Rethink Fragility

Kathryn managed monitoring & evaluation for cross-border “stabilisation" programmes in Syria over the last five years (working with the development consultancy Integrity). These initiatives aimed to support functioning services and local governance in opposition-held areas, and to check the influence of extremist groups, in parallel with diplomatic processes. The goal of her own work was thus to track how these approaches were working out in an extraordinarily complex and violent operating environment, and suggest the necessary adjustments to do better. For more information on Integrity's work: https://www.integrityglobal.com/ Episode notes: [03:10] A career path through the US Army, some of the unique difficulties of aid in Syria, and how Kathryn explains her job to her grandmother [07:15] What cross-border “stabilisation” programmes looked like in Syria, and how they have adapted to changing circumstances. [17:00] What success looks like in a massive regional crisis. “Stabilisation” of peoples’ ev