PERSONAL ADMINISTRATIVO

http://www.rawa.org/cluster2.htm

The parcel on the left is a humanitarian aid parcel and the one on the right is a deadly cluster bomb, both of which are dropped from aircraft. The latter should explode on impact but has a high failure rate. If the device fails to explode on impact they remain live and the slightest touch can set then off, maiming the victim. In the snowy or muddy conditions that prevailed throughout rural Afghanistan during the winter months when these where dropped, it is not difficult to see how these items could be easily confused, with devastating, deadly and sadly ironic repercussions.

The copied symbol of the German Africa corps on the KSK Gelädewagen http://www.stern.de/politik/deutschland/:Afghanistan-KSK-Wagen- Wehrmachtssymbol/575319.html

Millitary Humanitarian Space Interview 1) How long was your PRT in Afghanistan and where?

2) How much experience do you have in Afghanistan?

3) How would you describe the security situation in Afghanistan at the moment?

4) What has caused the improvement or decline?

5) where your PRT operations curtailed or changed to adapt to deterioration in security? 6a) Where

6b) Why

6c) In what way? Has it been scaled down, cancelled or perhaps no presence in an area where otherwise would be working?

6) What are the objectives of the British PRT. Does it include the combating of opium production or helping with development and reconstruction?

7) What was the hoped outcome of the PRT’s objectives and were you successful? Yes/No why?

8) What has been the change in security due to your presence?

9) Do you think neutrality is an important facet of humanitarian work? Yes/ No- why?

10) PRTs came under heavy criticism for blurring the boundaries between civilian and military actors by doing things such as the setting up of a mobile health clinic outside a hospital in Saripul, in December 2003, where the International Red Cross was already working? Do you feel these criticisms are fair? and why?

11) Do you think PRTs, not necessarily British, had a negative or positive impact on humanitarian space and the security for NGOs?

12) PRTs were accused of being a cheap answer to the improvement of security, a force unable to implement security but more trying to negotiate it. Is this fair, do you think PRTs are enough to improve security, or is a more robust (and expensive) force needed with the ability to tackle errant war lords and deal with opium production and

lawlessness?

13) The UK PRT is widely regarded, even among NGO groups, as the most successful out of all the countries’ PRTs. The US PRTs use of unmarked vehicles and military PRT team personnel wearing civilian clothes, carrying concealed weapons. Also the dispersal of flyers threatening to withhold aid if information on the Taliban was not forth-coming from communities was criticised for endangering NGO and humanitarian workers lives. Do you think this is valid?

14) What are the positive impacts that the UK PRT has had?

16) What needs to be done, and by whom, to ensure peace, security and development in Afghanistan?

17) Do you see that as a goal that is likely to be realised?

17A) If not, what do you think will be the likely repercussions for the Afghan people in the region?

18) Who are attacking the military in Afghanistan, is it just the Taliban and terrorist groups or opium farmers and an emerging mafia?

19) In the media recently it is portrayed that the situation is deteriorating and that the coalition forces are loosing their grip. This has been blamed on many factors such as the alienation of the people by heavy handed and culturally insensitive military forces, military contractors like Dyncorp working outside the law with no regulations to limit their actions and the fact that the Americans where preoccupied with their hunt for Bin Laden when they first arrived that they did not start reconstruction and local capacity building. The fact that the reconstruction that was promised has not come and that the people are becoming increasingly disenfranchised and anti coalition and foreigner feelings are growing. Do you believe the coalition is winning and are the factors I have mentioned pertinent or distractions from the real issues?

20) It is widely regarded that the British PRTs are the most effective due to there lack of preoccupation with force protection allowing troops to go out on long mobile patrols and mix with the local people. Do you believe that other coalition countries PRTs have been as successful as the British yes/no why?

21) Are there any questions that I may have missed, or any thoughts or facts that you think might be relevant or interesting to my research?

I would like to thank you very much for taking the time to help me with my research. If you have any comments, questions or information that you think might be useful to me later, please do hesitate to contact me.

NGO Humanitarian Space Interview

Preparation before the interview: I will have filled in the below from background research.

-How long the organisation has been running...

-How long it has been active in Afghanistan and doing what type of work...

...

-Have any or the organisations staff been victims of attacks...

...

1) How long have you been with your current organisation?

2) How would you describe the security situation for humanitarian workers in

Afghanistan currently? (Answers may vary due to variations listed below and if so ask why it makes a difference)

a) organisation b) region c) task other

3) If the interviewee responds that the security situation is good or improved they will be asked if it has improved recently and why they think it is good (i.e. what has made it safer: e.g. the UN, police or NGO security policy)

4) If the interviewee responds that the security situation is bad they will be asked why they think it is bad. (What has made it dangerous? politics, military development, loss of neutrality?)

5) Has your organisation had to curb or cancel work in certain areas due to the threat of violence in the last two years? If so;

a) Where? b) Why?

c) In what way? Has it been scaled down, cancelled or perhaps your organisation choose not to work in an area it otherwise would?

6) Would you say the security situation is getting better or getting worse for humanitarian staff? What do you think the reason for this is?

Better: Worse: No change: Not sure:

7) What has been the change in security in the areas in which your organisation has worked in over the last two years?

8) What, in your opinion, has caused the improvement? 8a) What, in your opinion, has caused the deterioration?

9) Has your organisation been targeted for aggression over the last two years? (The background history of the organisation would be checked and if any known violence towards workers had taken place the question would be phrased as: Members of your organisation were the victims of violence in (place) during (year). If no attacks had taken place, examples of other NGO attacks would be used for the next question.

10) What do you think the reasons were behind these attacks?

11) Is neutrality an important facet of humanitarian work? 11a) Why is it, or is it not, important?

12) Do you think humanitarian organisations’ neutrality has changed since 9/11? and if so, why?

Yes: No:

Perception has changed: Not sure:

13) What needs to be done, and by whom, to ensure peace, security and development in Afghanistan?

14) Do you see that as a goal that is likely to be realised?

15a) If not, what do you think will be the likely repercussions for development in the region?

15) What do you think the impact of military humanitarian programs such as Provincial Reconstruction Teams (PRTs) has been on development and security, and why?

Positive aspects: Negative aspects:

16) Would your organisation work with military PRTs? If yes why? If no why?

17) Are there any questions that I may have missed, or any thoughts or facts that you think might be relevant or interesting to my research?

I would like to thank you very much for taking the time to help me with my research. If you have any comments, questions or information that you think might be useful to me later, please do hesitate to contact me.