They are generally better at feeding their people and caring about their general well being. Our basic thesis is that impending crisis can only be properly managed by local action. And, it is very important that this work is seen as being independent, neutral and non-partisan. The promise of food aid or UN troops doesn't solve emergencies. People on the ground know what needs to be done long-term, and recent research, for instance, shows that if there is famine looming their first thought is not for packages of aid, but for seeds to plant next year.
People doing exactly that on our own doorstep in Europe is quite another.
Our failure to act with the resolve, purpose and a well-defined strategy was a feature of the response in the Balkans. The messages we heard were that there was total hate and intolerance, which permeated the entire response from ordinary people. However, people did try to find their own solution. The realities of each situation need to be understood. Extreme poverty, the divisions created by different identities, or the unequal distribution of wealth, can create this desperate disaffection.