The problem of US troops in Iraq is not that they don’t speak Arabic…or that they have problems to cope with such strange a cultural environment. Their problem is that they can’t cope with any environment, no matter where they are.

Let’s take an example from Germany, this week. At the event of Hessentag (The day of Hesse), which is a huge annual funfair, lasting for a about a week, German visitors to this venue got the permission to cross a US Army housing area, to access the otherwise difficult to access area.

Instead of letting the citizens pass through, as was agreed, the Americans set up roadblocks, searched the people, denied passage to some, and allowed in groups that were accompanied by military vehicles. When the local mayor tried to take pictures, he was arrested and bound, only to be released after German police insisted.

What is the result? There is a turmoil now…the inhabitants of the city of Butzbach are furious. They paint “Ami go home” signs and rally at the gates of the US area.

Nowadays most of the citizens of Germany will speak at least some English, there is no major cultural discrepancy between North America and Europe. However, if one is mindless of one’s environment…considers the whole world as one’s own territory, then it’s no wonder that there is no increasing friendship greeting US troops all over the world.

I grew up in Westfalia, surrounded by Rhine Army barracks, but even at the high time of IRA threat to British forces I have never come across, or heard of, any behaviour like that.

http://www.fr-online.de/frankfurt_und_hessen/lokalnachrichten/aktuell/?em_cnt=1150313

cheers,

Olaf