Suchergebnisse

Argues that foreign language training, especially the learning of English, is vital to the effectiveness of North Atlantic Treaty Organization's (NATO's) peace-support operations and the Alliance's enlargement and Partnership activities. Poor language skills can lead to mistakes in peace-support operations resulting in casualties and may reduce the influence of some nations and create unnecessary tension and frustration; and more must be done to train and retain soldiers with relevant skills for international assignments.

Recent studies in conflict resolution and peace negotiation have moved from macroperspectives and generalized attribute models of culture closer to the actual processes of verbal interaction that constitute the historical moment. An overview of this literature, however, shows that the field lacks concepts and methods to carry this trend into the details of talk. The article demonstrates how work from different fields concerned with language, culture, and their interrelationship provides the leverage to handle case materials in a more sophisticated and useful way.

Als Kirgistan im August 1991 seine Unabhängigkeit erklärte, schien es nur natürlich, daß die neue Verfassung Kirgisisch zur neuen offiziellen Landessprache erklärte. Dies hat sich jedoch bislang als wenig praktikabel erwiesen. Die infolge der Emigration von mehr als 100 000 russischsprachigen Einwohnern und der damit verbundenen Probleme des Brain Drain erzwungene Modifizierung der Sprachenpolitik der kirgisischen Regierung erfolgte nur halbherzig. Die ethnischen Kirgisen vermögen andererseits keinen Grund zu erkennen, warum sie sich bei der Benutzung der russischen Sprache Zurückhaltung auferlegen sollten. Russisch wird auch auf absehbare Zeit die lingua franca Kirgistans bleiben. (BIOst-Mrk)

Emphasizes the importance of foreign language training, especially English language instruction, to NATO's interoperability and capability to address the security challenges of the 21st century. With an ever-increasing number of NATO-led peace-support operations as well as the Alliance's enlargement and Partnership activities, NATO should do even more in addition to its recent language training initiatives to improve soldiers' language skills in Partner countries, allied nations, and new member countries in order to reduce casualties and increase its effectiveness.