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Journal of Military and Strategic Studies
Journal of Military and Strategic Studies
FIGHTING FOR HUMANITARIAN SPACE: NGOS IN AFGHANISTAN
Lara Olson, Research Fellow, Centre for Military and Strategic Studies, University of Calgary
Abstract
Large numbers of NGOs implement aid projects in Afghanistan, but the two international military coalitions present, the U.S.-led Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) and the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), have also made relief and reconstruction a central part of their mission. Many NGOs argue that these militaries’ role in aid and reconstruction has eroded the neutral ‘humanitarian space’ necessary to effectively meet civilian needs and suffering in this situation, endangering NGOs and perhaps ultimately delaying or undermining Afghan recovery. This article describes NGO positions on 3 key issues: 1) the problems of NGO security, 2) concerns about the militarization of aid, and 3) the public scapegoating of NGOs for the failures of the overall aid effort. It explores how many NGOs in Afghanistan are fighting to preserve humanitarian space through advocacy and dialogue with the military and donors.