One thing that the Iraq War has really underscored is the dramatic cultural differences between the Middle East and the United States. I have long felt that a lack of cultural understanding about Iraq and the Middle East is what would lose the war, and I still feel that way. Cultural values are an extremely important consideration when one is waging war, and they are ignored only at great peril. To fail to recognize that different cultures do things differently is to suggest that your own culture is better, and that is probably not the smartest of moves.

Many people like to say that the war is as much about winning hearts and minds as it is about winning territory, or toppling Saddam Hussein. Yet, we’re pretty much losing there, as anti-American sentiment in the Middle East clearly illustrates. The question is why we’re not adapting our style to respond to an obvious lack of success. After all, military campaigns are routinely altered and adjusted to deal with changing terrain and shifting enemies, so why aren’t we recognizing that our attempts at public relations are failing?

In the article I linked to above, there’s a discussion of monetary compensation for the victims of a Blackwater shooting which took place in Iraq. The article points out that the State Department is missing a fundamental part of Iraqi culture: the idea that honor is extremely important.

Throughout the Middle East, people have rigid systems of honor which must be adhered to, and there are formulas for dealing with things like murdered family members. By tradition, when someone is killed, representatives of the two tribes, families, or groups sit down together to talk it out. The murderer admits culpability and regret, and agrees to compensate the family of the victim for medical expenses, suffering, and so forth.

This is a system which is radically different than that used in America. In America, a third party presses charges on behalf of the dead victim, hearings are held in court, the murderer is punished, and so forth. The State Department is attempting to use this system in the Middle East, and it’s not working.

Why?

Because the Iraqis believe in the power of atonement. For the families of murder victims, the apology is more important than any financial sum; the value of life is such that no amount of money could compensate for it. What is important is an admission of culpability and wrongdoing, a face to face conversation. The American system of justice is not perceived as just in Iraqi culture, which has been dealing with things like murders in its own way for hundreds of years.

In fact, given a preference, I would say that I like the Iraqi system better, not just because I am big on redemption and atonement right now. It recognizes that the pain of having a loved one taken from you cannot be assuaged by court hearings and promises of justice, that the only way to begin to heal is to meet face to face and to hear an apology directly from the murderer. No amount of money can compensate for the loss of a life, and the sterile world of the American court room is not the place for personal justice, although it may satisfy the needs of society at large.

This is so at odds with the American system of “justice” that we are running into big problems in Iraq. This situation only illustrates one of many fundamental differences between Iraq and the United States, but it’s a big difference, and it needs to be dealt with. Middle Eastern culture is so radically alien from our own that it is somewhat unreasonable to simply transpose our own cultural values over it and hope that things work out. Indeed, this smacks of imperialism to me.

The State Department, of course, doesn’t want to do things Iraqi style, because it fears the consequences of admitting culpability. Iraqis, likewise, don’t want to do things American style, because the passing of envelopes of cash without any discussion is considered an insult. Not only are we failing to atone for our actions, we’re essentially spitting on the faces of the families of murder victims.

And we wonder why we’re having problems.