Small Wars Journal

When Relief Aid Becomes Counterproductive

Mon, 09/13/2010 - 8:12am
When Relief Aid Becomes Counterproductive:

A study of Intervention in the Congo (2007-2008)

by Marc-Andre Lagrange

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Conventional wisdom assumes that insurgencies can be suppressed through the introduction of money and humanitarian assistance into a conflict region. Sometimes, these efforts are counterproductive. Sometimes, the more aid and assistance an external actor introduces, the more the situation is complicated. This essay will describe one such example through my own observations as a humanitarian assistance worker in the Congo from 2007-2008. The purpose of this essay is to describe when humanitarian assistance is counterproductive and introduce a model to assist practitioners working in similar environments.

Download the Full Article: When Relief Aid Becomes Counterproductive

Marc-Andre Lagrange is humanitarian and relief aid expert specializing in the conflict zones of Africa. He worked on the ground throughout the last decade in the Democratic Republic of Congo. He received a Masters Degree in International Development in 1998 from the ISTOM, Cergy Pontoise and a second Masters in Crisis Management in 2009 from La Sorbonne in Paris

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