Quote:
Originally Posted by JAD_333
In what ways?
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JAD,
You must read this book.
Used copies of the book sold by Amazon, I believe is $ 1 or some such real low price.
One of the issues is that instead of big projects that has long gestation period and which cannot be felt by the common man, projects like sewage, electricity, farming improvements etc should be done first so that it shows result for the common man and hence he realises that the Americans are hands on people, who mean the best for their country.
Just see Iraq.
Bremer, possibly with good intentions to get rid of Baathist loyalists, dismantled the total governance and security infrastructure. It possibly is one of the major causes that led to terrorism in Iraq. Obviously, deprived for income, these people and their families were deprived of their living necessities and comfort. It led to anger and Islam being a very arousing religion for the adherents, possibly used this misery to brainwash the deprived that it was a Christian and a western plot against Islam. In return, they must have given food and shelter to the families and the deprived adherents of Islam, was fired with a fire in their belly to take on the infidel. Of course this is speculative, but then the upsurge of terrorism that happened immediately after Bremer's action points to this fact. It reached its zenith almost immediately.
Then instead of bringing the country's social services back to at least Saddam's time, it was allowed to slide and instead big projects that could not be "seen" were tomtomed! If one does not have food to eat, live in unhygienic conditions and that too in darkness, then one is not concerned for Paradise that will come after 12 years or so and even that Paradise would be such a Paradise as it would not benefit the common man directly. Something like direct tax which hurts while indirect tax doesn't.
And things like that.
This book shows the bumbling of people and the excellent work by some of the other Americans that did good for the people and which were appreciated. A very balanced book and for non Americans, it is so realistic and has understood as to how other countries view issues.
Same thing is happening in Africa.
If you remember, there was a Chinese poster on this forum who worked in Africa. He said that he had been instructed to work shoulder to shoulder with the Africans and eat their food and have same living conditions.
Now compare the US personnel who come on Aid Projects and the Chinese in Africa and elsewhere.
The Ugly American bring out these types of issues.