Raids and Paranoia
This is one of those times where I need to be very clear about what I know and am only speculating. I am trying very hard not to succumb to paranoia, but also to not take for granted my complete naivete.
Generally my response to any conspiracy theory is to wave it off. Eugene was rife with very spectacular conspiracy theories, woven by the drug-addled brains of burnouts and burnout-in-training co-eds. And I found it best to smile and nod and avoid sudden movements. This was roughly my response when our Country Director here in Egypt informed me that a wide majority of the populous here believes, with certainty, that American NGOs are run by, or a front for, the CIA. That our organizations are run by duplicitous motives and that we are not, or at least not primarily motivated by, investing in the beneficiaries we serve. He has also been informed that his photo is up in the SCAF headquarters as a person-of-interest.
I can concede that sometimes there appears to be a sort of back-door motive in my field. Certainly whenever USAID requests proposals for programs in North Korea, there are interesting stipulations. A food program with a "youth education" component for example, when generally food security programs are rarely paired that way. And no apologies were made at the inception of the Peace Corps, in the center of the Cold War, that one of its purposes was to cultivate pro-American sentiment in the poorest and most disenfranchised communities. That said, my experience thus far has been that my peers and co-workers operate from a place of sincere compassion, sometimes reckless ambition, and a patience with the slow pace of progress against poverty, bad governance and disaster. It cannot be ignored though that the same pool of money that funds our Department of Defense, also pays my bills. This is an inconvenient truth.
This is what I know of the intricate tapestry of international aid and development, and my platform for analyzing what came next here in Egypt:
Thursday, the day I was eating pizza with my co-workers, it appears that the SCAF (Supreme Council of the Armed Forces), currently holding power in Egypt, conducted a series of 17 raids on 10 NGO offices here in Cairo. Laptops, cell phones, files were taken. My office was not raided, I know because I was there all day. I did not even know about the raids until I received a message from my boss who is obviously a little worried about me.
So what I also know now is that our Country Director was right on the money, that at least the SCAF suspects intimate ties to the CIA among American NGOs, and see us as a sincere threat to be defended against.
Furthermore, I know that next week 150 top level employees of a major American NGO will converge here for a conference. And that until then, I solely represent their money and their interests.
Now allow me to speculate: It is hard for some even within our organization to understand why we have chosen Cairo as the location for our conference. I know it to be because we want to show our support for the Arab Awakening, as well take advantage of the bad tourism year to cut our costs. That said, I wonder why the SCAF thinks we have chosen Cairo? I would wager they suspect slightly more nefarious motives on our part.
A much simpler truth is that if the SCAF has been made aware of our upcoming conference, they care. Whereas the military would take little notice if we had held this in Munich, Nairobi or Beijing.
I find myself wondering this morning if I am on anyone's radar at all, or if I am being watched. It struck me as interesting when a man I've never seen before asked me where my laptop was this morning, by it's make. They have been incredibly attentive of me at this hotel. Everyone greets me by name. There are 6 people in each meeting that only require one. I have so far assumed it is because they are bored and grateful for our patronage. Is there a secondary motivation? I haven't been allowing the staff here to clean my room daily, primarily because I feel crappy making some guy clean a tub I don't use each day. Could modesty be construed as secretive?
At my most paranoid, I wonder if my internet activities are being monitored. Internet here here is tightly managed. Easily cut off. Should anyone have a mind to monitor this posting, it would be easy to accomplish. And rational as I hope I am, I find myself wondering if I should bring my laptop with me whenever I leave the hotel. And wonder if I will find everything here and intact when I return.
At the very least I hope my presence here, as a representative of the evil American NGO, has not added pressure on the staff at all. They are all so nice and accommodating. There are already tensions between the SCAF and Ministry of Tourism. I hope I am too small time to register.
Generally my response to any conspiracy theory is to wave it off. Eugene was rife with very spectacular conspiracy theories, woven by the drug-addled brains of burnouts and burnout-in-training co-eds. And I found it best to smile and nod and avoid sudden movements. This was roughly my response when our Country Director here in Egypt informed me that a wide majority of the populous here believes, with certainty, that American NGOs are run by, or a front for, the CIA. That our organizations are run by duplicitous motives and that we are not, or at least not primarily motivated by, investing in the beneficiaries we serve. He has also been informed that his photo is up in the SCAF headquarters as a person-of-interest.
I can concede that sometimes there appears to be a sort of back-door motive in my field. Certainly whenever USAID requests proposals for programs in North Korea, there are interesting stipulations. A food program with a "youth education" component for example, when generally food security programs are rarely paired that way. And no apologies were made at the inception of the Peace Corps, in the center of the Cold War, that one of its purposes was to cultivate pro-American sentiment in the poorest and most disenfranchised communities. That said, my experience thus far has been that my peers and co-workers operate from a place of sincere compassion, sometimes reckless ambition, and a patience with the slow pace of progress against poverty, bad governance and disaster. It cannot be ignored though that the same pool of money that funds our Department of Defense, also pays my bills. This is an inconvenient truth.
This is what I know of the intricate tapestry of international aid and development, and my platform for analyzing what came next here in Egypt:
Thursday, the day I was eating pizza with my co-workers, it appears that the SCAF (Supreme Council of the Armed Forces), currently holding power in Egypt, conducted a series of 17 raids on 10 NGO offices here in Cairo. Laptops, cell phones, files were taken. My office was not raided, I know because I was there all day. I did not even know about the raids until I received a message from my boss who is obviously a little worried about me.
So what I also know now is that our Country Director was right on the money, that at least the SCAF suspects intimate ties to the CIA among American NGOs, and see us as a sincere threat to be defended against.
Furthermore, I know that next week 150 top level employees of a major American NGO will converge here for a conference. And that until then, I solely represent their money and their interests.
Now allow me to speculate: It is hard for some even within our organization to understand why we have chosen Cairo as the location for our conference. I know it to be because we want to show our support for the Arab Awakening, as well take advantage of the bad tourism year to cut our costs. That said, I wonder why the SCAF thinks we have chosen Cairo? I would wager they suspect slightly more nefarious motives on our part.
A much simpler truth is that if the SCAF has been made aware of our upcoming conference, they care. Whereas the military would take little notice if we had held this in Munich, Nairobi or Beijing.
I find myself wondering this morning if I am on anyone's radar at all, or if I am being watched. It struck me as interesting when a man I've never seen before asked me where my laptop was this morning, by it's make. They have been incredibly attentive of me at this hotel. Everyone greets me by name. There are 6 people in each meeting that only require one. I have so far assumed it is because they are bored and grateful for our patronage. Is there a secondary motivation? I haven't been allowing the staff here to clean my room daily, primarily because I feel crappy making some guy clean a tub I don't use each day. Could modesty be construed as secretive?
At my most paranoid, I wonder if my internet activities are being monitored. Internet here here is tightly managed. Easily cut off. Should anyone have a mind to monitor this posting, it would be easy to accomplish. And rational as I hope I am, I find myself wondering if I should bring my laptop with me whenever I leave the hotel. And wonder if I will find everything here and intact when I return.
At the very least I hope my presence here, as a representative of the evil American NGO, has not added pressure on the staff at all. They are all so nice and accommodating. There are already tensions between the SCAF and Ministry of Tourism. I hope I am too small time to register.
Hey - so just because this is an especially cryptic post, I'm going to update it with what new info I've been able to glean today: the NGOs that were raided were most likely targeted because they were suspected of aiding and supporting the protesters. My org has had very little to do with the protests and is unlikely to be targeted for this reason. So while I still think treading lightly is a good plan, hooray and hazaah!
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