overemphasize that source's significance. This can be a major problem with long-term HUMINT relationships, in which partners develop personal bonds. Groups (like individual analysts) can also reject evidence which contradicts prior conclusions. When this happens it is often difficult to assess whether the inclusion of certain analysts in the group was the thoughtful application of deliberately contrarian "red teams", or the politicized insertion of ideologues to militate for a certain policy. Monopolization of the information flow (as caused by the latter) has also been termed "stovepiping", by analogy with intelligence-collection disciplines. The "other culture" There are many levels at which one can misunderstand another culture, be it that of an organization or a country. One frequently encountered trap is the rational-actor hypothesis, which ascribes rational behavior to the other side, according to a definition of rationality from one's own culture. The social anthropologist Edward T. Hall illustrated one such conflict with an example from the American Southwest. "Anglo" drivers became infuriated when "Hispanic" traffic police would cite them for going 1 mi/h over the speed limit although a Hispanic judge would later dismiss the charge. "Hispanic" drivers, on the other hand, were convinced that "Anglo" judges were unfair because they would not dismiss charges because of extenuating circumstances. Both cultures were rational with regard to law enforcement and the adjudication of charges; indeed, both believed that one of the two had to be flexible and the other had to be formal. However, in the Anglo culture, the police had discretion with regard to issuing speeding tickets, and the court was expected to stay within the letter of the law. In the Hispanic culture, the police were expected to be strict, but the courts would balance the situation. There was a fundamental misunderstanding; both sides were ethnocentric, and both incorrectly assumed the other culture was a mirror image of itself. In that example, denial of rationality was the result in both cultures, yet each was acting rationally within its own value set. In a subsequent interview, Hall spoke widely about intercultural communication. He summed up years of study with this statement: "I spent years trying to figure out how to select people to go overseas. This is the secret. You have to know how to make a friend. And that is it!" To make a friend, one has to understand the culture of the potential friend, one's own culture, and how