Silicon Investor (SI) -- The First Internet Community

STOCKTALK

We've detected that you're using an ad content blocking browser plug-in or feature. Ads provide a critical source of revenue to the continued operation of Silicon Investor. We ask that you disable ad blocking while on Silicon Investor in the best interests of our community. If you are not using an ad blocker but are still receiving this message, make sure your browser's tracking protection is set to the 'standard' level.

Politics : Moderate Forum -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: coug who wrote (1485)	5/19/2003 1:48:23 AM
From: epicure	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 20773

I think we honestly tried in Somalia- we just didn't do a very good job, because we (Americans) seem to do a very poor job in understanding the folks we interact with, in the rest of the world. For some reason, with all our data collection, we don't seem to be able to put ourselves in the shoes of other peoples- and I don't mean agreeing, or justifying- something folks on SI always seem to misunderstand- I mean understanding, being able to try on a perspective, especially one you do not agree with. There is no man more important to understand, than an enemy, or the man who thinks he is your enemy. In order to plan and defeat an enemy, it is vital to understand them. I don't know how any thinking person can fail to understand that, but perhaps I overestimate the amount of thought going on in the average person.

To: coug who wrote (1485)	5/19/2003 2:08:40 AM
From: Dale Baker	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 20773

Just a comment from someone with a lot of Balkan experience, the only US failing there was intervening several years (and hundreds of thousands of lives) too late. Otherwise our presence has been helpful on many fronts from economics to security to political life. The only people who would object were thugs and criminals and extremists on all sides. What the Bosnians and Kosovars do with their new found freedom is another issue. Many of the people we "liberate" don't follow our script for evolving into virtuous, productive democratic citizens.