The Christian Science Monitor profiles some humanitarian efforts in Iraq, "How an Iraq aid group stays safe".
" Tribal sheikhs seeking help and businessmen hoping for contracts parade through the aid group's office, untroubled by armed guards or pat-downs for weapons. In a war in which civilians are frequent targets, typified by the November suicide bombing of the Red Cross, it's an almost shocking scene. ... Mercy Corps, based in Portland, Ore., is one of a handful of foreign groups that have maintained a relatively large footprint in Iraq by pursuing an 'acceptance strategy' that, it calculates, offers better protection than highly visible guards and barriers.The approach, used by the Red Cross until the Baghdad attack that killed 12, relies on constant consultations with local communities, hoping that their support for aid projects will produce the intelligence needed to keep workers safe. 'It's a high-risk strategy, but we believe it's less risky,' says Mercy Corps country head David Holdridge. 'The coalition lives behind high walls, but mortars hit them all the time.'
He argues that armed guards provide only 'illusory protection.' 'We have a policy of nondeterrence,' Mr. Holdridge says, 'and relying on good relations with local leaders and notables.'
...
Holdridge says security can't be guaranteed. 'This is the most ambiguous security situation I've ever seen. The only thing that comes close is Beirut in '80, '81. If someone gets hurt, I'll probably never get a job like this again. But we have a job to do, and we've decided not to adopt a self-defeating strategy.'
Mr Holdridge is, appropriately, quite careful not to claim too much for the "acceptance strategy". Mercy Corps continues to work in Iraq and safely, but tomorrow may bring new threats and will certainly bring new challenges. However, working closely and transparently with the local community, providing them with a stake in an agency's success, is a strategy that has been used successfully elsewhere - and by other organizations in Iraq.
We should not underestimate the forceful statement with which the article concludes: many, perhaps most, other strategies to accomplish the goals of the organization would be self-defeating.
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Mercy Corps is an excellent humanitarian aid and development organization and if you were thinking about a Solstice donation, you could do much worse than sending them a few pennies in this "Season of Commitment".
Posted by Martial