Cultural Challenges Facing Military Operations in Pan Arab...

For this assignment the cultural manifestations I selected to discuss as being important to our Unit’s success are Wasta, Deference to authority, and Tendency to seek compromise. Of course understanding all of the cultural manifestations are important to our unit’s success, but each region within the Middle East-North African (MENA) region will have their own variations based upon which branch of Islam is dominant in the region, what that region’s experience has been with the U.S. or a Western presence in general and numerous other factors such as the prevailing socio-economic factors of the region. By way of back ground, I thought it would be helpful to point out that the MENA region is a pretty diverse area comprised of â€Å"have’s† and†¦show more content†¦The bottom line for our team however, is to understand that the widespread practice of wasta in the Middle East is assumed, it is a given. So we must learn the nuances of the practice and use it to our advantage to be successful in our mission. That means finding the right Wasta to curry influence with the particular elders you are working with. Originally based upon family loyalty, the family is still the primary wasta channel, but that familial relationship has expanded to include friends and acquaintances, as well as private agreements whereby services are provided in exchange for gifts or specific fees. In the words of one observer, â€Å"Todays wasta is too often a middle-man, seeking fame and fortune by doing favors. Our job is to find that Middle Man and enter into that relationship with our eyes wide-open, knowing it isn’t going to be a cheap date, but that it will be worth the lives it will save down the road. Incidentally, the IMF, World Bank and regional economic leaders consider the â€Å"taming† or conversion of wasta as necessary to the MENA Region ultimately becoming an emerging market leader and engine of world growth, its effect in the regional economy is that debilitating. So let’s do our part to keep it that way! Where’s my Wasta!?! Here wasta wasta! Deference to Authority: As LTC Wunderle describes, Arab culture favorsShow MoreRelatedInternational Management67196 Words   |  269 PagesInc., including, but not limited to, in any network or other electronic storage or transmission, or broadcast for distance learning. Some ancillaries, including electronic and print components, may not be available to customers outside the United States. 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