FAO Quotables

"But being right, even morally right, isn't everything. It is also important to be competent, to be consistent, and to be knowledgeable. It's important for your soldiers and diplomats to speak the language of the people you want to influence. It's important to understand the ethnic and tribal divisions of the place you hope to assist."
-Anne Applebaum

Thursday, December 23, 2010

FUUO Quotables


"Strategy is very difficult for many reasons, one of which is that it is neither a question of politics nor fighting power, but rather the conversion of military effort into political reward."


-Colin Gray,Professor of International Politics and Strategic Studies at the University of Reading, U.K.


"Now talk amongst yourselves question":


How does this apply to an endeavor such Africa Partnership Station?  


In other words I think it's difficult to convert that military effort into a measurable political reward.  Part of this difficulty no doubt stems from the fact that our 'political aims' (namely capacity-building)in Africa are unique when compared to traditional political aims in other regions.

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