United States development aid to countries are now inspired by military doctrine and patterned on the Nine Principles of War, found in every American soldier's manuel, according to the USAID administrator.
Writing in the Aid organisation's publication Frontlines, S Nastios has evolved the nine principles of war -- first described by military philosophers like Carl von Clausewitz and ancient Chinese texts and the thought of Sun Tsu -- to suit development agenda of the US.
His nine principles are ownership, capacity building, sustainability, accountability, assessment, allocation of resources, partnership, flexibility and selectivity.
Ownership focuses on building on leadership, participation and commitment of a country and its people.
Capacity building aims to strengthen local institutions, transfer technical skills, and promote appropriate policies.
Sustainability means designing programmes to ensure that their impact endures. Accountability and transparency will have to be designed into systems, and effective checks and balances built to guard against corruption.
Assessment means conducting careful research, adapting best practices, and designing for local conditions.
Allocating resources should be based on need, local commitment and foreign policy interests. Partnership in the context of aid means collaborating closely with governments, communities, donors, NGOs, the private sector, international organizations and universities.
Fexibility refers to adjusting to changing conditins, taking advantage of opportunities, and maximising efficiency.
Selectivity involves allocating resources to countries and programmes based on need, policy performance, and foreign
policy interests.
