Mikewas a generalized reference to the NGO that is "neutral" and aimed at fixing or lessening the humanitarian problems of the population without regard for whether the individuals are incumbants, insurgents or neutrals.
I would say that is a fair description of what many (if not most) NGOs would have the greater audience accept. My expereince and perhaps M-A's suggest that the reality is all too often quite different. The entrance of an NGO regardless of definition, goals, or stated purpose changes the local conditions. Smaller NGOs mean lesser impacts. Massive responses can unhinge the local and even strategic balance in the area. That was the case in Goma in 1994 on into 1996. You could also make the case that NGOs with video cameras have true strategic effect; look at Audrey Hepburn in 1992 in Somalia. Finally I would state that fundamentally we must understand that at its heart an NGO is a business seeking work.
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Tom
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