Two steps back: An example of frustration…

The other day was a bit odd. To set this up, it requires some background.

Since 30 June, the IA has gone at a breakneck pace in conducting operations. The operations were very visible, but they weren’t very intelligence focused; it was an effort to get lots of soldiers on the streets providing security. We did grab some stuff, but there weren’t any tips that led us to it, it was more blind luck and saturation of the area than anything else. So the IA is tired.

In an effort to continue the message of security, the Brigade Commander planned to meet with all of the influencers of this one town (sheiks, Sons of Iraq leaders, neighborhood muqtars, etc.) and deliver this message of security, and that the people should still be supporting the Government of Iraq. It was an excellent idea, and it was his chance to explain to them the temporary heightened security and the results it provided, and to perhaps co-opt some support for the cause and the IA. The meeting was set for 2:00pm. I told him I’d be there, and that the Coalition Commander, LTC Mellott, also planned to attend as a show of support.

I showed up the next day, on Vince Lombardi time (the American Standard-- if you are five minutes early, you are 10 minutes late) and it turns out he cancelled the meeting and went to Baghdad with the Division Commander. Sheiks poured into the Iraqi Army compound, only to be turned away, being told the meeting was cancelled. No explanation. It clearly did not sit well with many of them. No phone calls to anyone, he just up and left, and he really didn’t tell… Anyone. A chance to send a message and garner support was completely squandered.

It is an odd culture (by Western standard), where timelines and plans aren’t hard like they are in America. Many a mission we have agreed on a start time the night prior, and many a morning I have waited on average 30 minutes for the Brigade Commander to wake up and prepare himself for the operation, while my guys sit in the trucks and wait. This part of the job frustrates me immensely. What is even more frustrating is how Iraqis don’t realize how much it offends westerners. I go out of my way to make sure in my interactions with Iraqis that I am respecting their culture, yet he, a Brigade Commander, can’t respect a simple agreed upon time. We jokingly call it “Iraqi Standard Time.” Generally the overall Arab culture is very much a ‘if God wills it’ (insh’allah), but the western culture is more akin to shaping its own destiny by making plans and sticking to them. I guess that’s why they think Americans are impatient. And

I guess that’s why we think Arabs are lazy because they have no ambition beyond the moment.

I suppose it’s another good reason why Arabs lose wars.

Take care-
Ron