https://www.itemfix.com/v?t=qxxv4l&f...qjiR4kPTI23xJE
This really piqued my interest given some of the comments in the Afghanistan thread. Your status as an American does not provide you some sort of force-field against bad decision making overseas. No, saying "I'm an American citizen" isn't a get-out-of-jail-free card. No, the US is not coming to your rescue just because you're a jackwad. The Consular Section at the embassy has defined and limited scope of duties to check on you if you get arrested, but unless it's a gross breach of human rights or otherwise in the interest of the United States' country strategy (not your interests), they're not going to advocate on your behalf as if they're your automatic and free legal defense team, a SEAL team is not going to bust you out of jail, or the embassy somehow otherwise fairy-dust you out of your bad decisions (as I think someone referred to it over in the Afghanistan thread).
I'm not sure why Americans think like this other than getting 99% of their international relations/foreign policy and legal education from movies and other forms of media.