The Ugly American: A Fictional Story with a Nonfictional Message

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Without the assistance of Jeepo the water pump would have failed because Atkins didn’t realize that most Sarkhanese could only afford one bicycle. Together Jeepo and Atkins came up with the idea of a treadmill, that the rear wheel of a bicycle could be placed on to power the pump. This way the bicycle could still be used as transportation and also to power the water pump. By operating with and through others Homer Atkins was able to put into production a water pump that was economical and mechanical to the situation in Sarkhan.
Operating with and through others is necessary when operating in a foreign country.
Louis Sears was ineffective as an Ambassador because he didn’t work well with others. He was too busy trying to protect his image and was more concerned about himself then he was about being the American Ambassador to Sarkhan. The only reason that John Colvin was not captured or killed by the Japanese is because of the friendship that he developed with Deong. By operating with and through Deong, Colvin was able to continue his mission as an OSS agent and together the two of them remained a thorn in the side of Japanese until the arrival of the Marines. Homer Atkins worked with and through the villagers of Chang ‘dong to put into production his water pump idea. If he tried to do it on his own he would have failed because he wouldn’t have had the legitimacy and the credibility that the villagers of Chang ‘dong provided to his water pump. To accomplish anything in a foreign country it is almost necessary to work with and through the people indigenous to that country. Being from that country they have more knowledge and situational awareness than a foreigner could ever gain.
I have worked with and through others in...

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...de the Armed Forces of the Philippines a program that they could sustain on their own.
John Colvin and Homer Atkins’ actions mirrored three of the SO Imperatives. They understood their operational environment, they could operate with and through others and they ensured long-term sustainment. If Louis Sears applied the same SO Imperatives as Colvin and Atkins he would have been a more effective Ambassador. William J. Lederer and Eugene Burdick’s message was about American foreign policy and why it was failing. They used different characters like Louis Sears to demonstrate what was wrong with it and characters like John Colvin and Homer Atkins to show what actions are beneficial to a foreign policy. An American foreign policy that uses the SO Imperatives as a guide would strengthen the image and increase the legitimacy and the credibility of the United States.

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