the presence of respectable aid organizations can make weak regimes appear more legitimate, according to fiona terry, who contends that "this is particularly true of [the] icrc, whose mandate, reputation, and discretion imbue its presence with a particularly affirming quality." recognizing this power, the icrc can pressure weak governments to change their behavior by threatening to withdraw. as mentioned above, nelson mandela acknowledged that the icrc compelled better treatment of prisoners and had leverage over his south african captors because "avoiding international condemnation was the authorities' main goal."