Well, considering that the TV pictures I've seen lately of US miltary patrols in Iraq, show shouting and hollering at Iraqi citizens in American English,

Yes, standard American tourist communication...

by the "ground forces" on patrol - 'cos thats all the Americans know how to speak, then I would have to say that there is not a very good relationship at all.

Part of it may be a product of my imagination run wild, but as I consider the possible continued attrition and slide in morale and increase in alienation, I can almost hear the change in the chatter among the troops. This includes new pejorative/racial terms for Iraqis
(think: some new incarnation of "gook")


At least the British patrols appear to have local translators and therefore are able to communicate with the locals in their language.

I hadn't heard of any British ambush casulties in this "post war" period and wondered (if true) how much of that was attributed to smaller force size (lower exposed denominator) versus force position (perhaps not sitting on top of Baath stongholds) versus better relationships/communication. It's also conceivable to me that whoever is targeting the Iraqi attacks decided to target US troops exclusively for political effect -- it's not like the British would stay when we pull out....

Most of the US patrols I've seen footage of don't have anyone with local knowledge of the language or customs with them (or if they do, its only becuase the camera crew filming them bought one). Because of this the chances for simple misunderstandings on either side to have serious or even fatal consequences seems very real.

I expect that stories like the killing of 13 Iraqis in Falluja have very long "legs" among the locals and put a pretty bad dent in the US military's ability to strike a credible social worker pose. Added to this and the lack of communication is the strategy of the Saddamists to bushwhack US troops in ways (distressed pregnant woman in car, car broken down, or "we need a doctor") and I think that a situation is evolving where the only communication *will* be shouting at distances exceeding RPG range.

Seems to me that the US military has overlooked this sort of "day to day" situation which occurs when a army switches from fighting to occupying. Just look at what mistakes happen in Japan and Germany now with US forces, and this is after nearly 60 years of "occupation".

To be fair, the most well organized occupier could encounter situations where criminals in their ranks rape and murder, but with respect to Japan/Okinawa/Germany, perhaps you had more in mind?