The SOF imperatives are guidelines that give Special Forces soldiers the ability to operate in complex environments. These basic principals help SOF soldiers to critically analyze situations and apply appropriate responses, or actions, which will have direct impacts on a district, province, or a country. The United States will be perceived, by those being engaged by SOF soldiers, and will be directly affected by their actions. Current and future perceptions of the United States will depend on whether or not soldiers effectively utilize the imperatives. The SOF imperatives should not apply just to SOF soldiers, but to all persons operating on behalf of the U.S. Ambassador Gilbert MacWhite and Colonel Edwin Hillandale are two characters in The Ugly American, who demonstrated the effect that applying, or not applying, the SOF imperatives had on their operational environments. Ambassador MacWhite entered his position in Sarkhan with a professional and aggressive approach in combating a rising communist presence. Before MacWhite took over as ambassador, he took the time to study the political and cultural history of his country through books. He also interviewed experts in anthropology, sociology, other diplomats, and …show more content…
He also understood that delaying communist maneuvers would have long term political implications, as the communist would have lost credibility. At the same instance the Sarkhan government’s credibility would have grown with the appearance of dealing with communist, without U.S. military aid. These events however, would not realize as the assistant ambassador, George Swift, failed to understand the importance of such a meeting. His political and cultural insult resulted in the meeting never happening. Swift’s inability to recognize the political implications of his actions only further damaged relations between Sarkhan and the