Institutions and Organizations

<p>If the Department of Defense (DOD) better understands what legitimacy is how strategic communication affects it and how a prolonged counter-insurgency affects the legitimacy of specific Afghan and US institutions we will be better prepared to make foreign policy recommendations that involve overt counter-insurgency operations. This understanding can drive DOD perceptions of future conflict which in turn drives conceptualization and development of future US force structure and capabilities. Ultimately for the US Army a better understanding of legitimacy and its interdependency with communication could shape our assumptions that drive the development of our US Army Capstone Concept. This study hypothesizes that in Afghanistan legitimation and strategic communication are inextricably connected. However strategic communication is overly focused on the external attempting to influence constituents and not focused enough on bringing cultural understanding and compromise back to the strategy goals and institutions within Afghanistan. Therefore the legitimation of fledgling institutions is slower and more problematic than is necessary. This study concludes that in Afghanistan the legitimacy and strategic communication theories are deeply interwoven. Yet the strategic communication process is not focused enough on internalization of socio-cultural norms and mores. This means communicating to understand the culture in order to conduct US and Afghan institutional remodeling and behavior modification to fit within or work in concert with the current cultural institutions; integrating stake-holder perceptions into policy plans and operations to support national objectives. Fledgling institutions that do not challenge embedded institutions are more likely to succeed in the long term.</p><p>This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore you will see the original copyright references library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world) and other notations in the work.</p><p>This work is in the public domain in the United States of America and possibly other nations. Within the United States you may freely copy and distribute this work as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.</p><p>As a reproduction of a historical artifact this work may contain missing or blurred pages poor pictures errant marks etc. Scholars believe and we concur that this work is important enough to be preserved reproduced and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.</p>