Culture in Conflict: Irregular Warfare, Culture Policy, and the Marine Corps

In response to the irregular warfare challenges facing the U.S. in Iraq and Afghanistan in 2005, General James Mattis--then commander of Marine Corps Combat Development Command--established a new Marine Corps cultural initiative. The goal was simple: teach Marines to interact successfully with the local population in areas of conflict. The implications, however, were anything but simple: transform an elite military culture founded on the principles of "locate, close with, and destroy the enemy" into a "culturally savvy" Marine Corps.

Culture in Conflict: Irregular Warfare, Culture Policy, and the Marine Corps examines the conflicted trajectory of the Marine Corps' efforts to institute a radical culture policy into a military organization that is structured and trained to fight conventional wars. More importantly, however, it is a compelling book about America's shifting military identity in a new world of unconventional warfare.

Author: Paula Holmes-Eber
Publisher: Stanford Security Studies
Published: 05/21/2014
Pages: 272
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 1.10lbs
Size: 9.29h x 6.36w x 0.80d
ISBN: 9780804789509

About the Author
Paula Holmes-Eber is Professor of Operational Culture at the Marine Corps University.