Ecological Stable Climaxes Parallels in Human Social Systems: Implications for Military Operations

This manuscript argues that U.S. foreign military operations struggle or fail due to a lack of socio-cultural understanding. This submission differs from other scholarship because it provides a perspective by which to see human socio-cultural systems as an ecological system. Ecosystems achieve balance, known as a stable climax, through the balanced evolution of all elements of the system. U.S. foreign policy and military intervention often act like an invasive species which disrupts the balance of an ecosystem or inadvertently removes a key component of socio-cultural stability. In terms of methodology, this article compares ecological studies and the concept of a stable climax to failed military operations. The imbalance created because of military intervention can lead to security instability such as that demonstrated by the invasion and overthrow of Saddam Hussein in Iraq or the resurgence of the Taliban in Afghanistan. Culture is not static. It is in a constant state of evolution. If all aspects of culture, including people and the environment, are in harmony and evolve together, then stability is realized and maintained. Thus far the United States has not demonstrated the ability to holistically understand an adversary within its social context. Vietnam, Iraq, and Afghanistan being only a few examples of how the adversary was able to exploit cultural understanding to persist despite superior American combat power. This article will assist U.S. military practitioners by providing a perspective by which to view human societies as a balanced system and highlights the need for proper analysis of foreign cultures for the success of U.S. foreign policy and military operations.