Are countries cracking down on CIA using NGOs as cover?

originally posted by: UnderKingsPeak
well done,
I agree whole heartedly. I for one am glad these
countries are starting to see the breach.
We (the U.S.) would not tolerate it.
If we knew the international Red Cross, operating now
in cities like New Orleans and Los Angeles, (because we do
NOT take care of our own unless it's politically or financially
relevant) showed they have been covertly working on agendas
for their own shadow groups, it could lead to sanctions,
invasions and drone strikes.

Right, for those countries in which such intelligence activities are taking place, under the cover of social work, those countries SHOULD be disturbed and take action. All taking action is is doing quality counter-intelligence work, as any country including the US can and would do.

What I disagree with, however, is if as some other posters have said a country uses such conspiracies as an excuse to shut down an NGO or organization shedding light on something they don't want to be seen (human rights violations, corruption, military preparations, etc). That shouldn't be put up with either at the international level.

Ah, well, it'll just end up with the agency using contractors as fronts.

They do that already, of course. But they'll do it more.

It would seem if you knew the NGOs were agency pipelines, you'd use that to feed them the info you wanted them to have. Much more dangerous to cut that off and let them use other methods you might not be able to control quite so well.

originally posted by: paraphi

originally posted by: Quetzalcoatl14
Dude, did you even read my full post?

Yes I did. Did you read mine?

I repeat that governments banning NGOs is more a symptom of their activities highlighting corruption and policy inadequacies rather than e.g. infiltration by the CIA. The latter just helps them justify their actions.

Your point is possible. But it's probably a case by case basis. How do you really know? Who is really at fault here? The west for using all manners of intelligence activities during the Cold War to do everything from overthrow democratically elected governments to train hit squads? Or the governments who are now paranoid about it?

This goes back to my op. The sins of the past (or possibly present) are coming back to haunt everyone. It's horrible that a lot of bad things have happened in these realms to pollute what should have been real development work. Now real people in need in those countries may not receive as much help as they could have.

originally posted by: Bedlam
Ah, well, it'll just end up with the agency using contractors as fronts.

They do that already, of course. But they'll do it more.

It would seem if you knew the NGOs were agency pipelines, you'd use that to feed them the info you wanted them to have. Much more dangerous to cut that off and let them use other methods you might not be able to control quite so well.

I agree the maneuvers will just shift. Other fronts. Private sector. Government development agencies such as USAID or UN. Or projects that are mandated under some IMF/World Bank requirements or something.

I hear you about the action taken. Considering that most of these NGOs have a mandate now days to hire as many local staff as possible in a given country, I would guess that smart intelligence agencies in those countries (Such as Pakistani intelligence) would also try to infiltrate the big ones such as Save the Children or country UN offices for example. It has to have happened at some point. And as a role reversal that would be an excellent opportunity to try to get someone to move up the ranks and even end up back in the west at Save the Children headquarters or UN headquarters in NY. Development agencies of all kinds have international professionals from all kinds of countries at headquarters.

As a interesting side note, even before many NGO or development professionals go out (or back out in the field), while they are in school they may be recruited. My grad school in development, which also has degrees in global security, war, etc, was over 50% international. Many had come from intelligence work beforehand. One of my friends from Israel who was here for grad school was in the Israeli intelligence services. My good Indian friend who was also studying there had an uncle who was a leader in Indian intelligence. Etc.

During the Cold War my school was known for being a recruiting ground for intelligence services.

I mean, even some of the professors there are straight up CIA.

We have professors like this: sipa.columbia.edu...

www.themorningsidepost.com...