[kelnos]

Some of it was indeed driven by sub-par work from the outsourcing firms, as the style of work was new and people on both sides hadn't developed the right skill set and processes to do the work well.

Some of it was genuine cultural differences. It's hard to work with people and get the results you want when you don't understand their culture, and how they communicate. (For example, people from some cultures just can't say "no" or "I don't know"; you need to learn how to communicate with them in a different way to get the understanding you need.)

Some of it was certainly a form of jingoistic or xenophobic protectionism.