"Arabs Are Reluctant To Accept Responsibility"

G.I.s' Guide To Iraq: "Arabs Reluctant To Accept Responsibility"

By Sharon Weinberger
June 14, 2007 1:02:31 PM
Blog.Wired

A 2003's "Soldier's Guide to the Republic of Iraq," issued by the Army on the eve of the U.S. invasion, tells troops that Arabs see "little virtue in a frank exchange" and are "by American standards... reluctant to accept responsibility."

Those are just a few of the surprising passages found while leafing through the booklet, prepared by the Army's 101st Airborne Division. Here are some excerpts from the "cultural considerations" chapter:

There is little virtue in a frank exchange. Getting down to business may always occur at a later meeting or a more informal setting such as dinner.

• Arabs, by American standards, are reluctant to accept responsibility... if responsibility is accepted and something goes wrong, the Arab is dishonored.

• Arabs operate by personal relations more than by time constraints.

• Arabs, by American standards, are reluctant to accept responsibility.

• Arabs do not believe in upward mobility or social status; they gain status by being born in the right family.

• Arabs do not shake hands firmly. If an Arab does not touch you, it usually means that he does not like you.

• It is said that the Arab likes to feel your breath in their face. As you back away, the Arab will continue to shuffle forward. This is known as the "diplomatic shuffle."

• An Arab sees friendships with anyone outside the family as meaning, "you scratch my back and I'll scratch yours."

(Read pages 8-9, 10-11, and 14-15.)

Parts of the guide were put online -- and greeted with arched eyebrows -- when it first came out in 2003. Four years of ongoing conflict have made the document an even more awkward read, showing just how far policy and perceptions have come since the heady days of "Shock and Awe."

Even odder is comparing the 2003 booklet to 1943's A Short Guide to Iraq for soldiers. In many ways, the two documents, spread sixty years apart, still have a fair amount in common:

NEVER discuss religion or politics or women with Moslems. (1943)

Don't [d]iscuss religion or try to convert an Arab to your faith (2003)

If you see grown men walking hand in hand, ignore it. They are not queer. (1943)

It is common for good friends of the same sex to hold hands while walking in public (2003)

To be fair, the booklet says that it's not meant to be a comprehensive guide. And parts of the publication are extremely useful: information on geography, road signs, wild life and language. There are also some sensible rules for dealing with the media ("don't lie"), and some debatable guidance as well ("Do not provide the enemy with propaganda material by complaining about things").

The guide does show how dated it is in one key respect: the last item on the last page for "suggested items to bring" is "Polaroid camera (send pics home)."

-- Sharon Weinberger and Noah Shachtman