ABSTRACT
It seems that the surest way to create divisions among the international agencies, who are supposed to be cooperating, and who must co-operate, is to have similar organizations pursuing similar goals – we lose no time in running Occam’s Razor down nearly invisible lines, separating from each other elements more alike than different. Is the similarity of roles itself a threat, making competition a perceived imperative, like the territorial behaviour of humans (as well as other animals)? Is it, on the other hand, a basic dissimilarity in goals, which, despite the similarity in means, is the fundamental conflict? Do we need conflict with other agencies to maintain the cohesion of our group? Perhaps our most serious differences will indeed arise when we do the same or nearly the same things for different reasons. Where we may be unsure of our aims, we may not be able to clearly identify the sources of our differences. Thus the peacekeeper who wants mines cleared to maintain tactical mobility may be fated to clash with the Mine Action Centre which wants to restore agriculture; the Convoy Escort Commander who insists on freedom of movement, with the humanitarian worker who wants to feed and cloth the needy; the soldiers who restored the hospital with a view to stopping the fighting, with those who wanted only to run a medical facility.
