AUTHOR
Dr Tom Galloway Global Insecurities Centre at the University of Bristol
The Centre for Historical Analysis and Conflict Research is the British Army’s think tank and tasked with enhancing the conceptual component of its fighting power. The views expressed in this In Depth Briefing are those of the author, and not of the CHACR, Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, Ministry of Defence or British Army. The aim of the briefing is to provide a neutral platform for external researchers and experts to offer their views on critical issues. This document cannot be reproduced or used in part or whole without the permission of the CHACR. www.chacr.org.uk
SOCIAL CAPABILITY
AND THE LESSONS OF HELMAND PROVINCE
B
ETWEEN 2001 and 2012 the United Kingdom developed a ‘comprehensive’ strategy of stabilisation in its overseas interventions.1 It created a civilian and paired military unit to support the concept, drafting stabilisation doctrine for the military and characterising not only Afghanistan, but Iraq, Libya and many other places as stabilisation operations.2 It also lobbied for stabilisation approaches in international fora – particularly the UN and NATO. That is in stark contrast to today. UK economic woes, the chastening effect of Afghan withdrawal, the return of European war in Ukraine and a very different US foreign policy
context have led to a stabilisation ‘recession’. The architecture that sustained stabilisation operations has been largely dismantled. There has been no public disavowal of stabilisation, but actions speak louder than words. There will be many who say good riddance and indeed this InDepth Briefing is not a bugle call to return to stabilisation as it was attempted in Helmand. It is an examination of the organisational factors that led the UK into Helmand and constrained it from adapting fully to a mission that very quickly and obviously began to go wrong. What is missing from current narratives of organisational failure in Helmand is a sociological analysis – an
1 // IN-DEPTH BRIEFING // CHACR
approach deserving of a brief explanation. A sociological analysis concentrates on social structures and interactions. It focuses on how people as social animals meet the social need to find meaning and belong in a group rather than simply accumulate power or deliver a policy. We all need social interaction. Without unpacking the theory too far, there are four important concepts. First, our individual needs can Blair, S., Fitz-Gerald, A., Blair, S., & Fitz-Gerald, A. (2009). DRAFT Stabilisation Operations Literature Review Stabilisation and Stability Operations: A Literature Review.
1
Ministry of Defence Joint Doctrine and Concepts Centre. (2009). JDP 3-40, Military Aid to Stabilisation and Development. www.dcdc.dii.r.mil.uk
2
Picture: Crown Copyright
IN-DEPTH BRIEFING // #87 // FEBRUARY 25