Having worked this arena intimately--I was married to a USAID officer for 10 years--in Sudan, Egypt, Zaire, Rwanda, Somalia, and Washington DC, this is a multilane freeway of misunderstanding that runs at high speed in 3 dimensions. It is not a question of the military not getting it or the NGO/IO or USAID not getting it. Not getting it happens from both sides because "it" is not defined in a manner that both (or all as both implies a simple divide) understand.

That is easy to say and harder to do. It gets harder as the pressure inherent in any situation starts to grow. Clear communications are fundamental. Zero tolerance for gamesmenship regardless of source eliminates fools quickly--or at least in the case in Goma silenced them or put them on airplanes out of Dodge. Humor is a necessary lubricant--especially self-deprecating humor--that can ease a situation. Remember that you can cure ignorance but not stupidity. Work on the first. Contain or eliminate the second.

For the most part folks on all sides want to do the right thing to achieve "it." The ones who don't are the source of the most serious problems. The ones who are too stupid to achieve "it" are a close second. I found that if you identify the first group's vulnerability and stick a needle in it, they often straighten up. Again the second group presents limited options; I had to use those in Goma also.


Best

Tom