Humanitarian assistance is coming under increasing threat as a result of the change in the global security environment. Underdevelopment, and its associated problems, is seen as a potential security threat to the West and as a result Western Governments have attempted to co-opt aid as a component of foreign policy, leading to the blurring of the distinction between the provision of aid for purely humanitarian reasons and the provision of aid for a political objective.
Aid agencies are increasingly concerned that their staff are the targets of violence in the areas where they work. Injuries and deaths are reported on a regular basis which in many instances has led to the agencies withdrawing and the cessation of humanitarian assistance to populations in need
The 2003 invasion of Iraq resulted in the collapse of the regime led by President Saddam Hussein, followed by a major change in power dynamics within the country, with the majority Shiites assuming power. The change in power dynamics has been a key factor causing the subsequent high levels of violence seen throughout the country. The levels of violence in Iraq have seriously affected the ability of Non Governmental Organisations (NGOs) to provide much needed assistance to the civilian population. Rather than stopping assistance NGOs are adapting their working practices so that they operate through a series of remote programming strategies with international staff based outside of Iraq, and the national staff maintaining a low profile or working incognito within the country. This dissertation will examine the use of such remote programming strategies.