When Rambo Meets the Red Cross: Civil-Military Engagement in Fragile States

While non-governmental organizations and militaries have long had a contentious relationship, the traditional boundaries between their functions are quickly fading. In a range of fragile, ungoverned, and insecure spaces, civil-military partnerships are changing the landscape of poverty, insecurity, climate change, and a host of other challenges.

Dr. Stanislava P. Mladenova is a Global Fellow at Brown University's Center for Human Rights and Humanitarian Studies, and Fellow at the Irregular Warfare Initiative at the US Military Academy at West Point. Her work has brought her to Africa, Central and South Asia, South America, and the Balkans. She has held positions at various institutions, including the United States Institute of Peace, working in West Africa to establish dialogue between security actors and local communities. As a Political Advisor for NATO in Afghanistan, she helped shape policy on economic issues, governance, corruption, disaster management, humanitarian assistance, and the recruitment of child soldiers. Her research at the Department of War Studies at King's College London focused on the functional relationship between military and civilian entities in settings affected by low-intensity conflict and state fragility.