La detección de factores culturales de conflicto en escenarios complejos de intervención: actores locales y militares en interacción

Abstract

Abstract:The integration of cultural elements into the operational planning process is a complex task that requires practical and theroretical tools for a wide comprehension of the context to help solve the problem. This article shows the results of an empirical research which presents conflicting cultural factors as the starting point for the construction of mediating structures. The main result of our research is a partial cognitive structure, a system of ideas, represented in a template listing the basic conflictive factors at the tactical level that military could find in the development of their tasks. The template is also a valuable aid to design military training curricula and to be applied to any post-conflict stability operation in complex environments resulting from irregular or asymmetric conflicts.Keywords : military forces, cultural competence; conflicting cultural factors; peacekeeping, local actors, post-conflict stability operations. Titulo en Español: "La detección de factores culturales de conflicto en escenarios complejos de intervención: actores locales y militares en interacción"Resumen: Copyright © UNISCI, 2016. Las opiniones expresadas en estos artículos son propias de sus autores, y no reflejan necesariamente la opinión de UNISCI. The views expressed in these articles are those of the authors, and do not necessarily reflect the views of UNISCI.

The Spanish Army in Security Force Assistance

“…Related to the interaction with locals, communication has been identified as one relevant dimension that is successfully addressed through the organizational culture of the units deployed, but also thanks to pre-deployment training. This research shows similar results to previous studies about cultural interactions in international deployments in Lebanon and Afghanistan (Durán and Ávalos, 2013;Durán, 2010).…”

“…Spain has an extensive background in interacting with other cultures that dates back to its earliest military operations (Durán et al, 2016;Martínez et al, 2013). From its experience in Lebanon and Afghanistan, the Spanish Army has improved its cultural awareness, enabling it to interact in fragmented societies (Durán and Ávalos, 2013). The key aspect of this dimension is the value of cultural awareness when it comes to understanding the needs and demands of local actors.…”

“…This has also been an issue in SFA, where a local military dimension can be identified while also taking into account the political needs of the local government (EP22). While cultural awareness was relevant in the Balkans for the interaction with local populations (Durán, 2009;, and in Afghanistan and Lebanon for carrying out civil-military cooperation and providing humanitarian aid (Durán and Ávalos, 2013), in SFA it is directly related with the quality of training (EP13, EP14, EP22). This research points to some cultural challenges in SFA that should be addressed, as happened in stabilisation and humanitarian operations (Durán and Ávalos, 2013).…”

“…While cultural awareness was relevant in the Balkans for the interaction with local populations (Durán, 2009;, and in Afghanistan and Lebanon for carrying out civil-military cooperation and providing humanitarian aid (Durán and Ávalos, 2013), in SFA it is directly related with the quality of training (EP13, EP14, EP22). This research points to some cultural challenges in SFA that should be addressed, as happened in stabilisation and humanitarian operations (Durán and Ávalos, 2013). A recent research about Spanish Army deployment in Iraq has defined communicative and comprehension dimensions as the most relevant to military performance.…”

“…Spain has conducted missions since 1991, providing humanitarian aid and stabilising conflict areas in the Balkans, Middle East and Afghanistan (García-Cantalapiedra, 2014;Martínez et al, 2013;Durán and Ávalos, 2013;Durán et al, 2016). Of all the different international deployments, Security Force Assistance (SFA) missions are currently the most common.…”