Charles Moskos

There is an institution where affirmative action works, and
works well -- the U.S. Army. Not that the army is a racial utopia
by any means. But nowhere else in American society has racial
integration gone as far or black achievement been so pro-
nounced. In no other organization are whites routinely bossed
around by blacks. Affirmative action has been crucial in bring-
ing about this positive state of affairs. It has also been key in our
military's unquestioned effectiveness.

Can American society learn from the army's affirmative
action program?

One can argue, of course, that the structures of the army
and civilian society are so different that no meaningful lessons
can be drawn from the army for the larger society. Certainly the
army is not a democracy -- but hardly any organization is. To be
sure, the army relies more strongly on round-the-clock ac-
countability than do most civilian organizations. But account-
ability and control cannot in and of themselves force good race
relations. The racial situation is far worse in prisons, where
coercive authority weighs much more heavily than in the mili-
tary. Let us also not forget that racist norms and behavior can
prevail in large-scale organizations, including those with quasi-
military structures. Mention need only be made of the raw
words on tape of retired Los Angeles police detective Mark
Fuhrman and the alleged racist behavior of federal law enforce-

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