Training competent, independent police forces in developing nations is critical to U.S. efforts to promote democracy and stability worldwide. Yet all too often we simply take American cops or military troops, drop them into the middle of a foreign land, and leave them to figure out the enormous challenges of cross-cultural police training on their own.
Three decades ago, in the tropical island setting of Micronesia, Bryan Vila was one of these trainers. After serving as a Marine in Vietnam and then working as a street cop in the ghettos and barrios of Los Angeles for nine years, he expected the job to be a paid vacation in paradise.
He couldn't have been more wrong.
Micronesian Blues tells the true story of Bryan's six years directing the development of law enforcement in Micronesia during the tumultuous period when this former U.S. Trust Territory was making the transition to independence. Through lively narrative laced with wry humor, it chronicles his adventures and misadventures as he discovers the do's and don'ts of cross-cultural policing through trial and error on Saipan, Ponape, Truk, Palau, Yap, Kosrae, and Kwajalein.
An instructive postscript details the ten most important lessons Bryan learned during his time in Micronesia and how they apply to any cross-cultural police training situation, including today's global hot spots. These lessons make Micronesian Blues more than just an entertaining collection of true adventures—it's an eye-opening read for cops, military personnel of all ranks, public policy-makers, academics, and general audiences alike.
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