Flash Points: Lessons Learned and Not Learned in Malawi, Kosovo, Iraq, and Afghanistan (Excelsior Editions)
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | 4.62 (740 Votes) |
| Asin | : | 1438465459 |
| Format Type | : | paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 302 Pages |
| Publish Date | : | 2017-09-20 |
| Language | : | English |
DESCRIPTION:
Her foreign affairs analyses have appeared in a number of publications, including the New York Times, International Herald Tribune, The Hill, Washington Diplomat, and Foreign Policy Journal. She currently lives and practices law in the Washington, DC area.. Jade Wu has worked on US foreign assistance projects in M
From the hot savannah of Malawi to the cold, damp gray of Kosovo and into the volatile war zones of Iraq and Afghanistan, the United States and other donors have invested enormous financial and human resources in major peacekeeping and development efforts. Revealed in illuminating flashbacks, Jade Wu recalls her experiences in each of these four countries highlighting how, all too often, Americans in the field and the US government were unable to learn the lessons that ought to have been learned when dealing with host countries and their people. The final results were efforts poorly conceived and executed and, ultimately, detrimental to American national interests.. Why then is the world no closer to being a "better and safer" place? Both a salient critique of US foreign assistance and a thought-provoking memoir, Flash Points describes the issues with personnel, language, and gender dynamics, as well as the cross-cultural challenges that often undermine and betray the best intentions of policy makers comfortably situated in Washington
Great book for anyon concerned about our world This thought-provoking and very readable book examines some of the vexing questions of international development assistance through the eyes of an experienced implementer. Ms. Wu’s light touch and dash of humor do not detract from the greater issue: flaws in international assistance provided in four of the challenging countries in which she worked.Although I have worked in two of those countries, the book still expanded my understanding of logistical problems, the dynamics of gender issues and how policy changes adversely influence programs. Most instructive is her description of interaction with local staff after a bombing inci
Her observations are well-informed, astute, and compel the reader to think carefully about the ways in which this country often wastes enormous resources--including human lives--in efforts that are ill-conceived." -- Thomas R. It will also interest the general reader. Wu's perspective is that of an objective, critical observer who has worked in the trenches. By leaving many pages with illuminating quoted dialogue, all readers will be lured on through Jade Wu's adventures, right up to the final 'flashback.'" -- Robert W. Carter, Retired Senior Advisor, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations . Many will find it a fascinating story of one woman's experiences abroad. "Flash Points should be required reading for professionals in foreign assistance programs and could be used in formal train