The military and the civil population in peace missions: introducing a cultural approach in the armed forces’ operations abroad

Madrid, Instituto Universitario “General Gutiérrez Mellado”

In July 2009 CITpax organised a first workshop with the participation of experts in international affairs, security and defence, to analyse the importance of cross-cultural awareness in the resolution of international conflicts.

The name of this first workshop was “The Military and the Civil Population in Peace Missions: Introducing a Cultural Approach in the Armed Forces’ Operations Abroad” and it was organized with the crucial support of the Spanish Institute of Strategic Studies (IEEE) and with the collaboration of the European Commission and European Parliament Permanent Representation in Spain. One fundamental conclusion drawn from that seminar was that cultural knowledge and competence is a crucial asset for the military forces deployed to distant scenarios.

Cross-cultural awareness has to be taken into account when planning and implementing military and civilian interventions in settings where international peace and security is at stake. Cross-cultural awareness will bring the military and the civilians on the ground closer to those people who they ultimately want to protect.

Cultural knowledge and competence is a crucial asset for the military forces deployed to distant scenarios.

To go more in depth in the analyisis of the concept of cross-cultural awareness, we have organized a second workshop in which the goal is to examine the problems and opportunities arising from the application of the concept in a concrete scenario: Afghanistan. After the new strategy of the allied forces in Afghanistan has beed laid down, it is a good moment to study the role of cross-cultural awareness in the new framework where the focus has shifted to the protection of the local population.

This second workshop was sponsored by IEEE and has the support of the University Institute “General Gutiérrez Mellado”. CITpax also recognises the crucial contribution made by UTRAFAS and MADOC to this project, both institutions are leading in Spain the work on cultural awareness in assymmetric conflicts within the framework of the Multinational Experiment 6. The tentative results obtained in this framework was presented at the workshop.

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