text: Chapter 3
  counterinsurgency challenges boil down to one simple answer. Politics affects economics. Family structure
  affects job choices. Religion affects politics. Every aspect of culture affects every other aspect in some
  way, even if indirectly. By acknowledging these interconnections, military members can better assess how
  the local population might react to their presence and actions. For instance, when Soldiers and Marines are
  not thinking holistically, they may anticipate that closing down a local market will only have an impact on
  the local economy. However, after closing the market, it may be that the local reaction seems to be about
  religion or tribal concerns instead of economics. Even if Soldiers and Marines do not understand why, they
  should be aware that their actions will have unknown second and third order effects. By understanding that
  a marketplace is more than a place to exchange goods for money, and that economic conditions may affect
  tribal power, the status of religious leaders, and other social conditions, Soldiers and Marines can see a
  culture holistically. A holistic perspective helps military members understand the complex
  interconnectedness of a culture and avoid being surprised by local reactions to military decisions.
  3-7. Culture is learned and shared. Children learn the appropriate way to act in a culture by observing
  other people; by being taught accepted values and ways of thinking about the world from their parents,
  teachers and others; and by practicing (sharing) what they have learned on a daily basis. This process of
  learning a new culture is called socialization. Culture can be learned at any age. Marines and Soldiers, for
  example, learn military culture by going through basic training or officer training in their late teens or early
  twenties. In fact, these initial training schools recognize their important role in socializing young men and
  women into core Marine and Army values. As a result, Marine Corps and Army basic training curriculums
  include not only classes on marksmanship, but also classes on ethics and core values. In counterinsurgency
  operations, understanding that culture is learned and shared can offer an important operational and tactical
  opportunity. Any Marine or Soldier can learn about the culture of the population simply by interacting with
  the local people. One of the more successful adaptations of the U.S. military in Iraq and Afghanistan
  occurred when service members realized they could learn a lot about the local culture quickly by talking to
  and observing their interpreters. Their enhanced understanding of the cultures of their areas of operations
  enabled them to better negotiate with leaders, to conduct operations that would be successful, and in a
  number of cases (such as the al Anbar Awakening), to gain the support and assistance of the population in
  fighting an insurgency.
  3-8. One of the keys to success (and failure) in dealing with a population in a counterinsurgency operation
  is understanding that cultures are not static; they can and do change, often rapidly. During times of conflict,
  the usual methods for getting through the day may stop working for the local population, and they may try
  adopting new ideas or start highlighting traditional ways of doing things. Alternatively, they may switch
  rapidly among a range of possible behaviors. These changes can occur because of a number of factors were
  at play, but probably the greatest cause of this during conflict is a rapid decline in security. As security
  declines, the threat of attack, rape, and murder forces many changes in society. The rapid decline in the
  status and opportunities for women in these countries, therefore, was not merely due to centuries-old tribal
  beliefs, but to very real and pragmatic economic and social changes over time. As the cases of Iraq and
  Afghanistan illustrate, cultural practices and attitudes are frequently influenced by changes in very real
  physical conditions. Since the arrival of a large military, often accompanied by the destruction of physical
  property and the erosion of the local economy and security, is undoubtedly an enormous change for the
  local population, counterinsurgency planners need to recognize and plan for the impact that their operations
  will have upon the people and cultures in an area of operations.
  ASSESSING A CULTURAL SITUATION
  3-9. Although it may seem that people around the world are extraordinarily different and have little in
  common, in reality all human groups interact with their world and each other in some basic, predictable
  patterns. The particular details of these patterns may vary. But the underlying patterns will not. Thus, all
  people use, manage, and interact with their environments. All groups have some kind of economy for
  exchanging goods and services. Every group has a social structure, with differing roles and status among
  members. Political behavior can be found in the smallest community. All people have some kind of belief
  system, whether based on religion, tradition, narratives, or history. By identifying these patterns wherever
  they deploy, Marines and Soldiers will be in a better position to assess the cultural situation and the
  influence of their operations upon the local population.