Nigeria and Boko Haram: Societal and Cultural Dysfunction Affecting Military Performance
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Walden University ScholarWorks Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies Collection 2021 Nigeria and Boko Haram: Societal and Cultural Dysfunction Affecting Military Performance Michael George Petranick Walden University Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations Part of the Sociology Commons This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies Collection at ScholarWorks. It has been accepted for inclusion in Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Walden University College of Social and Behavioral Sciences This is to certify that the doctoral dissertation by Michael G. Petranick has been found to be complete and satisfactory in all respects, and that any and all revisions required by the review committee have been made. Review Committee Dr. Ian Cole, Committee Chairperson, Public Policy and Administration Faculty Dr. Gregory Koehle, Committee Member, Public Policy and Administration Faculty Dr. Melanie Smith, University Reviewer, Public Policy and Administration Faculty Chief Academic Officer and Provost Sue Subocz, Ph.D. Walden University 2021 Abstract Nigeria and Boko Haram: Societal and Cultural Dysfunction Affecting Military Performance by Michael G. Petranick MPhil, Walden University, 2020 M.A., American Military University, 2014 M.A., University of Nebraska-Omaha, 2014 B.G.S., University of Nebraska-Omaha, 2012 A.D.N., Delgado-Charity Nursing School, 1993 Dissertation Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy Public Policy and Administration Walden University August 2021 Abstract Since 2009, the Nigerian military has been fighting the insurgent and terror group Boko Haram in the Northeast region of Nigeria. In 2016, the Islamic State of West Africa Province (ISWAP) formed as an offshoot of Boko Haram and aligned with the remnants of ISIS. The Nigerian army has failed to defeat the insurgent groups and has, according to the research, committed abuses and atrocities, including extrajudicial killings, against the civilian population. The norms of military effectiveness, the normative theory of military performance and, the neorealist combat balance theory formed the theoretical basis for this study. The research questions addressed whether a nation’s military reflected its society and if the dysfunction in that society affected military performance. This qualitative study utilized a grounded constructivist approach in gathering data from seven active duty and retired military senior leadership and academics. Data analysis revealed that a nation’s military does mirror/reflect the society from which it emanated. The dysfunction found in society transfers to the military and is causally linked to battlefield failure and societal abuse. Specifically, this study identified the rabid dysfunction and corruption found within Nigerian society and linked societal dysfunction to army dysfunction. In addition, in a nation where tribalism dominates every aspect of life, this study found the army to be a tribe unto itself, further propagating the violent narrative against civilians. Positive social change may be possible if civilian and military leadership understands the dysfunctional social dynamic and its effects on State institutions, including the military, in a post-colonial African nation. Nigeria and Boko Haram: Societal and Cultural Dysfunction Affecting Military Performance by Michael G. Petranick MPhil, Walden University, 2020 M.A., American Military University, 2014 M.A., University of Nebraska-Omaha, 2014 B.G.S., University of Nebraska-Omaha, 2012 ADN, Delgado Community College, 1993 Dissertation Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy Public Policy and Administration Walden University August 2021 Dedication This study, my endeavor to rebuild my life from an automobile accident and multiple surgeries, and my educational goals could not have been possible without the complete support of my wife, Karen. She endured strife, heartbreak, disappointment at a life missed, and endured far more than spouses are required. This work is dedicated to my Karen, whose unwavering support helped drive me to complete my education and a new beginning. I also wish to dedicate this work to my dad, Colonel Albert Petranick, who flew the B-52 during two combat tours in Vietnam. To the men he flew with, taking their final flight, forever a band of brothers. My mother, Theresa, who, like all S.A.C. wives, accepted the reality of S.A.C. first, spouses and families second. Acknowledgments There are a few people to thank for their assistance and support in this project. I would like to thank my committee chairperson Dr. Ian Cole who guided and assisted me in this endeavor to successful academic work. I owe much to my dissertation committee, chair Dr. Ian Cole, Dr. Greg Keohle, and Dr. Melanie Smith, the University Research Reviewer. It was your direction that allowed me to complete this study. You sacrificed your time to review my work and offered truly constructive advice to construct a study by which the existent literature would be enhanced, and the world may learn. Your honest feedback and mentorship have been of the highest magnitude. I am forever indebted to you all. Thank you so much! I would like to recognize those senior military leaders, educators, and PhDs who assisted me through the interview process. I was fortunate enough to be introduced to these men; as a military outsider addressing a global social, security, and military topic, their assistance and acceptance of me and my research project made my study. I would like to thank Dr. Diedre Rogers, my mentor, who tore into my work and acted as my drill instructor pushing me to perform to the highest level possible. And finally, to Dr. John Grigg, my professor and mentor in History at the University of Nebraska-Omaha. For two-plus years Dr. Grigg pushed and vexed me, trying to turn me into a graduate scholar. Dr. Grigg impacted me personally, and it is with this work, I can say he achieved his goal, and I am forever grateful. And yes, Dr. Grigg, I know, it is not a study in History. Table of Contents List of Tables .....................................................................................................................vii List of Figures...................................................................................................................viii Chapter 1..............................................................................................................................1 Introduction to the Study .....................................................................................................1 Background....................................................................................................................3 Problem Statement.........................................................................................................7 Counterinsurgency...................................................................................................8 Nigeria….. ...............................................................................................................9 Purpose of the Study ....................................................................................................10 Research Questions......................................................................................................10 Theoretical Framework................................................................................................11 Nature of the Study ......................................................................................................13 Operational Definitions................................................................................................16 Assumptions.................................................................................................................23 Scope of Delimitations.................................................................................................23 Limitations ...................................................................................................................24 Significance of the Study.............................................................................................24 Summary......................................................................................................................26 Chapter 2 Literature Review.............................................................................................27 Introduction..................................................................................................................27 i Chapter 2 Structure................................................................................................28 Literature Strategy .......................................................................................................29 Theoretical Framework................................................................................................31 Social Control ........................................................................................................31 Societal Traits and the Military .............................................................................33 Military Norms ......................................................................................................36