Tact or Friction? An examination of the military-NGO nexus in humanitarian contexts

Abstract

There has been an observable trend of militaries and NGOs operating in closer proximity in both: armed conflict and natural disaster relief operations. Such operations, bring with them; a plethora of conceptual, ethical and practical challenges that have the potential to be points of friction between the two types of organisations. Previous research into this relationship has rarely investigated such points of friction as well as their underlying causes. This paper will use existing research, two case studies and key-informant interviews to investigate these aspects and examine their underlying causes to determine whether they are likely to be resolved through increasing familiarity between the two types of organisations or; be enduring, and unsolvable, points of friction into the future. This research has identified that some points of friction are likely to be resolved through strategic-level coordination, whilst others are likely to be enduring due to fundamental incongruencies between militaries and NGOs.