Insurgent Video Targets Blackwater

[Ken White]

...Another part, I suspect, is just sheer frustration of the "we've told them time and time again and they don't listen" type.

and the fascinating thing is 'they' don't realize that we refuse to listen because we can see their track record in most spheres is not only no better than ours but in many cases is not nearly as good...

[marct]

and the fascinating thing is 'they' don't realize that we refuse to listen because we can see their track record in most spheres is not only no better than ours but in many cases is not nearly as good...

we could spill a lot of electrons debating that without ever coming to a consensus . And, at any rate, in a lot of cases the specifics don't matter - it's a case of "are you treating us as allies or clients?" Constantly disregarding advice, even if it is bad (), has a tendency for people to think that the country disregarding the advice is a) rrogant, and b) feels entitled to command other countries. Again, it's a case of diplomatic perception rather than any reality - after all, when did the French last win a counter-insurgency? The Albigensians?

[Ken White]

we could spill a lot of electrons debating that without ever coming to a consensus . And, at any rate, in a lot of cases the specifics don't matter - it's a case of "are you treating us as allies or clients?" Constantly disregarding advice, even if it is bad (), has a tendency for people to think that the country disregarding the advice is a) rrogant, and b) feels entitled to command other countries. Again, it's a case of diplomatic perception rather than any reality - after all, when did the French last win a counter-insurgency? The Albigensians?

On the former, I take no position on it one way or the other, I'm merely repeating the most common US complaint on the issue I've heard over the years. I suspect there's some merit in it. We certainly have spent (as did the USSR) a great deal of time in the last fifty plus years fretting over arbitrary lines drawn on maps by Spain, italy, France and the UK (among other things)...

On the latter true -- and we're certainly entirely too guilty of arrogance. Based on watching a lot of people in a lot of places over more years than I care to recall, I think that, too, goes with the territory...