Humanitarian Assistance For Humanitarian Relief

Over the recent years the military has had a greater involvement with aid programs, this was most notable from her experiences in Iraq and Afghanistan. Militarization of aid politicizes it for something that shouldn't be political. As the author believes humanitarian aid needs to exist in a neutral humanitarian space in order to remain its legitimacy and maintain close ties to the community level. From one example mentioned in Damned Nations, during the 2005 earthquake in Pakistan, international aid agencies that worked closely with communities showed greater progress and effectiveness (Nutt, 92). In essence this administered a positive attitude towards westerners, and symbolized progress within hostile nations. Aid that is not militarized allows civilians to feel safe access to services and without the fear in putting themselves or their families at risk (Nutt, 92). In comparison military administered aid has proven to lack the same level of trust because civilians inherently become worried about being targeted as collaborators (Nutt, 92). In addition the militarization of aid proves to bring further danger towards humanitarian workers. “Over the past decade, attacks against aid workers have increased 177 percent, with reports of rape, violence, extortion, abduction, and killings” (Nutt, 94). The author states this was reflected from a misjudgment that involving armed militants into

In the Case Study “Who Cares About Haiti Anyway” by Louis Jannsens there are clear indications of moral goodness, moral badness, moral rightness, and moral wrongness. In the Case Study about Haiti, and the 2010 earthquake that ravaged the country there are examples of premoral values and premoral disvalues that were involved in the decisions made in the Case Study. After the earthquake, the wealthiest countries, NGOs, and various charitable organizations pledged to help Haiti recover. People were concerned with the lives of the Haitians, their physical health, helping to rediscover their joy, and being good friends to those who needed it, they were concerned with their premoral values. We can call these people morally good and right. Days following the earthquake people from all over came to Haiti with food, water, clothing, medicine, and monetary donations to help a country that had just lost it’s citizens, homes, schools, and hospitals, among other things. Those in this Case Study who had good intentions were all of those who helped in whatever way they could, they were all morally good and right, and their premoral values were right. They include: Pierre, Professor Mensah, IHRC, NGOs, the United States, the UN, the Nepalese, and the media. Some of those whose intentions were to help, and premoral values were in the right place ended up doing morally wrong things that were regrettable, harmful, and in the end only added more to the reality of hunger thirst, pain, illness,

David Rieff talks about the idea of the “international community which gives both the humanitarian worker and the victims of crisis “false hope” that something will be done (Rieff, 2003). He says that “the moment one taps on to the idea of the international community, it (humanitarianism) falls part like a toy” (Rieff 2003, p.9). The concept of international community, however vague or disastrous it might seem or sound, is also the source of logistics for

An Imperfect Offering is a powerful personal memoir from a James Orbinski, a Canadian who has spent most of his adult life in front-line humanitarian work in the world's worst conflict zones. Despite its dark chapters, it is also a hopeful story about the emergence of Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) as a new and independent agent of civil society, and the possibilities of making the world a better place. In “An Imperfect Offering”, James Orbinski tells the story of people who have been harmed by war, and humanitarian workers who have come to heal them when possible. He engages in deep reflection on the nature of humanitarian response and the many threats to this most human activity. He has sharp criticism for governments who act to cause

Section one deals with the debates that surround the issues of humanitarian intervention and just war theory on the basis of international scale. One article by Holzgrefe is completely focused on the debate, stating the many ethical theories of many different theorists: from "utilitarianism; natural law; social contractrianism; communitarianism; and legal postivism" (7). Holzgrefe goes on to define what each ethical theorist is and their understanding of the debate on humanitarian intervention. However, there is the idea of when it is right to intervene and when intervention is unfavorable. The most interesting part was the third section of the article.

Humanitarian aide is constantly being picked apart due to their (at times) inability to complete responsibilities. Moreover, basic communication from one organization to another is seen as extraneous. If we were to look upon discrepancies within the international humanitarian system, the lack of uniformity between organizations should be priority. Inconsistencies such as implementing agencies, dependency germane to financial but also political disparity, and little to no accountability upheld on behalf of the aide.

