repressed the people during conflict . The dissonance between State and NGO mandates can undermine the trust relationships built with local populations that non-governmental work depends upon , while also undoing the work itself , exacerbating problems , and giving the impression that NGOs have been coopted . The solution is more complicated than it would initially appear — NGOs are a critical piece of reconstruction , and unity of effort with NGO involvement may not be possible or desirable .
Phase Zero
The term post-war rarely lives up to its intended meaning . Indeed , a pessimistic reading of history suggests it may have little meaning at all except for being synonymous with pre-war . In 2006 , the US Military ’ s planning doctrine built in some recognition of pre-war with the addition of Phase Zero , 44 which specified actions that should be taken within what otherwise looks like peacetime conditions in order to help prevent future outbreaks of violence .
Detailed commentary on the nature and utility of the phase doctrine overall is outside the scope of this paper , but some brief commentary would be beneficial as background . Although the Phase Doctrine appears to be entirely linear , transition lines between phases may be entirely unclear . Transitions do not move only in one direction , and any given country or region may be in multiple phases in different locations at the same time . With the above in mind , three aspects of phase zero bear particular scrutiny .
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