Sensitivity Training for the Troops

Who’s to blame when Afghan soldiers turn on their American allies?

A draft version of a military handbook places the blame on American troops. As of now, the handbook has not received its final approval.

Note the logic: If supposedly friendly Afghans kill our troops, they are punishing us for our cultural insensitivity. American policy is on the verge of shifting the onus of responsibility for homicidal actions to the victims of that homicide.

This suggests that Afghan soldiers are so morally depraved that they cannot feel responsible for their behavior or be held accountable for it.

Barack Obama’s military has drafted a proposal that offers this solution to the increasing green-on-blue violence: American troops need to be more sensitive and should feel more empathy toward their erstwhile Afghan colleagues.

The word pusillanimous comes to mind.

Why would any Afghan soldier would respect an American if said American was constantly deferring to Afghan cultural values?

Our government does not seem to see it that way. It sees Afghans having very thin skin. Therefore, Americans must avoid any topic that might offend them.

The list is long:

Etiquette Violations Best Avoided by [coalition forces] Taboo conversation topics include:

• Anything related to Islam
• Mention of any other religion and/or spirituality
• Debating the war
• Making derogatory comments about the Taliban
• Advocating women's rights and equality
• Directing any criticism towards Afghans
• Mentioning homosexuality and homosexual conduct

Bottom line: Try to avoid highly charged and emotional issues.

And, when Afghan soldiers are incompetent, gutless, ignorant or dishonest, one must not mention it, lest it hurt their feelings. If one hurts their feelings they are likely to become suicide bombers.

It makes sense: our president acts as though the only problem with Muslims is that they feel disrespected. We Americans have provoked their rage because we have not shown sufficient empathy for the feelings that make them commit honor killings.

With any luck the manual will be revised before it becomes policy. Yet, we can note that it is consistent with Obama administration principles: when Muslims attack American embassies and consulates, we blame American insensitivity. Either we blame a filmmaker and throw him in jail, or we blame it on “derogatory comments about the Taliban.”

Think of it: we are fighting the Taliban, but we are not allowed to speak ill of them.

For all you and I know the Afghans believe that American sensitivity-- to say nothing of Obama’s Islamophilia--  is a sign of weakness. Why jump on a weak horse? Maybe Afghans hold weak men in contempt. Or else, the Afghans might be angry that the Americans are  abandoning them to the Taliban and might feel that they have to hedge their bets.

Whatever the reason, attacks on American soldiers have spiked since the Obama administration reset American policy. Witness the following chart.