Iraqi Perceptions of Time

I have heard a lot about Iraqi, or rather Arabic perceptions of time, and that it varies greatly from our cultural ideas of time. There are two things that I have seen for myself. First is that the people who are successful have the same perception of time as we do in the high-strung United States. The second is that people who run on their own time line, are not universally late. When it comes to them actually accomplishing anything, they are late. Whenever, it comes time for them to get paid though, they are always early, and they expect you to be on time.

This leads me to a few conclusions. First, the so-called 'western' conception of time is not exclusively western at all, but either a product of or prerequisite to successful business and politics. Second, is that within the sociologists and anthropologists who make an excuse that this is just a cultural difference is actually a justification for inferior performance. Finally, to behave in a way which is manifestly insufficient to achieve excellence, or even adequacy in this case, and expect the same level of success is both self defeating and part of the problem that we are experience in the area. Basically, many people are genuinely surprised that they cannot behave as they always have and get the same results as the Americans.