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The limits of hard power
I’ve just finished reading Hank Crumpton’s fascinating memoir, The Art of Intelligence: Lessons from a Life in the CIA’s Clandestine Service Crumpton was a long time CIA field operative who rose through the ranks to run the CIA/Joint Special Operations Command Afghanistan campaign after 9/11 and later served the State Department’s Coordinator for Counterterrorism. (See also the Washington Post review.)
What struck me throughout the book was Crumpton’s grasp of the value of intangible assets: relationships, leadership, the importance of cultural context, etc. In running a war in Afghanistan where firepower (kinetics) was crucial, he forged an on-the-ground force of Afghan allies based on these intangible assets. I was particularly struck by this one line from a meeting at the State Department: “Our hard power buys space and time, but then what?”
That same statement applies to all hard (tangible) assets. They are the entry point. But then what?
2012-08-01 16:48:56
Source: http://www.athenaalliance.org/weblog/archives/2012/08/the-limits-of-hard-power.html
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