The Impact of NGOs on State and Non-State Relations in the Middle East

Peter Gubser

(Middle East Policy, Vol. IX, March 2002, pp. 139-148)

This concise and informative article by Peter Gubser, the president of American Near East Refugee Aid (ANERA) in Washington, DC, examines the role of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and their impact on international relations within the Middle East. Gubser divides this analysis into three parts: 1) defining civil society and NGOs; 2) examining NGOs' experiences in specific states; and 3) analyzing the impact of NGOs on international relations today and in the future.

Gubser defines NGOs as "community, regional and national groups that bring people together for the purpose of rendering services, solving community problems, observing religious beliefs, cultivating social and cultural pursuits, and communicating ideas in the community, region, national or transnational arenas." He argues that NGOs contribute to societies by often reaching the deprived (monetarily and nationally speaking), helping provide structure, and assisting in developing and sustaining democracy. Furthermore, Gubser compares and contrasts the definitions of academics such as John Keane, Mustapha al-Sayyid, Jean Cohen, and Andrew Arato to provide the reader with overlapping, yet inherently different definitions of civil society and NGOs.

Applied to the Middle East context, Gubser believes that NGOs provide essential services for people and are the primary actors in the dramatic growth of civil society in the region. Once incipient during the Ottoman Empire period, civil society today is growing at a rapid and pervasive rate. Gubser selects Egypt, Jordan, Israel, Lebanon, the Palestinian territories, and Syria as case studies to analyze the different effects NGOS have had on their respective societies. For instance, across the spectrum of these states, Gubser characterizes the NGOs in each country as ranging from confrontational with the state to being an arm of the state, influential to non-influential, religious to secular, dominant to dominated, political to apolitical, and diverse in focus to specific in focus.

Internationally, Gubser believes the impact of NGOs has increased over time as a result of four trends that have affected the Middle East: 1) the increasing inability of Middle East states to provide adequate services to their citizens; 2) state privatization schemes that have decreased state control over aspects of the economy and society; 3) increased communications; and 4) increasing state security capabilities. In effect, the Middle East has become a fertile ground for international non-governmental organizations (INGOs) to operate and influence developments in respective societies.

These organizations, similar in mission to local NGOs, have helped to strengthen both their local counterparts as well as civil society in the region. Their international activities include: providing a flow of funds and ideas across borders, holding regional meetings, organizing offices across borders, and funding through bi-national donors.

Overall, Gubser presents a succinct and informative analysis of the role and impact of nongovernmental organizations on Middle Eastern international relations. Their influence and impact vary from organization to organization and from state-to-state, yet their considerable contributions to the region's burgeoning civil society is irrefutable. Gubser concludes by saying that "given the growth of NGOs in the last few decades and the continuing need for people to improve their own lot, it is apparent that these trends will continue." (Andrew Noznesky)

Copyright 2004 Search for Common Ground