The purpose of intervention should be the protection and promotion of human rights. “Armed interventions have a substantial likelihood of imposing disproportionate risks upon individuals, even when there are severe rights violations within a possible target state. Yet, nonviolent strategies will often be insufficient to stop such violations.” Then, the decision to intervene is dependent on a great number of factors that are taken into account before any action is taken. In spite of that, lives are on danger when these decisions are being discussed. Just as intervention is not justified by any suspicion of violation, it is erroneous to stop any attempt to intervene because of the inexistence of violations of genocidal proportions. If governments

In class, we learned that humanitarianism gives strength to individuals who are suffering in their countries and living in violence. Oxfam gives it their all to provide the best relief to people and finds solutions to conflict. Human rights are important for men and women and they need all the assistance that they can get. Humanitarianism is a short-term stabilizer which addresses the needs of people who are in

However, he outlines four possible negative outcomes of state-led humanitarian action in linear thinking or not adapting to feedback or changes over time. The first negative outcome is the possible increase of corruption in the recipient relying on aid, so no real changes are being made to improve the condition of much needed infrastructure. A few examples are through “bribery, nepotism, embezzlement, extortion, or graft and so aid then is redirected away from those it intended on helping.” (Pg. 167) Haiti is guilty of this because their government lacked the resources to allocate the aid coming in, so they began to use aid money for corrupt practices. The second outcome is the recipient becoming dependent on foreign aid and thus, masking the problem. Because people are accustomed to receiving assistance, they no longer will seek to seek investments in business or even maintaining or building infrastructure which are necessary for long term development. The third outcome is that sometimes aid may end up in the wrong hands, and actually benefit the ones who are at the main culprits of the conflict. This occurs when humanitarians respond too quickly to provide assistance, not realizing that those who are receiving the aid are also a part of the cause of conflict. Armed groups also sometimes steal from those who receive the aid, so the citizens are left worse off. Lastly, there have been cases when those who are sent to provide aid actually take advantage of the vulnerability of the citizens and commit sex crimes as well as other things like “assault, fraud, smuggling, theft and torture.” (Pg 172-173) The UN is aware of this but sadly, those guilty are usually immune from punishment due to international law. In order to combat these negative outcomes, adaptability

The United State’s aid agencies played a tremendous role in Humanitarian services in crisis areas. Most of the time, the United States aid agencies get involved in areas which have been destroyed either by natural or man made disasters. After a devastating earthquake hit Haiti in 2010, causing death of hundreds of thousands and displacing almost the same number, the United States military and aid agencies were at the Frontline to provide emergency supplies for the people. In Libya the United States involved to protect civilians after the being targeted by the Libyan president at that time Muammar al-Qaddafi militias. But at the end of the day it became military intervention, “military intervention has created a de-stabilized (some say failed)

In the post-Cold War era, the nature of conflicts and events that give rise to the need for humanitarian assistance have significantly evolved. For those caught in the middle of the “war on terror” in the Middle East, or unprecedented violence in Africa, the need to build relationships with the spectator in order to motivate donations is ever present. The relationship between the spectator and the suffering has significantly changed in the past few decades and NGOs and individuals seeking to motivate people to donate must find new ways to motivate this charitable action. In the post-humanitarian era, relationship between the individual donating and the cause has into one that is decoupled from grand emotions and based on moral agency.

The United Nations and other major humanitarian relief organizations have recently come under fire as many victims have spoken up about being raped or being sexually assaulted in any way. Civil servants, humanitarian workers, peacekeepers, and contractors may seem like the peaceful do-gooders, yet reports by victims have shown otherwise. <= Clear and well articulated thesis

Humanitarian aid is care that is given to those that are victims of natural disasters or those that are located in places where war is occurring or has occurred. This care can include anything from food and water, to medical supplies and shelter, such as tents. A lot of people may not be aware of the problems that can arise as a result of humanitarian aid, since many only hear the positive outcomes of aid. There are both disadvantages and advantages to humanitarian aid during violent times, and there is a question about whether or not the negative aspects may actually outweigh the good.

Frequently brought up in modern conversations between “everyday” people and behavioral researchers alike, issues regarding morality and ethics have become increasingly prevalent. With the current global political climate drawing attention to and/or raising awareness for various humanitarian crises, such as the massive destruction in Puerto Rico that has left the entire island in ruin or refugee Rohingya people fleeing persecution in Myanmar and Bangladesh, it is imperative to understand the logistics of possible relief efforts through a philosophical lens. Two well-developed theories that offer solutions to such problems are Utilitarianism, proposed by John Stuart Mill, and the Deontological Theory of Ethics, advocated for by Immanuel

Humanitarian intervention has brought as much help and support to the world as it has brought unrest. The nature of intervention involves another actor intervening in another state. Therefore, sovereignty becomes conditional. When and how to intervene is one challenge. Many countries deploy military forces into conflict zones or diplomatic tools. The UN deploys Peacekeepers, unarmed forces. Timing still remains a contested issue, when to arrive and when to leave. In addition, many interventions lack a consensus from regional or international actors, for example, the recent US-led intervention in Libya. The African Union was against it; but, the Arab League was for it. International organizations and states should create an in-depth comprehension of the situation and a coherent, concise plan, including a timeline, objectives, and exit strategy, when conducting a humanitarian intervention.