From the issued FM 3-24 (http://www.fas.org/irp/doddir/army/fm3-24.pdf), Appendix B-8:
"The Importance of Perceptions in Operation Uphold Democracy
"One proposed psychological operations action developed for Operation Uphold Democracy in Haiti in 1994 illustrates why perception assessment is necessary. Before deployment, leaflets were prepared informing the Haitian populace of U.S. intentions. The original leaflet was printed in Dutch, the language of the Haitian elite. However, the one actually used was published in Creole, the official language of Haiti, because an astute team member realized the need to publish to the wider audience.
"If a flier in Dutch had been dropped, it could have undermined the American mission to the country in several ways. The majority of the population would have been unable to read the flier. The subsequent deployment of U.S. forces into the country, therefore, could have been perceived as hostile. The mission, which was intended in part to restore equity within Haiti’s social structure, could have backfired if the Haitians viewed the Dutch flier as an indication of U.S. favoritism toward the Haitian elite."
The two official languages of Haiti are French and Creole (CIA WorldFact - Haiti, last updated 19 December 2006).
I knew Dutch was incorrect without having to find a citation. I would think those in charge of the document would have validated such a major item being presented as an important example. In my opinion, such an error can call much into question regarding the document.
No comments:
Post a Comment