Stated funded NGOs in civil wars: the US case

Abstract

While NGOs reflect private initiative and voluntary action, they have increasingly become the primary vehicles through which many states deliver humanitarian aid. This study seeks to examine the relationship between state funded NGOs and states, using the USA as a case study. Does the relationship between the US and US funded NGOs result from pressure from NGOs on US foreign policymakers to address the humanitarian consequences of civil wars? Or does the relationship reflect one in which US funded NGOs activities in civil wars reflect strategic purposes in order for the USA to achieve its foreign policy objectives? The results reveal that US funded NGOs are more likely to be active in civil wars in which the USA has undertaken a military intervention and in civil wars that result in a large number of refugees and displaced people, but less likely to be active in civil wars with a high number of deaths.

Keywords:

• non-governmental organizations
• humanitarian aid
• civil wars
• military intervention
• USA

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Michelle Keck

Michelle Keck is an Assistant Professor in the Government Department at the University of Texas at Brownsville, USA. Her research interests include non-governmental organizations, international organizations, border studies, and foreign policy. Email: [email protected]