The Story Behind Conflicts: Battling Narratives

Though the topic seemed out of place at a conference about warfighting and technology, Wednesday's second morning panelists discussed competing narratives. Perhaps more appropriate for a gathering of social scientists, the large number of attendees at this session demonstrated that military members and industry personnel are just as interested in the "story" behind today's conflicts as they are in the technical side of communications. While the Joint Warfighting Conference features speakers, panels and exhibits, this group of individuals emphasized that understanding and respecting other cultures is the core of today's narrative. Rather than going into missions assuming that the Middle Eastern culture is totally opposed to the United States or Europeans, it is important to go into battle with an open mind because the enemy today is not of a single face or attitude. According to Dr. J. Michael Waller, professor of international communication, The Institute of World Politics, and vice president, information operations, Center for Security Policy, it is incorrect to assume that all of the members of a specific culture share the exact same values. While this is generally true, the increase of information sharing through the media has created a younger generation that understands and likes many of the western music, entertainment and ideas. On the other hand, Lt. Gen. Keith Huber, USA, deputy commander, U.S. Joint Forces Command, pointed out the importance of knowing the differences in the day-to-day activities of the country in which a person serves. For example, in the U.S., putting on a left turn signal to indicate that the driver is going to turn left in other countries could mean that the car behind should go around the driver on the left. Without this practical knowledge, a driver could actually cause an accident. Jamie McIntyre, former senior Pentagon correspondent, CNN, ended the panel asking about how much of the United States' unwillingness to admit when it has made mistakes affects multinational perception of the U.S. All of the panelists agreed that in many ways, the U.S. has acted in direct opposition to what the country stands for as a democracy. More than 80 times, the U.S. military has "put boots on the ground" to depose a leader that was democratically elected, one panelist pointed out. That said, the international community is willing to accept as well as respect people and countries who acknowledge their mistakes and take responsibility for them.