NGO's: Today's Neo-Colonials

I must credit Seth J. Frantzman and his editorial in the Jerusalem Post that I read today, 4-17-13, for alerting me to the insidious nature of NGO's.  What had I known of NGO's prior to this informative editorial?  Only that they promoted various causes in various countries all over the place.  And, if the cause was just, wasn't that a good thing?

Well, as it happens, the answer is "mostly NO."

If there is some cause in Russia or in India, that an NGO needs promoting, why is it that the funds for such an NGO generally come overwhelmingly from foreign sources?  Aren't there some really, really wealthy people in Russia, in India?  If so why aren't  the NGO's more successful raising money locally?

That then raises the questions relating to how and why these funds are raised from the donors.  Clearly,  donors, e.g. George Soros, the European Union, etc., feel strongly about their various issues.  But, if the issue is indeed worthy, why isn't there greater support for it in the local community, support that would win greater local funding?  And, if there is little support for it locally, how successful can the NGO hope to be regarding whatever issue it is they're supporting?

And, if the NGO enters a foreign country with gobs of money to promote a cause that can find pitifully little support within that country, isn't that a form of neo-colonialism?  Isn't it saying to the country within which the NGO is operating that "we know better than you what's good for you than you do?"

That is not to say that outsiders can't go into a country to promote their ideas.  Religions that proselytize  have done that for ages.  If their message resonates with the local citizens it will be accepted.  If not, it won't.  The new message will, of course, generally be opposed by the religious institutions that already exist there.

NGO's, similar in some ways to religions, generally have the whole hearted support of the nations from which their funds come.  The various NGO's that operate in Israel, generally promote the agenda of the Palestinians and have little support within Israel.  So why operate as some kind of neutral organization?  The question answers itself.  People generally favor fair minded (neutral) presentations of issues.  But, it's a fraud.  There is nothing neutral about the positions of many of these NGO's.

There is one more problem with NGO's that deserves mention; namely, the very process by which they raise their funds.  Good fundraisers are well paid.  If you wanted to raise millions, who do you hire; an attractive person with no connections, or a person with access to the rich and powerful?  If you want access you've got to pay for it.

The end result is that the movers and shakers of NGO's spend their time wining and dining with the movers and shakers in Europe and in the States.  That's who they spend most of their time with.  Little remains for the locals who presumably are their raison d'etra.