Using the Moyen Bani Programme as an example, External Assistance or
External Interference gives an analysis of a grassroots conflict which,
not foreseen at project design, lasted six years in Mali. This book
provides the historical, economic, and political backgrounds that
influenced the design and the conflict resolution. Concepts of
perception, emotion, and identity explain the frames of the actors in
the conflict. Notions including static and dynamic frames are used to
explain their positions at different times during the conflict
resolution. It explores the need of protagonists in rural conflicts to
increase the political and economic resources they possess to achieve
their goals. This need brought the intervention into the conflict of an
international NGO. The book examines the "whys" and "wherefores" of the
intervention by the NGO. The effects of the conflict on the project
results are examined. The book contributes to the development of
paradigms for conflict resolution as well as for project planning and
analysis.