Thomas P.M. Barnett :: Weblog

REFERENCE: “Why a Village Well Is a Weapon in the War on Terror,” by Marc Lacey, New York Times, 30 April, p. A4.

Fascinating story on how Central Command uses small units of specially trained personnel to seed relationships with locals at key monitoring points along the eastern coast of Africa. I tell a story in my book about a “Captain Phil” who had to engage in some unorthodox tactics to figure out the good guys from the bad guys in the maritime traffic he was monitoring in the region. This story is about how CENTCOM is trying to establish better relationships with locals along the coastline in order to improve our eyes and ears in the area, as we keep a look out for terrorists on the move or in the groove.

A lot of this is the hearts-and-minds stuff, where you sink a well here or repair a school there. It’s far closer to community policing that the SWAT-like special ops guys, but if you want to really export security, it’s all the little things that count. Suspicions abound and old hatreds must be overcome: you go into a village to offer inoculations and the rumor may well end up being that you’re infecting kids with some new spectacular biological weapon.

But in the end, this is what you’re shooting (excuse that pun) for: “People here have become used to the sight of soldiers in their midst. Most welcome the American help with open arms, putting their political and religious beliefs to the side.” Why? “The people are poor and ideology takes a distant second to making ends meet.”

Who do we send on these jobs? Just anybody? No.

“The soldiers in Major Finney’s unit, reservists all, are older than most and specially schooled in community outreach. They include several police detectives, a casino pit boss, a nurse and a former state representative who ran unsuccessfully for a Michigan senate seat. Major Finney is a veterinarian. They do not wear uniforms or display weapons, but their short haircuts, white skin and bulky builds give them away.”