The golden fleece : manipulation and independence in humanitarian action / edited by Antonio Donini ; foreword by Roméo Dallaire.

Format:

Book

Contributor:

Donini, Antonio.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

International relief--Political aspects.

International relief.

Humanitarian assistance--Political aspects.

Humanitarian assistance.

Humanitarian intervention--Political aspects.

Humanitarian intervention.

Non-governmental organizations.

International agencies.

Physical Description:

xviii, 318 pages : illustrations ; 24 cm

Edition:

First edition.

Place of Publication:

Sterling, Va. : Kumarian Press, 2012.

Summary:

The Golden Fleece delves into questions that are rarely asked and seldom answered. It examines the impact of manipulation on the effectiveness of humanitarian action. The tension between fundamental humanitarian values-the prioritization of life-saving over all other considerations-and political or economic agendas is not new. Relief work has long been subject to manipulation by governments, warlords, public opinion, disembodied realpolitik, and to the calculations of humanitarians themselves. As Lt. Gen (Ret) Roméo Dallaire notes in his Foreword, "The sacrosanct principles of neutrality and humanitarian space have been used and abused by many in ways which ultimately benefit killers rather than the victims of armed conflict."

The Golden Fleece asks whether saving lives is, by its very nature, prone to instrumentalization or whether humanitarianism can be transformed and made more immune to manipulation. Building on decades of experience at the frontlines of the world's most devastating crises, the contributors chronicle the successes and the failures of a humanitarian enterprise that, despite its limitations, remains central to the survival of millions of vulnerable and dispossessed people around the world. They argue that the practical and moral resistance against intolerable suffering is an urgent, necessary, and critical imperative. It is at the core of what it means to be human. Book jacket.

Contents:

1 Introduction / Antonio Dontni Dontni, Antonio 1

Part 1 Some Lessons From History

2 The Emperors Old Clothes 17

The Self-Created Siege of Humanitarian Action / Ian Smillie Smillie, Ian

3 Humanitarian Action and Politicization 43

A Review of Experience Since World War II / Larry Minear Minear, Larry

Part 2 Never-Ending Crises: Taking A Long View

4 Afghanistan 67

Back to the Future / Antonio Donini Donini, Antonio

5 Diminishing Returns 89

The Challenges Facing Humanitarian Action in Darfur / Helen Young Young, Helen

6 When Stale-Building Fails 109

Famine, Counterterrorism, and the Politicization of Humanitarian Action in Somalia / Mark Bradbury Bradbury, Mark, Robert Maletta Maletta, Robert

7 Palestine: Sixty Years of Instrumentalizadon 137

A Conversation With Peter Hansen, Former Commissioner-General of UNRWA / Diana Buttu Buttu, Diana

8 Politics, Rhetoric, and Practice of Humanitarian Action in Pakistan / Marion Péchayre Péchayre, Marion 149

9 Haiti's Bitter Harvest 171

Humanitarian Aid in the "Republic of NGOs" / Mark Schuller Schuller, Mark

Part 3 Thematic Chapters

10 "Those With Guns Never Go Hungry" 197

The Instrumental Use of Humanitarian Food Assistance in Conflict / Daniel Maxwell Maxwell, Daniel

11 Protection and Instrumentalist ion 219

The Contemporary Solferino? / Norah Niland Niland, Norah

Part 4 Conclusions

12 So What? / Antonio Donini Donini, Antonio, Peter Walker Walker, Peter 243.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

9781565494879

1565494873

9781565494886

1565494881

9781565494893

156549489X

9781565494909

1565494903

OCLC:

793099551