Uncertain partners: NGOs and the military

The 1990s witnessed an explosion of Western military involvement in complex emergency operations requiring cooperation with relief agencies. Recent op erations include a failed attempt to reconstitute viable central government in Somalia, return of democratically elected government to Haiti, alleviat ion of human suffering in Rwanda and Zaire, operations to end conflict and to support multi-ethnic government in Bosnia-Herzegovina, and an effort to stop ethnic terror in Kosovo. In these operations US and allied militaries, UN agencies and various non-governmental organisations (NGOs) have worked together to ameliorate the suffering caused by war and poor governance. Yet , despite this mounting experience, the military has failed to take adequat e advantage of the skills and capabilities of relief agencies. As a result, operations are often needlessly chaotic. At best, this chaos leads to a wa ste of time and effort; at worst, the cost is measured in lives and sufferi ng.