The Adventures of “Ideology” in Afghanistan
America is sending 30000 more troops to Afghanistan. And generals are now saying they want to focus on “the people” -- clearly because they are losing their small base of support amongst Afghanis.
The signs of trouble are obvious now, the government is shifting the goals of the mission and sending in more souls to stabilize a deteriorating situation.
How did we get here in the first place? And why is this happening? And how can a nation of a GDP of $14.2 trillion not subdue the people of a GDP of $21.5 billion, though it has 660 times the economic power?
Part of the problem lies with “ideology”. The ideological thinker has very peculiar view of the world. He has perceptions, assumptions and methods that create great problems and make existing problems even worse.
The ideological thinker has gotten America into Afghanistan in the first place and now it is time for the nation to break with ideological thinking.
Here is a list of some misperceptions and bad result of ideological behavior. And here is the story of an ideologist, how he thinks, and his process of development.
Invasion and Force
The ideological thinker believes people can be won to his ideas by invading a nation. He believes that you can win people over by interfering in their cultural and national life.
He reasons ideas can just as easily come from outside a culture as inside, it makes no difference to a people. They are all just ideas and people live purely in a realm of ideas. So the ideologist has no “boundaries” as they would say in psychology, thus they have no problem invading national boundaries. The ideologist lives in a realm of pure ideas, and is compelled to share his mind with another people by pushing his way into their homes and homeland.
Patriotism and Resistance
What then happens is this: Patriotism and resistance arise. Individuals with very different values, politics and philosophy will unite in a broad united front. They will suspend their own arguments to ally against the foreign invader. So the ideologist’s dream of winning a national debate fails because the whole nation is against you for being there in the first place. Thus, no one is going to listen to you even if you do have a good idea or two -- except puppets and bribed officials. And unfortunately the occupation now gives the ideologist’s political enemies greater opportunities to spread their ideas in the patriotic national front.
Ideologist as “Savior”
The ideologist just doesn’t understand all of this negative response. Why, they ask the populace, do you not see us as Saviors? Don’t you understand that we have sacrificed for you, and that we are on a sacred mission to help free you? But this falls on deaf ears because the people of this nation do not see the foreigners as Saviors at all. They did not ask to be saved and did not ask for the self sacrifice of another nation. It all makes no sense to them, though in the head of an ideologist it all does, because the ideologist sees himself as a martyr. Even though others suffer, he is the martyr.
Ideas Out of Context
It may be that the ideologist has a few good ideas, but here is another problem. General ideas like democracy and freedom are good principles but how would they apply and work in the context of another nation with a very different culture and historical conditions for a people?
The form of a democracy is very particular -- the style, the relation to village leadership and its jurisdiction, the relation of secular and religious issues, and very importantly, the stages by which such a democracy would be formed.
No one from the outside can create this democratic system, only the citizens of a country can do this. One must know this culture, be raised in it, be a part of the culture. And this is another reason why you cannot force ideas upon people. Because the ideologist just does not understand the context that the ideas must work in, and never will, even when democracy is formed and working well.
People are Moved by Their Ideas Not Yours
This leads to the next essential point. One must grasp that individuals are moved by their inner needs and not yours. You cannot substitute your ideas or goals or desires for those of others nationalities. Even when you provide a good idea, it must personalized by the individual, and then turned into “their idea” with their interpretation and modification.
This is a rule that many of us learn from ordinary living, in the case of individuals, we finally grasp that you cannot make choices for another person, they must find their own way. If free will is a fundamental principle of individuals, then why can’t it be fundamental principle of nations?
The “Logic” of Ideas
Not only are people not moved by your ideas, they are not moved by “Logic” itself.
The ideologist also believes that he can insert himself into someone else’s culture, begin an argument, and simply win them over. Why? Because everyone will suddenly grasp the “logic” of his ideas. Logic is so easy and logical!
But why don’t they get it? There are many reasons as said above about culture and circumstances.
But also some peoples do not suffer from the peculiar intellectual malady of ideological thinking: the overriding power of rational argument and its pure logic and its long chains of deduction.
Other peoples might appreciate a good argument but they live in a world of relationships with family, tribe, elders and leaders, and these are more powerful than ideas. Also, they have many other needs besides ideas such as food, sanitation, healthcare, shelter, and these needs overpower ideas.
So logic simply is not enough to move them, one must think in new terms, and do more than provide an argument, but consider a completely different strategy that works with human beings and through human beings and satisfies human needs, ideas only being one of a very long list.
