"A new project in which university anthropologists study tribal customs in
Iraq and Afghanistan for the US military has prompted a fierce backlash
among
academics, some of whom accuse their colleagues of engaging in a wartime
effort that violates their professional ethics," the Boston Globe re****ts:
The handful of anthropologists working with so-called human
terrain teams designed to help commanders navigate the cultural
thickets of both countries are being accused of "prostituting
science" and presiding over the "militarization of anthropology,"
the study of the social practices and cultural origins of humans.
Internet blogs oppose the project, urging "anthropologists
of the world, unite!" Academic journal articles with titles
such as "Anthropologists as Spies" criticize the efforts. And
some of the scientists under attack fear they could be
blackballed by their profession...
The US forces' superficial understanding of local tribal customs
and ancient ethnic and sectarian rivalries has hampered their
efforts in Iraq and Afghanistan. An outstretched arm, palm
facing forward, for example, means "stop" in most Western
cultures, but in Iraq it's considered a sign of welcome.
Confusion over the signal has had deadly consequences, leading
US troops to open fire at Iraqi civilians who didn't stop at
checkpoints.
The Paris edition of the New York Times, re****ting from Shabak Valley,
Afghanistan, has more on the program:
Colonel Martin Schweitzer, commander of the 82nd Airborne
Division unit working with anthropologists here, said the
unit's combat operations had been reduced by 60 percent
since the anthropologists arrived this spring. He said the
focus had ****fted from combat to improving security, health
care and education for the population.
"We're looking at this from a human perspective, from a social
scientist's perspective," he said. "We're not focused on the
enemy. We're focused on bringing governance down to the people."
What explanation can there be for academics' objecting to this, other than
animus toward the U.S. military or America itself? They are determined to
keep
U.S. servicemen ignorant, and are willing to see Iraqis and Afghans die if
that is what it takes.
|
