Be Fluent In Violence
Many of you have seen the meme or the t-shirt that says, “When the local language is violence…be fluent.” I can say with a high level of confidence that comes from the generation of warriors who spent time in Iraq and Afghanistan. Violence IS the local language, and we had NO choice but to be fluent.
We used to express the same sentiment differently, “There are about fifty different languages in Afghanistan, but everyone speaks five-five-six and seven-six-two.” For those that aren’t familiar, 5.56mm is the caliber fired from the US Army M-4 rifle and 7.62mm is the caliber fired from the Ak-47 rifle carried by most people in that part of the world.
Again, the people there understand violence. It is part of life. They also understand, more than most westerners, when violence IS and ISN’T the answer.
In 2002 during my first Afghanistan deployment, a man standing on the side of the road holding a rifle flagged down a convoy of US Army vehicles, all of them armed. He tried to tell the commander of the convoy, who is a great friend of mine, the convoy needed to pay a toll. Yes, he was shaking them down for money. One guy with a rifle stopping an armed convoy.
The response from the convoy commander was simple. He told one of the gunners to aim his machine gun at the “toll taker”. End of discussion. End of negotiations. The convoy loaded up and continued on their way. The toll taker understood violence and exactly how far he could push the situation before it ended badly for him. He was fluent.
Clearly, I am speaking about the application of violence on a very personal or tactical level. The level where you get blood on your clothes. The threat of violence does, however, translate to diplomatic levels.
There is an often misquoted or misinterpreted quote from Carl von Clausewitz referring to war and politics. “War is the continuation of politics by other means.” The short version is war (violence) is a tool for politicians to achieve their political goals. War is NOT the end of politics NOR is it a political goal. However, if you are going to use war or threaten violence, it needs to be a valid and not a hollow threat, otherwise it is useless.
Sometimes the delivery of the message is just as important as the message itself. Go back to the “toll taker” on that dirt road in Afghanistan. Not a shot was fired, not a word was said. A machine gun was pointed. Message sent, message received. End of discussion.
A week and a half ago, President Trump, Vice President Vance, and President Zelenskyy sat in the oval office and a forty-minute discussion ended with the last ten minutes of argument. It was a loud, forceful argument between two leaders. For many Americans, it was uncomfortable because our culture is passive and we see ourselves as refined, educated, and polished. In violent cultures like Iraq, Afghanistan, and (yes) Eastern Europe, are often seen as weak.
President Trump delivered a message in a defining and definitive manor. Did he threaten violence? Not from the United States. Did he send the message that there is nothing but war and violence and death in Ukraine’s future? Yes. Does President Zelenskyy understand violence? Yes, he does. Was the message received? Yes.
But the message President Trump was sending was also meant for the rest of the world, including President Putin. The message wasn’t a threat of violence. It was intended to tell the world President Biden is gone. The days of American weakness are over. It was how the message was sent. The delivery was what was important.
When President Zelenskyy became forceful in the Oval Office, he gave President Trump and Vice President Vance no other option. Had they kept the refined, polished, and educated tone so many Americans believe he should have kept, it would have been interpreted by THE WORLD as weakness. The leader of Ukraine CANNOT be allowed to walk into our Capitol building and push our leadership around. I can promise the team around President Trump prepared him for this possibility. These types of meetings are planned and rehearsed. Contingencies are considered. Reactions are planned.
I can tell you countless stories of preparing my boss for meetings with tribal leaders, governmental leaders including ministers and presidents, and even senior level leaders inside our own government. We planned, we prepared, we rehearsed, we wargamed. I can tell you stories of meetings that went perfectly and others where the meeting went poorly, but we were prepared for both eventualities. So was President Trump.
By the way, it worked. The rest of the world sat up and took notice. Members of the European Union understand this is their responsibility, although some of their members like Italy and Hungary agree with President Trump on how to handle Ukraine. President Putin has been very outspoken since the meeting in the Oval Office. Everyone is paying attention.
The Defense Minister of Lithuania spent her life under communist rule. Her mother was born in a Siberian work camp. She was never allowed to celebrate Christmas as a child. She knows this world and this culture. She understands that weakness does NOT work when negotiating with people like President Putin. She has publicly applauded the forceful nature in which President Trump has been negotiating.
She even quoted Al Capone when she celebrated President Trump. “…the only efficient diplomacy with Russia was what Al Capone said, the only good negotiation is when you have a gun on the table…” She went on to say, “Our only hope is that the tough and harsh approach by President Donald Trump may be the only safeguard keeping Putin in check.”
Yes. From a world leader. Who lived under harsh, violent, communist rule. She supports President Trump and how he is managing President Putin. She heard and saw the way he handled things in the Oval Office. She gets it.
So, for all the westerners (including Canadians, Brits, French, and Americans) who don’t know this type of culture, please unbunch your panties. It may be uncomfortable for you, but for those of us who have lived in this environment, we understand when it is the local language…. Be Fluent In Violence.