 866th Air Expeditionary Squadron, was deployed in support of OPERATION Enduring Freedom and working in the Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan Ministry of the Interior with the AfPak Hands program as the chief plans advisor. The AfPak Hands program stood up in September 2009 to develop a cadre of specially trained U.S. servicemembers skilled in Afghan and Pakistani culture and language.

Lt Col John Darin Loftis was an AfPak Hand who was working in Afghanistan as a plans advisor.  Read more about Lt Col Loftis here in "AF Special Ops officer killed in Kabul shooting", February 26, 2012, U.S. Air Force.

Baad or Baadi in Afghanistan - A Young Girl's Plight

File this story under "life is harsh if you are a woman in Afghanistan".  In the rural Pashtun areas of Afghanistan - mostly the south and east - the practice of baad or baadi is still occurring.  Baad is a traditional Afghan form of justice.  Young girls are taken as a form of payment for misdeeds committed or debt owed by a family.  The girls are entered into a force marriage or slavery.  Read more in "For Punishment of Elder's Misdeeds, Afghan Girl Pays the Price", The New York Times, February 16, 2012.

Cultural Differences and Toilets in Afghanistan

An interesting article that anyone who has ever deployed to Afghanistan will appreciate.  See "Of Alexander, gods and bathrooms: Why the Afghans can't get their s*it together", The Best Defense Blog - Foreign Policy, January 19, 2012. This is a humorous but pertinent exploration of the cultural differences between American and Afghan Soldiers who work and live together in the same location.

Afghan Special Forces Continue to Grow and Mature

The Afghan Special Forces is continuing to mature as a capable fighting force.  Learn more about them in "Culture Can Be A Killer", Strategy Page, February 23, 2011.

Cultural Support Teams (CST) in Afghanistan

USSOCOM is forging ahead with fielding teams comprised of females that will interact with the local population in Afghanistan.  The Marine Corps fielded Female Engagement Teams (FETs) over two years ago with great success.  The U.S. Army is supposedly doing the same although the jury is out on how well they are implementing the program.  USSOCOM is quietly embarked in the same direction as the Marine Corps - calling their female engagement teams Cultural Support Teams (CST). 

Read more in "CST: Afghanistan", The Best Defense Blog, Foreign Policy, February 8, 2011.

http://ricks.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2011/02/08/cst_afghanistan

See the United States Army Special Operations Command (USASOC) website for more information about the CSTs and see the requirements for training, recruiting, and program specifications.

http://www.soc.mil/fet/fet.html

A Culture of Business in Afghanistan

Deputy Undersecretary for Defense Paul Brinkley has as one of his tasks the building up of a business culture in Afghanistan.  This task can lead one into many areas of endeavor as the article at the following link reveals.  See "The US military is fighting to build . . . Afghan business culture?", The Christian Science Monitor, January 14, 2011.

Paedophilia - or "Bache Bazi" A Common Practice in Afghanistan

People from across the world are different.  What is acceptable in one society is looked down upon in another.  The liberal attitudes about women accepted in western societies are condemned in Muslim societies.  Western films, pornographic materials such as Playboy magazines, and other instances where the nudity of women is freely displayed is widely disparaged in some Muslim nations.  There are aspects of some cultures in the Middle East and South Central Asia that bother westerners - such as the treatment of women.  One of the more upsetting instances of Afghan culture is that of the "Bache Bazi" sometimes called "boy play".  Read more in "Paedophilia culturally accepted in south Afghanistan", The Telegraph, January 14, 2011.