You probably need to look outside the headlines...
...because doing it right just isn't good TV.Originally Posted by MikeF
I haven't been to Columbia personally, but that may be one good example. I have been to the Southern Philippines, and that is one as well. Granted, there is always (and should be) a general concern by any populace of a foreign military presence in their country, and that always gets a lot of press; but out on the ground the people of the Philippines were not only grateful for the increased security and greater access to medical support, school infrastructure, etc that came with the Americans (though always with the Philippine gov't, both national and local out front); but more importantly in the changes in how the governmental forces began treating their own populace and conducting such operations as well. They treated the people with greater respect and found their jobs got easier and less dangerous as they did so. I guess they garnered their own hearts and minds as well.
As a 2LT clanking around the West German countryside vic the Chech and East German borders I always met extremely grateful locals (less so when one went into big cites further from the border). Again, we provided a service the populace desired (not being Soviet citizens), and did so in a manner that treated them with respect to their culture, laws, property and persons.
I guess a couple of themes are emerging: Enabled a service the populace actually needs; and do so in a respectful fashion.
Oh yeah, lest I forget. Desert Storm. Kuwaitis remain grateful for the return of their nation and the opportunity to avenge the losses they suffered in that invasion by Iraq.
If you start off bad (like Iraq) its damn hard to get it on track; or even if you start of good (like Afghanistan), but then shift to focusing on your own interests (hunting bad guys)over the interests and at the expense of the local populace, you can quickly get off track.
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