Illustration by Luba Lukova

“It is extremely important to create a sense of normalcy and stability within a conflict situation.”
—Rebecca Cusic, chief of party, Liberia

 

Q What are some of the principles that guide your work in conflict and postconflict areas?

A Rebecca Cusic, chief of party, Liberia
It is extremely important to create a sense of normalcy and stability within a conflict situation. You might have to stop working in a certain geographic area for a time, or you might need to lessen some of the activities, but keeping the work going helps keep things positive, normal, and hopeful. And, of course, we must always be flexible.

Timothy Nourse, chief of party, West Bank (former COP, Afghanistan)
Flexibility is important in the program design. Your portfolio of activities must be designed so that if one fails, the others can still be successful. In the ARIES program, our four partners have very different approaches to financial services in Afghanistan, which allows us to have success even if one or two parts aren't as successful. Another guiding principle is “build back better.” Analyze some of the problems or weaknesses that were present before the conflict and respond to those in your program.

Jill L'Heureux, program officer, AED Center for Academic Partnerships
“Do no harm” is something we're very conscious of with the students we bring to the U.S. through our academic partnerships. Talking with a small local newspaper here could result in a story on the Web, and could cause major problems for themselves or their families. We make sure that they understand the importance of keeping their identities private.

Timothy Nourse
We also have to be apolitical [for programs to succeed], particularly in these types of environments. It's important that you're not perceived as taking one side or the other.

Q What are some of the key differences you've experienced working in a conflict or postconflict setting versus working in a more stable environment?

A Mark Ketcham, vice president and director, AED Center for Enterprise and Capacity Development
In our work, it is always important to know the context in which we are working and often it can be very complicated. Understanding a situation often requires peeling away layer after layer of social, political, and historical meaning. This is especially important when there is or has been conflict or tension between groups. The potential for making a misstep is far greater.

Don Henry, project director and acting chief of party, Afghanistan
In conflict zones such as Afghanistan, you have to be very, very conscious about the local staff. Putting the wrong people in the wrong area may mean that they could be ineffective, but also that they and the people they are serving could be in danger.

Larry Held, chief of party, Georgia
Afghanistan is an extreme example, where it can be difficult to access the local populations because of security. But in countries like Georgia, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan, which are more stable, though they flare up sometimes, the population is more participatory and you can engage more stakeholders.

Beverly H. Attallah, vice president and director, AED Center for International Exchanges
Safety also affects our ability to have people come to the U.S. for the exchange programs we conduct. Our participants have to think about the safety of their families and whether the trade–off of coming—and the benefit they derive from having that professional and cultural interaction with Americans—is worth the risk of leaving home. There is also a risk, if they are from an area that's still very much in conflict, that they might not be able to go home.

Q How do you make sure, when you're working in these contexts, that the changes you and your partners make are positive and lasting?

A Mark Ketcham
We focus on strategies and tools. For example, when we worked with youth from Georgia and Abkhazia, we taught them how to negotiate, work with people from opposite sides of an issue, and focus on the objective rather than let group politics or divisions divert their efforts. These tools and approaches will serve them well for the rest of their lives.

Don Henry
I think our concern about this is something that differentiates AED from many of the other organizations. Education and capacity building are gifts that keep on giving.

Beverly H. Attallah
And that resonates in our design of the youth visitors program. When we're bringing in young people, they may just be coming from one country, like Turkey, but they're coming from throughout the country, so there may be internal conflict. Our programming focuses on bringing the youth together around a common issue or common project and creating a comfortable zone in which they can have a dialogue and learn about each other.

Susan Bouldin, project director, AED Center for Enterprise and Capacity Development
With technology, even if people are from different parts of a country, from different sides of a conflict, or from many different countries, they have a way to keep their connection—and the work—going, even when we can't be there.