Humanitarian Assistance?

Haiti and Beyond

Neil Middleton

 

4.25 x 7 inches, 96 pp, 1 halftone. December 2010

ISBN : 9781906497767

Rs  395.00 (HB)
$14.95 (HB)
£9.50 (HB)

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The spectacle of death and distress in Haiti 2010 shown nightly on television screens around the world and more intimately revealed through blogs and video sites on the Internet, made the importance of humanitarian aid–and the evident shortcomings in its delivery—all too evident. It also raised many awkward questions that remain to be answered.

 

In Humanitarian Assistance, Middleton shows how humanitarian assistance is driven by the international politics of those countries wealthy enough to mount aid programmes. Though the assistance offered includes providing food, water, medical care and shelter, the distribution of these needs often involves armed forces who provide security and assist with logistics. Using case studies from Somalia and Sudan, both of which have been devastated by internal wars, Middleton reveals that though circumstances differ in every country that receives aid, by accepting the assistance each country becomes similarly vulnerable to the donors’ international policies and interests. This surprising look at the intersection of global philanthropy and politics will interest concerned civilians and aid professionals alike. 

Neil Middleton has travelled with coalitions of scholars and officials to assess programs of humanitarian assistance in such countries as Croatia, Bosnia Herzegovina, Sudan and Somalia. He is the author or coauthor of many books, including, most recently, Negotiating Poverty: New Directions, Renewed Debate and Rio Plus Ten: Politics, Poverty and the Environment.

 

Politics
Manifestos of the 21st Century
Intl. Relations