I need more details about what our "soft power" strategy is in Afghanistan. Without soft power, we will not be successful in Afghanistan. Military force is necessary, but will never solve the problem in the long run.
Joseph Nye says that "soft power" is the ability to obtain the outcomes one wants through attraction rather than using the carrots and sticks of payment or coercion. "In nations, soft power rests upon culture (where it is attractive to others), values and policies (when they are inclusive and seen as legitimate in the eyes of others.)" Afghanistan is dangerous because of the culture of violence, the values of tribalism and corruption and policies that isolate people. Dropping bombs won't change the culture, values or policies.
I live in the City of Los Angeles, and we don't have to look very far to see an example of what I am talking about. Our war on gangs for the past several decades has been tough -- we've conducted a full scale effort to obliterate gangs and gang members. The result? A huge increase in gang violence. The problem got worse. When we tried versions of soft power, by infusing resources into the community, it also made little lasting impact. Why? The soft power came in the form of outsiders throwing money at the problem. There was no shift in culture, values or policies.
It was not until law enforcement leaders like Bill Bratton and Lee Baca started saying that we cannot arrest our way out of the problem, and leaders like newly crowned Chief Charlie Beck started truly empowering inner-city residents, that things started to change. My non-profit, A Better LA, has been right in the middle of this transformation. I've witnessed it first-hand. Hard-nosed cops now engage leaders from within the community -- people they used to loathe -- to build change from within. There is a growing culture of hope, an understanding that we all share the values of protecting children and life (over the fatigue of witnessing death) and policies are being implemented that allow for everyone -- including people who have been considered the bad guys in the past -- to be part of the solution. We have a long way to go, but the progress is astounding. Homicides are way down and we are seeing old enemies build lasting relationships instead of flimsy truces.
My hope is that -- even though we are worlds apart -- the lessons we have learned in Los Angeles can be applied in Afghanistan and other troubled spots around the world. If the soft power plan is simply to invest some money in social programs, schools and jobs, we will be very disappointed when we fail. All of those measures entail outsiders throwing temporary money at the situation. That is not change from "within."
We must find Afghan leaders who have real relationships with those creating the chaos, and engage and empower them to lead our soft power strategy. Change cannot come directly from U.S soldiers.
Is LA different than Afghanistan? Of course, in many ways. But the root causes of violence in one part of the world are the same as those in other parts of the world. The core elements of success in Los Angeles apply anywhere in the world where isolated, dysfunctional people are creating violence and chaos.