By Jane Perlez
New York TimesApril 16, 2003
The planning for relief assistance in postwar Iraq has been so dominated by the Pentagon that private aid groups say they are risking their neutrality by sending workers into the country. No major aid organization has declined to work in Iraq because of the Pentagon's role in the relief effort. As security has improved, some groups have entered the country in the last few days to see what is needed.
But some organizations have declined to accept United States financing for fear of being perceived by Iraqis and others as extensions of the American military. Other aid groups have accepted money but have sought assurances from the Bush administration that they would be reporting to the State Department, as has traditionally been the case, rather than the Pentagon.
"As the United States has used its military more to reinforce foreign policy, it has need to win hearts and minds, and humanitarian assistance is one way to do it," said Sandra Mitchell, vice president of International Rescue Committee. The group has accepted American government funding for its Iraq programs, she said, but on the condition that it report to the State Department.
The strong hand of the Pentagon in relief work, she said, reflected "the continuing lack of confidence the administration has in the United Nations system, and its frustration with understanding the role of humanitarian groups and their principle of impartiality."
The Pentagon has wielded its power in every aspect of relief planning — from running operations centers in Jordan and Kuwait to arguing in Washington over who manages government programs.
In a letter to Secretary of State Colin L. Powell last week, Secretary of Defense Donald H. Rumsfeld made clear his determination that the Pentagon control the delivery of emergency aid in Iraq. Mr. Rumsfeld told Mr. Powell that the Pentagon should manage approximately 50 experts from the United States Agency for International Development, whose work normally falls under the jurisdiction of the State Department.
These experts are supposed to lead Washington's civilian efforts to deliver aid in Iraq, and their leader, Michael Marx, is authorized to make emergency grants to private aid groups. Officials at A.I.D. say it is important that these experts be kept independent from the military so that they can be free to deliver assistance on the basis of need, rather than as a part of any military objective of winning over the populace.
Mr. Rumsfeld's persistence on the relatively small matter of who controls 50 people symbolized the desire of the Pentagon to keep a tight rein on the relief programs, a senior State Department official said.
Here in Kuwait, the Pentagon and the Kuwaiti military opened the Humanitarian Operations Center, where aid organizations have been invited to register. A similar center is in Amman, the capital of Jordan, which, like Kuwait, is a gateway for aid deliveries into much of Iraq.
In most respects, the centers have taken the role of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, which managed aid workers in the post-cold-war conflicts in Bosnia, Kosovo and Afghanistan.
Once registered at the operations centers, the aid organizations are allowed to attend morning briefings by the American military. Much of the information provided by the military is about the security situation inside Iraq. There are also broad discussions with soldiers from American civil affairs units about where aid might be needed, several aid workers said.
For leaders of aid organizations, such affiliation with the military even before aid deliveries begin has caused major debates. "There is a large fear that everything will be seen as being done under the banner of the occupying force," said Nancy Lindberg, the executive vice president of Mercy Corps. "There is concern not only how the Iraqi people view it but how the international community views it." "We're concerned about the precedent of the military being in charge," she added.
Mercy Corps had decided to accept A.I.D. money for its projects in Iraq, but on the understanding that the State Department would maintain control, she said. The agency felt it could contribute in Iraq because of its experience in the Middle East, she said, and that its aid workers could maintain an independence from the military once they were in the country.
One aid group, Oxfam America, declined to accept A.I.D. funds for its Iraqi projects. The president of Oxfam, Raymond C. Offenheiser, said that the agency remained committed to a principle that it would not accept money from "belligerents on either side" of a conflict.
"We have not participated in the Humanitarian Operations Center, and will not be subject to taking direction from the United States military," Mr. Offenheiser said. "Our preference is to work with the United Nations structure, where there is impartiality."
One of Oxfam's first contributions would be water purification equipment that is scheduled to arrive Thursday in Kuwait for delivery into southern Iraq through Unicef, Mr. Offenheiser said.
The aftermath of the war was providing "a new template" for assistance, he said. "It is one in which the American military plays a significant role early on and marginalizes the roles of the nongovernmental organizations and the United Nations. It reduces them to subcontractors."
In deference to the nervousness among aid organizations, the military plans to rename the Humanitarian Operations Center when it reopens in Baghdad. It will be called Baghdad Forum, officials involved in its planning said.
More Information on NGOs
More Information on NGOs in the Field
More Information on the Humanitarian Crisis in Iraq
FAIR USE NOTICE: This page contains copyrighted material the use of which has not been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. Global Policy Forum distributes this material without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. We believe this constitutes a fair use of any such copyrighted material as provided for in 17 U.S.C § 107. If you wish to use copyrighted material from this site for purposes of your own that go beyond fair use, you must obtain permission from the copyright owner.
