Humanitarianism, War, and Politics

Solferino to Syria and Beyond

Peter J. Hoffman, Thomas G. Weiss

• Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
• Year: 2017
• Edition: 1
• eBook ISBN:
  9798765173039
• Topic: Politics & International Relations
• Subtopic: Global Politics
• Index: Politics & International Relations

What is humanitarianism? This authoritative book provides a comprehensive analysis of the original idea and its evolution, exploring its triangulation with war and politics. Peter J. Hoffman and Thomas G. Weiss trace the origins of humanitarianism, its social movement, and the institutions (international humanitarian law) and organizations (providers of assistance and protection) that comprise it. They consider the international humanitarian system's ability to regulate the conduct of war, to improve the wellbeing of its victims, and to prosecute war criminals. Probing the profound changes in the culture and capacities that underpin the sector and alter the meaning of humanitarianism, they assess the reinventions that constitute "revolutions in humanitarian affairs."

The book begins with traditions and perspectives—ranging from classic international relations approaches to "Critical Humanitarian Studies" —and reviews seminal wartime emergencies and the creation and development of humanitarian agencies in the late nineteenth and twentieth centuries. The authors then examine the rise of "new humanitarianisms" after the Cold War's end and contemporary cases after 9/11. The authors continue by unpacking the most recent "revolutions"—the International Criminal Court and the "Responsibility to Protect"—as well as such core challenges as displacement camps, infectious diseases, eco-refugees, and marketization. They conclude by evaluating the contemporary system and the prospects for further transformations, identifying scholarly puzzles and the acute operational problems faced by practitioners.

Table of contents

• Contents
• Tables, Boxes, and Maps
• Abbreviations
• Foreword
• Preface
• Introduction: Humanitarian Cosmology and Mythology
• Chapter 1. Humanitarian Culture, Traditions, and Theories: Concepts and Tools
• Chapter 2. Humanitarian Genesis and Gravity: Solferino to Biafra and African Famines
• Chapter 3. New Wars and New Humanitarianisms in the 1990s: Northern Iraq, Somalia, Rwanda, and the Balkans
• Chapter 4. Humanitarianism and Security: The Responsibility to Protect
• Chapter 5. Humanitarianism Adjudicated: The International Criminal Court
• Chapter 6. Humanitarianism in the Post-9/11 World: Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, and Syria
• Chapter 7. Humanitarianism Forgotten and Forsaken: Darfur, South Sudan, Uganda, and Neglected Victims
• Chapter 8. Humanitarian Limbo: Displaced Populations, Prolonged Suffering, Contested Camps
• Chapter 9. The Humanitarian-Industrial Complex: Media and Markets
• Chapter 10. Humanitarianism Unbound: Public Health Disasters and Environmental Emergencies
• Chapter 11. The Study and Practice of Humanitarianism: Making Sense and Finding Meaning in Saving People
• Notes
• Index
• About the Authors