"The Rise of Alien Warfare" Topic

"IN 2011, the United States launched a new television show in Afghanistan called Sesame Garden. It was an Afghan-themed version of Sesame Street designed to win local hearts and minds. Unfortunately, the producers had to cut the Count von Count character because Afghans had not heard of Dracula and could not comprehend the fangs.

The fate of the Count epitomizes the new Age of Alien Warfare—defined by U.S. military operations in culturally unknown environments. From the War of 1812 to today's campaigns in the Middle East, both Washington's enemies and the local populations have become steadily less familiar in terms of language, religion and social traditions. Alien warfare reached its apogee with the post-9/11 mission to refashion Afghanistan—a landlocked country seven thousand miles away, with a largely unknown culture and a literacy rate lower than that of America in 1650.

The rise of alien warfare has crippled America's capacity at both waging war and making peace. Paradoxically, as U.S. power grew, the nation's record on the battlefield deteriorated alarmingly. From 1812 to 1945, the United States had a miniscule peacetime army but won most major campaigns. After World War II, Washington constructed the most expensive military machine that ever existed, yet it suffered an era of military reverses. Reeling from battlefield failure, Washington was forced to negotiate a way out of the quagmire. But alien warfare impeded effective diplomacy and prolonged difficult campaigns. In culturally unfamiliar environments, the United States could neither win wars nor end them…"
Full article here
link

Amicalement
Armand

Just from the first three paragraphs, I discern a politically loaded and presumptive tenor in that piece, not the least of which is the claims of "battlefield failure" and "military reverses," neither of which are at all true or accurate. "Political reverses," yes, and certainly stemming from a failure to understand cultural differences (among other things)-- and that on the part of every political impulse, right, left or center. But I'm wondering what the heck this has to do with SF Media, Tango?

I think the word Alien caught the SF vibe.

The cross culture issues would apply to non-Humans I suspect

Reeling from battlefield failure,

This should be under Fantasy Media.

Aliens ?!?!? Where ?!?!? Them "A-rabs" and other's from places like Africa, the Mid East and SW Asia ain't Aliens ! They may act like bad ET's … but they are "basically" humans … with some very "quaint" and oh yes, very strange ways !

hahaha, my co-workers and I always commented how in the middle east airports, bus stops, public venue. The locals would line up and wait for the gates to open. Once open they would then all rush the gate to get in/out. After much thought we determined they didn't have Sesame Street to teach them as kids. To stay in line and enter one by one.

Not just the Mideast, Ironwolf. Many, many places around the world.