The invisible Americans

We’ve heard of the ugly Americans. We’ve heard of the quiet Americans. Now, courtesy of the BBC, we have the invisible Americans.

Correspondent Rachel Harvey on the BBC Radio 4 Today programme this morning gave an update on the situation in Banda Aceh, one month after the tsunami. Over the sound of a low-flying helicopter, she describes the relief effort, saying that:

It was the arrival of foreign military hardware in Aceh which really made the difference. Helicopters fly desperately needed supplies to areas which are still inaccessible by any other means. But there’s been much talk about how long the foreign military presence should remain here.

She then goes on to interview Brigadier David Chalmers, "commander in charge of Australian, New Zealand and British forces involved in the relief effort," before driving down the road which leads to the south west coast, the area that was closest to the epicentre of the earthquake.

And that's it. The Americans – they’re invisible, lumped in as part of the "foreign military presence". Now read the posting on Diplomad. We've said it before: these Beebies are sick.