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The will to fight.

Scott Atran1

  • 1Scott Atran is an emeritus director of research at the French National Center for Scientific Research, Paris, France; a senior research associate at the Changing Character of War Centre, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK; and adjunct professor at the Ford School of Public Policy, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.

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Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Understanding the will to fight requires acknowledging the critical role of sacred values and spiritual strength, often overlooked in strategic assessments. Ignoring these factors leads to inaccurate predictions and intractable security challenges.

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Area of Science:

  • Political Science
  • Military Strategy
  • Sociology

Background:

  • Recent military outcomes in Afghanistan and Iraq revealed a surprising underestimation of enemy resolve and an overestimation of allied fighting will.
  • Intelligence assessments frequently label the "will to fight" as an imponderable, indicating a gap in understanding key motivational factors.
  • Political and military leadership often discount research highlighting the significance of sacred values and spiritual strength in combat effectiveness.

Discussion:

  • The prevailing narrow lens of instrumental, utilitarian rationality in strategic analysis fails to incorporate crucial non-material factors.
  • Sacred values and spiritual strength are potent drivers of the will to fight, influencing individual and group behavior in conflict.
  • Discounting these elements leads to flawed strategic planning and an incomplete understanding of adversary motivations.

Key Insights:

  • The "will to fight" is not solely determined by material capabilities or rational self-interest.
  • Spiritual strength and adherence to sacred values provide a powerful, often underestimated, impetus for sustained combat.
  • Integrating an understanding of these non-utilitarian drivers is essential for accurate threat assessment.

Outlook:

  • Future strategic analyses must incorporate the role of sacred values and spiritual strength to overcome the "imponderable" nature of the will to fight.
  • Addressing security challenges effectively requires a more holistic approach that moves beyond purely rationalistic frameworks.
  • Further research into the interplay of spiritual factors and military outcomes can enhance predictive accuracy and strategic effectiveness.