NGOs - Good or Evil?

The Washington Post has an interesting article today by one Moises Naim on the growing proliferation of NGOs (non-governmental organizations) that are actually funded by governments.

The author, who serves on the board of directors for a U.S.-based NGO points out the differences between such groups as the Myanmar Women's Affairs Federation (run by the wives of Burma's military junta) and the Bolivarian Circles (funded by Bolivia's repressive Stalinist dictator Hugo Chavez) and groups like his own National Endowment for Democracy, which although funded by the US government works "to strengthen democratic institutions around the world through non-governmental efforts." Though the NED, unlike the previously named organizations merely receives funds from the US government, it has been attacked by China, Russia and many other repressive governments. Of course, these same governments see no problem with planting their own sycophanitc fake NGOs in the US and other democratic countries to advance said repressive countries' agendas...

In any event, the article is an eye-opener as regards the unaccountability of NGOs in general and how some countries are trying to use them as proxies. Read the whole thing. Hat tip to Glenn Reynolds.