Recruiting for SWC members because....

[Kiwigrunt]

Here I had expected to find here a place where Coalition partners could have posted interesting stuff about their respective approaches and experiences in small wars.

Here is a place where Coalition Partners can post interesting stuff about their perspectives and experiences. Bring it on.

Being Dutch, I could have posted on the Dutch 3 –D approach (the comprehensive approach of Defense, Diplomacy and Development) and its results in Uruzgan province….

Please do.

What I found instead is a place where coalition partners are being bashed plus unfavorable, unflattering and IMO uninformed comparisons with the American approach. This I find quite disappointing and not a real encouragement for posting.

It is not my perception and experience that coalition partners and other ‘outsiders’ are being bashed by a predominantly (and logically so) American membership in a way that is out of proportion to the criticism that they portray to their own side and actions (sure, amidst a lot of chest-beating). If it is your perception, and you find it disappointing, than perhaps that should be a real encouragement for posting. Please inform us.

[Stan]

I may be one of the aforementioned four (4) that is causing trouble of late and although Fuchs has taught me to be humble I have yet to experience humiliation (probably on its way).

I'd have to echo Kiwigrunt's comments - we are far harder on our own than we are on foreigners herein.

Tough, Strange and Diverse crowd and getting thin skinned will only egg us on

I hope you stick around and teach us a little about the use of cultural competence. Isn't that in fact what your beef is ?

In closing...

Bring it on.

[Fuchs]

What did I do?
I can't teach what I don't know.

- - - - -

I can in general understand the thread opener's problem.
It's a general problem in contact with most people from the U.S., though.

The relative isolation and the illusion that the anglophone world is big enough (=all that counts) allowed for a set of assumptions, myths, points of view that can easily collide with their non-anglophone counterparts.

On top of that, anglophone people are typically numerically superior on their (anglophone) turf and numerical superiority can easily mislead in regard to correctness of claims and views.


It's almost a hobby of mine to provoke cracks in their assumptions, myths, points of view...
I have a troll (or two) on my blog's comments section who calls me anti-American for it.

[Stan]

I have a troll (or two) on my blog's comments section who calls me anti-American for it.

To be fair, you did tell me well in advance that your blog was not pro-USA. I didn't find your blog entries to be overtly negative however.

If all the non-anglophones refuse to participate we will be left with you and JMA

[Fuchs]

My blog is pro-USA, it's just not pro-USA methods.

It's actually pro-every-country.
There's no reason to be against any country, but there are reasons to disagree with what countries tend to do, and this includes the own one.



In regard tot he USA and UK; I'm concerned that they're both problem and conflict generators and my country is way too close to them to tolerate this silently. "We" have had our historical dosage of allies pulling "us" (=our ancestors) into crappy situations - we don't need a repetition of that.

Israel is different; it creates conflict as well, but it's distant enough politically (no formal ally) and thus I don't care about its effects so much.

Same for Iran, which does not appear to radiate any problems our way (actually, Germany has a quite good reputation in Iran and is not being considered a foe or threat by Iranians afaik).

Couldn't care less about East Asia, for its conflicts certainly don't radiate to my country unless we work hard and stupidly on getting involved.

[Stan]

You are taking this far too seriously

We are supposed to create a friendly environment where other foreigners would join the fold (council) and then we hammer them in opposition even if they are right

With that, I'm going to leave you with a picture. This should make it clear why being involved with demining is so much fun

[jmm99]

just lots of ordinance.

Suuri ruumis - ja taistelussa hotellipoijassa ! Sotilan marka unelma ...

BTW: All the computers are now working. But, I still can't do umlauts in SWC posts. You'll get it anyway.

Regards

Mike