Building on earlier work in Afghanistan and our briefing note on “Humanitarianism Unraveled?” published in mid- 2010, we have issued similar briefing notes on the relationship between humanitarian action and politics in Sri Lanka, Darfur, Pakistan, and Somalia. These notes are now being reworked to form the chapters of a book on the “instrumentalization” of humanitarianism in historical perspective. The book, which also includes chapters on manipulations around food aid and protection issues, will be published in early 2012. We continue to be frequently called upon to participate in policy debates on humanitarian policy issues with donors, UN agencies, NGOs, and academia. Our briefings and research updates in the countries where we work have been particularly appreciated.
Publications
- Humanitarian Action in Pakistan 2005-2010
Over the past five years, Pakistan has witnessed three major crises affecting up to 18 million people.
- State-building, Counterterrorism, and Licensing Humanitarianism in Somalia
This new briefing paper explores the policy and operational implications of the current crises and the challenges to humanitarian action in Somalia. It examines how international state-building and counterterrorism objectives in Somalia have compromised the ability of international humanitarian actors to assist and protect vulnerable populations.
- Humanitarianism in Sri Lanka: Lessons Learned?
This briefing paper summarizes the key issues and dynamics that have shaped the humanitarian experience in Sri Lanka and draws lessons that, if learned, may help inform humanitarian engagement in other international contexts.
- Afghanistan: Humanitarianism Unraveled?
Researchers at the Feinstein International Center (FIC) at Tufts University have embarked on a major two-year research project on Humanitarian Action and Politics. This project builds upon and expands on the earlier research on Humanitarian Agenda 2015 -- Principles, Power and Perceptions (HA2015) which involved 13 country case studies of local perceptions of humanitarian action and a synthesis report.