text: Chapter 3
  each of them in order to increase government legitimacy. Without support from the various power brokers
  in an area of operations, military action is unlikely to gain support from the local population.
  3-14. Cultures are characterized by a shared set of beliefs, values, norms and symbols that unite a group.
  These beliefs may come from many sources, such as a person’s background, family, education, religion or
  history. Understanding the beliefs and values of a local population is critical for effective information
  operations. Failure to respect or understand the beliefs of a local population can result in serious hostility
  towards military intervention and attacks upon military personnel. Likewise, information operations that
  assume the foreign audience shares the same jokes, history, or values that Soldiers and Marines do
  frequently fail to deliver messages effectively. To gain an understanding of belief systems,
  counterinsurgents read and monitor information available through media or books, and counterinsurgents
  talk to people in the culture. Discussing history with local people can be a window into understanding the
  way that people in that area define a problem, who they believe caused it, and who they think the heroes
  and villains are. Stories, sayings and even poetry can reveal cultural narratives, the shared explanations of
  why the world is a certain way. Frequently, advertising appeals to people by using these narratives, as do
  effective information operations. Beliefs, however, are not perfectly shared or understood within a group.
  There is usually a range of acceptable thoughts and behaviors. This is called variation. For example, in
  reading about Islam, Soldiers and Marines may understand that Muslims are supposed to fast during
  Ramadan. However, when deployed they might observe seemingly faithful Muslims drinking and eating
  during Ramadan. Within U.S. culture, these internal mismatches and contradictions (variations) are often
  accepted without much comment. In a cross-cultural interaction, these contradictions can seem jarring or
  confusing. Often, working with others in a foreign culture requires the ability to suspend judgment. People
  often act and work in ways that may be difficult to accept or understand. However, by recognizing that all
  people share some fundamental patterns and seeking to understand and develop military plans and
  operations that build upon these patterns, commanders and staffs can effectively work to counter an
  insurgency within an area of operations.
  3-15. Religion can be a powerful force in shaping beliefs. In many cultures religion and religious leaders
  have significant influence over local populations. Religious ideology can incite conflict, but religion can
  also be instrumental in stabilizing a culture by using universal religious concepts of justice, healing, and
  transformation. Because religion is often an integral part of the values set of a local culture,
  counterinsurgents conducting mission preparation and analysis examine the religion in an area of
  operations. Religion can also play an important role in creating peace and stability. Religion can create
  cultural instability, but in many cases it can alleviate problems in a society and be a unifying force. Many
  religions have messages and themes of pacifism and forgiveness. In many insurgencies, religious leaders
  have played an essential role in ending conflicts. The effect of a religion has to be understood within that
  religion and within that society. Counterinsurgents conducting a mission analysis may find that insurgents
  are using a radical interpretation of a religious text to incite violence. This can be countered by empowering
  indigenous religious leaders who promote a different interpretation. For example, radical Muslims may cite
  texts from the Quran that justify violence, but they may ignore the passages taught by more moderate
  Muslims that advocate compassion, peace, and human dignity.
  ORGANIZING TO UNDERSTAND CULTURE
  3-16. There are three important methods for trying to understand the cultural element of a
  counterinsurgency. First, all counterinsurgents must make every effort to experience and understand the
  local culture, including by trying local food and learning local languages and customs. Second,
  commanders can organize their staffs in order to concentrate on cultural understanding and inject this
  understanding into their unit’s plans and operations. Third, commanders can rely on an outside capability to
  allow commanders and staffs to understand the culture. Two techniques that involve organization of staffs
  or outside capabilities are—
  * Green cell and cultural advisor.
  * Human terrain systems.