Rob,

In Massachusetts, they have this traffic control device called a rotary--you probably know it as a traffic circle. While the state has laws about right of way and other things pertinent to motor vehicle operations around a rotary, each rotary actually has its own set of "customs and traditions" that govern how one should negotiate the rotary safely. They are not written down; one learns them by observation and trial and error while negotiating the rotary. The state rules say that cars in the rotary have the right of way. At the Concord Rotary, for example, the folks entering from Rte 2A yield, but if you are in the rotary and do not yield to cars entering the Concord Rotary eastbound on Rte 2 during the morning commute, you will probably end up in an accident.

My biggest concern with using the American military as a policing force and a police training force in other nations has to do with the discrepancy in the "myths" that various nations use to justify how they "empower" their governments. or, better, how they justify their currtailment of individual liberties. I suspect I need to explain this quite a bit.

In the US, we have continuing debates over Federalism and the conflict between states' rights and Federal authority. This topic is a major aspect of the US Constitution. It flows down through the states to local government as well. What is a "state" prerogative and what falls within county or municipal power varies from state to state in America. I am sure that similar dynamics exist in other nations--for example, Canada has the issue with its provinces and Germany has to deal with the special status of the Bavarian Free State. However, I do not believwe that it is a universal theme.

The point to draw here is that different nations have different perceptions about what is an appropriate use of civil police power and what is an appropriate use of military power--for example, I suspect that not every nation has posse comitatus stype statutes and limits. Not every nation has a national police force that may also be called on to perform national defense missions.

So, part of the answer to your question brings us back once again to the old METT-TC discussion. Before we can decide what kinds of policing efforts we may want to conduct and/or train other to conduct, we need to make sure that we are capable of providing the right solution for the target population/nation.

It does not hurt, and in fact is probably quite helpful, to ask the questions and rehearse the answers. However, I would be wary of trying to codify those answers because of the potential for folks to view them as the "school solution," to be applied regardless of local variations that militate against their adoption. "Your mileage may vary" from the estimates on that new car sticker.