Mana,
I can also turn your statements upside down, and say that in those airlines I have worked, the expats always claim that the local guys can't fly, can't run an airline, and are basically worse in all aspects than the expats.
Sorry where did I say "the local guys can't fly, can't run an airline, and are basically worse in all aspects than the expats", what I said was the emphasis on certain aspects of an Airline operation/operating airplanes in Asia is different to that of some other airline cultures. Different airline cultures place greater emphasis on different elements.
"the SOP way of running airlines is alive and well in Europe too. Look at the LoCo P2F airlines where they detail when to set flaps, when to select gear down, and the way they treat those who do wrong."
Yes this is true all airlines pride themselves on their adherence to SOPs, however I would suggest that the different order of priorities in most Western airlines is.
1) Ability to fly the airplane.
2) Ability to manage the Flight Deck especially in a non-normal/abnormal situation.
3) SOPs.
"and the way they treat those who do wrong".
How do they treat those who do wrong? I have only seen willful negligence punished never human error, being caught out once in a while. And treating people differently due to race is not acceptable or tolerated in mist Western Countries.
Cleve.