Ideology Does Not Understand Evolution
Time and time again the ideologist does not get the difference between their modern nation and the developing nation.
Fundamentally, the ideologist does not grasp evolution, that political ideas, economic ideas, religious doctrine and cultural values all evolve. Every nation is at a differing stage of evolution.
Take the example of religion, religions change over time, the cultural and social values of a religion fall away, the core of the religion continues. This happened for Christianity, the shell of the religion changed several times, and it is still evolving. The core however continues on.
But the ideologist does not get this, he does not see the evolutionary process for developing nations. And as for his developed nation, he sees no evolution because he sees his country in some sort of absolute perfect state – just as he sees his ideas, eternal and pure.
If the ideologist was to actually see nations in evolution, then the common sense strategy would be patient dialogue rather than invasion and war. Of course, he will not do this.
The pure idea person has no time for evolution. He is in a hurry, though his ideas are eternal, he is in a rush. Though everyone and every nation must go through a process of development, the ideologist cannot accept this, he wants to skip stages of history and leap straight into utopia, at least his idea of utopia.
The ideologist has no time for time itself. He has no time for a people to grow and solve their own problems in their own way.
He complains about other people’s lack of evolution. But right in his own nation there is too a lack of evolution and development. Every culture has its problems and its own evolutionary tasks because all is in constant change, constant reaching for something better. The US is hardly a perfect example of democracy, freedom, equality, economic opportunity, physical and mental health.
And this raises the issue of practicing what you preach.
Does the Nation that Espouses these Ideas Practice Them?
In a world of global electronic connection would an ordinary Afghani have access to information about America? Of course! When they look at the internet or cable news or talk on a cell phone to friends what do they discover? They must see a bleak picture and a strange picture – of mass obesity, a general use of anti-depressants, mass poverty, recession and job loss, millions of homes in foreclosure, false diversity and equality, rampant anti-Muslim attitudes.
How does the ideologist explain this? In our hyper-connected planet this cannot be hidden. The information age is both positive and negative, and it seems the negative information age dominates today, our dirty laundry is digitized and broadcast to all.
Certainly to the tribal villager we must appear to be the “Insincere Village”. So when the ideologist trumpets the utopia known as America, you must understand this is not the 20th century, you cannot fool people as we once did.
Ideology Begins at Home
The tribal village may wonder if the ideologist practices his ideology at home. Is this where it arose, is this where he honed his skills?
Yes, ideology reigns at home. All of its methods are used to browbeat and manipulate the population at home.
The villager is now thoroughly disillusioned with the ideologist and his ideology. What then happens next? The ideologist loses his small base of support. Then something worse happens.
Ideology Leads to an Ideological Reaction
The entrance of ideology into a society causes a reaction – ideologies will arise to oppose ideology. An invading ideology will spur a domestic political or religious ideology. The very same thinking and behavior will be mimicked. The national situation becomes more negative. The cycle gets worse. More force is applied, more counter force summoned. Then the ideology jumps national borders. As we see today, ideology and resistance are now spreading across the Middle East and Asia.
The Story Arc of the Ideologist
Our Ideology is failing, it never works in the first place. At this point, we do no want to become cynical. An ideologist can become a blamer, and blame the people of a foreign nation for his problems, rather than his own methods. Along with blaming comes a coldness that follows from a kind of pure rationality and logic. Peoples are then categorized and judged.
The danger is that the ideologist will then find himself in the partnership with those whose mindsets are purely for military, economic and political domination of a nation or region. And these types have never thought in ideological terms in the first place. The ideologist and the non-ideologist are now one. This is the story arc of the ideological thinker, if he chooses ideology to the very end.
The ideological thinker fools himself into thinking he is doing good. But in fact, he creates problems and suffering. As a nation it is best that we let go of ideological thinking.
A superpower has the super power to insert itself into an undeveloped nation and make super blunders. Of course this is not wise. A superpower in the 21st century would gain more influence and prestige by withholding its super powers and working as an equal in a community of nations.
Ideological thinking is of a dead age, from the 20th century when fascism, communism and imperialism flourished. In this era, ideas were put ahead of human beings, and people were forced to conform to ideas or suffer the consequences.
Ideology has no place in this new age of a diverse planet. It is time to learn the lessons of the 20th century.
Cage Innoye
Published by Axxiad News