Communication communication communication. It's an issue in every organization I have been involved in and Afghanistan is no different. What is a little different is that Americans (I think) are at least used to working together within their organizations and recognize the necessity of communicating outside their line of operations. I'm re-reading and am already confused...
Example. The branches of the military have their friendly rivalries and turf wars but at the end of the day they HAVE to work together and know it is in their best interest to do so.
Example. Prosecutors and police/investigators work very closely together. In their own corners they blame one another for blowing an investigation or trial. But they still work together and learn from one another.
Example. The states deride the federal government's inability to take on big issues and the federal government goes after certain states over certain policies -- ok usually more of a political whose in power than fed v. state but you see the point.
None of the above examples of begrudging cooperation functions even remotely well in Afghanistan. Judges don't talk to prosecutors who don't talk to AUP/NDS. Not only do they not talk to one another, in many instances they believe that to do so would make them somehow less "independent." Districts are also not good at requesting resources from provincial who also fail to do the same from Kabul. As a result a big role for CF (lethal and non-lethal) is opening those lines of communication and helping all GIRoA actors see the value in working with one another. A lot of this I'm sure is not only cultural and due to a system still rife with bribery and corruption, but also the fact that what "we" (CF and the international community) see as one nation-state with defined borders, many Afghans still view in tribal terms.
So there it is, my trick of the trade for the week. The question that now is weaved (often several times) into every KLE -- "Do you talk to X?"
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