Stereotypes shattered
http://www.guardian.co.uk/elsewhere/journalist/story/0,7792,1205841,00.html
The war in Iraq has defied myths about the Spanish and Italian
national characters. But there may be a disturbing lesson here for
terrorists, writes John Hooper.
Thursday April 29, 2004
Back in the 1980s, before the Falklands war, a senior British officer
was asked to assess the fight that lay ahead. His answer became
notorious in Italy.
Noting that the Argentinians had mixed - Spanish and Italian -
ancestry, he said the war would show which of the two nations had had
the biggest influence on their character. If it was Italy, then it
would be a walkover, but if it was Spain then he and his troops were
in for a tough time.
.
|
