Flash Points: Lessons Learned and Not Learned in Malawi, Kosovo, Iraq, and Afghanistan (Excelsior Editions)

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. 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. Why then is the world no closer to being a "better and safer" place? Both a s

"Great book for anyon concerned about our world" according to Amazon Customer. 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 as

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

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. Wu's perspective is that of an objective, critical observer who has worked in the trenches. Maule, Retired US Senior Foreign Service Officer "While there are a variety of books on the subject, few offer the unique perspective of the author who has been a Peace Corps volunteer in Africa and worked in Kosovo, Iraq, and Afghanistan, countries where there have been major military, peacekeeping, and development e