Aid, Intervention and Conflict: Help or Hinder? Flashcards
When did Humanitarianism emerge?
AT the Battle of Solferino in 1856 with Henri Dunant who believed there was a need to mitigate the effects of war by limiting its effects on combatants (wounded, prisoners) through ‘neutral’ medical services
ICRC
formed as a result of humanitarianism
The Geneva Conventions 1949
based on Humanitarian originally but were eventually extended in 1949 to include non-combatants
-as the nature of warfare has changed they have changed to include this too
What are the four principles of humanitarianism?
Humanity
Neutrality
Impartiality
Independence
What has historically been the most vital aspect of Humanitarianism?
- its anti-political nature as without this it couldn’t occur
- it is about making war slightly more human rather than changing the outcome or laying the blame
- But can anything ever be entirely non-political?
Key question about Humanitarianism today
- Is it the same as humanitarianism has been historical?
- some say no as principles not fit for purpose in the modern world
4 structural issues that make humanitarianism apart of the Human Security problem?
- some organizations informed by theology
- some organizations informed by more secular humanism
- UN multilateralism
- Humanitarianism as an industry
- some argue that given these changes it is now part of the problem and can drive conflict as it is deeply political
How much was the Humanitarian Industry worth in the 1990s?
2 Billion per year
How much was the Humanitarianism industry worth in teh 2000s?
6 billion per year
How much is the Humanitarian Industry worth today?
$ 20 billion per year
Name the Refugee Crisis that occurred following the Rwandan Genocide?
The Great Lakes Refugee Crisis
Key event in Rwanda 1992
The French Military intervened to try to save lives but didn’t disarm those leaving the country. This resulted in the Tutsi army invading Rwanda leading to the genocide
How long did the Rwandan genocide go for, who drove it?
began April 1994/ lasted 100 days/ state driven
Between 14 and 18 July 1994 how many refugees left Rwanda to go to Goma?
850,000 refugees/ 20% of Rwandan population
Goma
A big city in Zaire with air access
How many people died within the first month at Goma?
50,000 of dysentery and cholera
How many people at Goma were dying per day?
2000
What did the Zaire government do in response to the rwandan refugees coming across their border?
nothing, they did not try to keep people out
What caused the humanitarian response at Goma?
The media getting in
How much money did the Humanitarian Response to Goma attract? how was it split?
1.4 billion dollars
2/3 to Goma
1/3 to Rwanda
How many NGOs went to Goma? What did this do?
100; this resulted in competition between NGOs, them not working together and them all trying to do the most visible work to get the most publicity
What percentage of people in the Goma refugee camps participated actively in the genocide?
10-15%
40-50,000 armed militants
What was the major issue with regards to the armed militants in the refugee camps at Goma?
-These groups set up set structures to control the aid within the camps like quasi-states with things like taxation. Everyone knew this was happening but UN didn’t want to send in task force as a risk to troops.
What is the major issue with refugees?
Refugees must return voluntarily
What if they never want to go?
The leadership/militants also manipulated this
How did the armed groups use aid resources within the camps in Zaire and Rwanda?
they used the aid resources to attack within camps
this eventually expanded to the genocide and destabilized Zaire. This is where the roots of the roots of the DRC civil war began (8 million dead)
How many refugees went from Rwanda to Bukavu?
450,000
How many refugees went from Rwanda to Ulvira?
164,000
Pakistan
- Principle of Voluntary return
- UNHCR attacked for being complicit in forcible return
- provided financial incentive for return
Tanzania
- During the Rwandan genocide, 300,000 people came across the border and formed refugee camps
- Salvation Army asked to provide clothing for them by another aid agency
- send 42 shipping containers to Dar es Salaam but did not sort by size gender or anything like that, literally just filled the containers and sent them
- the issue of environmental damage as forests and surrounding used to make fires to keep warm and cook on
Afghanistan
- 2 women from Switzerland set up a program using teh Salvation Army name and funding
- head office went to check it out found they were doing good work but right in the middle of one warlords zone which is extremely bad for neutrality
- One of the worst examples of aid
Fiji
- Cyclone Winston big humanitarian disaster
- Save the children set up learning spaces fo kids to come and just be kids
- this type of work is vital in relieving the pressure and stress of conflict on children
South Sudan
- refugees and the rainy season
- International organization for migration offered Save the Children tents for use however they weren’t waterproof and were essentially useless in the rainy conditions
- this was a huge insult to the communities and forces STC to find new tents fast
- Created issues with relationship between the 2 organizations
- an example of things gone bad
How has humanitarianism changed according to our guest speakers?
it has gotten more complex and dangerous. You used to be able to just make it really obvious that you were humanitarian workers and that would be enough to keep you safe but now not enough, need security training go to some places. This teaches things like how to negotiate a way out of abduction and protect yourself when under fire.
UNOCHA
a UN organization charged with coordinating Humanitarian agencies in the face of a major disaster
-development doesn’t do this to the same extent but still a reasonable amount
What is the major guide for Humanitarianism today?
The ICRC code of conduct. It also states that humanitarian organizations should go to the areas of greatest need
Smile and Barnett: Politicisation of aid in the 1990s
- Donors see political values in aid as a security tool (hearts and minds)
- but leads humanitarians away from principles toward other interests
- 1990s doubling of Humanitarian Assistance by some govts
- the issue of aiding but not helping combatants
- aid as a force multiplier
Duffield
- humanitarian harm
- aid= the gentler face of the neo-liberal order-> discourse agenda everyone doing their bit
- state retracting from its obligations had responsibilities, humanitarianism seeing it doesn’t get too bad and easing the issues> but band-aid fix and palliative care
- argues that the main reason for the politicization of the development discourse is new wars
- Humanitarianism is inherently political as its outcomes are about power
5 points regarding the current state of aid
- less faith more skepticism
- breakdown of the contract
- aid being politicized and securitised
- How to do it is not obeying the principles
- Humanitarians can’t end the problem
According to Duffield what is the current situation of humanitarianism?
-have a situation where Northern governments have regained initiative and control of the humanitarian agenda
Slim
argues that new humanitarianism represents a move from duty-based ethics to a goal-based ethics where goods must be seen to come out of actions
