When Rambo Meets the Red Cross

Dr. Stanislava P. Mladenova is a Global Fellow at Brown University’s Center for Human Rights and Humanitarian Studies, and Fellow at the Irregular Warfare Initiative at the US Military Academy at West Point. Her work has brought her to Africa, Central and South Asia, South America, and the Balkans. She has held positions at various institutions, including the United States Institute of Peace, working in West Africa to establish dialogue between security actors and local communities. As a Political Advisor for NATO in Afghanistan, she helped shape policy on economic issues, governance, corruption, disaster management, humanitarian assistance, and the recruitment of child soldiers. Her research at the Department of War Studies at King’s College London focused on the functional relationship between military and civilian entities in settings affected by low-intensity conflict and state fragility.

• List of Figures and TablesForewordPrefaceAcknowledgmentsList of AcronymsChapter 1: IntroductionSix Missing PiecesThe Aim of This BookTogether but ApartWhat’s to ComeChapter 2: The Non-HumanitariansGreen WarriorsCivil AffairsTrading PlacesThe 95th Civil Affairs BrigadeCivil ReconnaissanceThe Non-Humanitarians’ ToolsConclusionChapter 3: The EntrepreneursNon-Governmental Organizations (NGOs)NGOs and Donors’ Relationship Status: It’s ComplicatedNGOs in the Gray SpaceConclusionChapter 4: Brothers from Another MotherFrom Wholesale to RetailSequencingStrange Bedfellows or Familiar Strangers?OHDACAQuick ImpactThe Unbalanced Civil-military BudgetConclusionChapter 5: Ground Operators: Between a Rock and a Soft PlaceThe Ground RelationshipInteractions Among Ground OperatorsThe Loyalists, the Converted, and the BridgebuildersOn TrustConclusionChapter 6: The Center of GravityConsulting and Prioritizing Populations in the Gray SpaceLocal Perceptions SOF and Local CommunitiesLocal Perceptions - NGOs and Local CommunitiesAll Together NowPopulations and the Host Nation MilitaryDo No HarmConclusionConclusionRecommendationsA Final NoteAppendix 1. MethodologyAppendix 2. Typology of Civilian and Military Entities’ AttributesBibliographyAbout the Author

When Rambo Meets the Red Cross offers one of the most detailed studies on how and why these relationships may succeed or fail. As such, it is valuable at the very least as a primer forward trying to rebuild these connections under a future administration that understands the links between human security and national security.