Overview

Arguing forcefully that changing times are a clarion call for new thinking, this book convincingly shows that if humanitarian organizations continue to operate as they have in the past, they will fail to help the very victims whom they try to save. Focusing especially on the emergence of new wars, Hoffman and Weiss insist that humanitarian organizations must recognize that they live in a political world and that their actions and goals are invariably affected by military action. The brand of warfare that erupted in the 1990s-marked by civil or transnational armed conflicts featuring potent non-state actors, altered political economies, a high proportion of civilian casualties, and a globalized media-produced horrors that shocked consciences and led humanitarian agencies to question their unyielding stance of neutrality and impartiality. Indeed, in a departure from earlier norms and practices, some have reinvented their policies and tools and created new humanitarianisms. This authoritative book traces the evolution of the international humanitarian system from its inception in the 1860s, parses the dynamics of war and emergency response from the 1980s through the current disasters in Afghanistan and Iraq, and provides a strategic roadmap for practitioners. By bringing historical perspective to bear, this volume provides an invaluable analytical framework for grasping the nature of humanitarian crises and how agencies can respond strategically rather than reactively to change. Students will find its blend of clearly presented theory and case studies a powerful tool for understanding the roles of state and non-state actors in international relations. By charting the tides of continuity and change, this book will prepare agencies to dodge both figurative and actual bullets that threaten humanitarian action at the outset of the millennium.

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9780742539778

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Reviews

Sword & Salve is an indispensable contribution to the debate on the current circumstances and possible future of humanitarian action... -- Michael Barnett, University of Minnesota We are at a critical juncture in understanding what used to be taken for granted-namely, what humanitarianism means in times of war. Sword & Salve is an invaluable tool for scholars and practitioners... -- Roy Williams, Center for Humanitarian Cooperation The humanitarian crises of the 1990s have led to fundamentally new understandings of the responsibilities of states, the nature of sovereignty, and the duties we all have toward people in war-torn societies. Sword & Salve reflects the deepest thinking of the leading scholars on the subject and will immediately become a standard text in international studies... -- Craig N. Murphy, Wellesley College Sword & Salve is an incisive look at the intersection of the use of force and humanitarian concerns in contemporary international relations. Hard headed and challenging in its analysis, it questions whether humanitarian agencies can engage in the type of strategic thinking and institutional learning that has often characterized the better military establishments. This book is a must-read, containing a wealth of information and interpretation on international humanitarian involvement, forceful and otherwise... -- David P. Forsythe, emeritus, University of Nebraska-Lincoln Hoffman and Weiss do an outstanding job characterizing the challenges facing these [humanitarian] actors, their responses to date, and lessons learned from previous experiences. They expertly summarize this new humanitarian landscape when they speak of Afghanistan, where they have seen 'strange and dangerous paradoxes,' including 'both cluster bombs and emergency relief rain[ing] from the sky in a color and form that were indistinguishable.' There is no easy remedy for the current crisis within humanitarianism itself, but the authors do provide a good starting point. Highly recommended. CHOICE Sword & Salve is an indispensable contribution to the debate on the current circumstances and possible future of humanitarian action. -- Michael Barnett, University of Minnesota We are at a critical juncture in understanding what used to be taken for granted-namely, what humanitarianism means in times of war. Sword & Salve is an invaluable tool for scholars and practitioners. -- Roy Williams, Center for Humanitarian Cooperation The humanitarian crises of the 1990s have led to fundamentally new understandings of the responsibilities of states, the nature of sovereignty, and the duties we all have toward people in war-torn societies. Sword & Salve reflects the deepest thinking of the leading scholars on the subject and will immediately become a standard text in international studies. -- Craig N. Murphy, Wellesley College Sword & Salve is an incisive look at the intersection of the use of force and humanitarian concerns in contemporary international relations. Hard headed and challenging in its analysis, it questions whether humanitarian agencies can engage in the type of strategic thinking and institutional learning that has often characterized the better military establishments. This book is a must-read, containing a wealth of information and interpretation on international humanitarian involvement, forceful and otherwise. -- David P. Forsythe, emeritus, University of Nebraska-Lincoln

Sword & Salve is an incisive look at the intersection of the use of force and humanitarian concerns in contemporary international relations. Hard headed and challenging in its analysis, it questions whether humanitarian agencies can engage in the type of strategic thinking and institutional learning that has often characterized the better military establishments. This book is a must-read, containing a wealth of information and interpretation on international humanitarian involvement, forceful and otherwise...--David P. Forsythe

Sword & Salve is an indispensable contribution to the debate on the current circumstances and possible future of humanitarian action... -- Michael Barnett, University of Minnesota We are at a critical juncture in understanding what used to be taken for granted-namely, what humanitarianism means in times of war. Sword & Salve is an invaluable tool for scholars and practitioners... -- Roy Williams, Center for Humanitarian Cooperation The humanitarian crises of the 1990s have led to fundamentally new understandings of the responsibilities of states, the nature of sovereignty, and the duties we all have toward people in war-torn societies. Sword & Salve reflects the deepest thinking of the leading scholars on the subject and will immediately become a standard text in international studies... -- Craig N. Murphy, Wellesley College Sword & Salve is an incisive look at the intersection of the use of force and humanitarian concerns in contemporary international relations. Hard headed and challenging in its analysis, it questions whether humanitarian agencies can engage in the type of strategic thinking and institutional learning that has often characterized the better military establishments. This book is a must-read, containing a wealth of information and interpretation on international humanitarian involvement, forceful and otherwise... -- David P. Forsythe, University of Nebraska Hoffman and Weiss do an outstanding job characterizing the challenges facing these [humanitarian] actors, their responses to date, and lessons learned from previous experiences. They expertly summarize this new humanitarian landscape when they speak of Afghanistan, where they have seen 'strange and dangerous paradoxes,' including 'both cluster bombs and emergency relief rain[ing] from the sky in a color and form that were indistinguishable.' There is no easy remedy for the current crisis within humanitarianism itself, but the authors do provide a good starting point. Highly recommended. CHOICE Sword & Salve is an indispensable contribution to the debate on the current circumstances and possible future of humanitarian action. -- Michael Barnett, University of Minnesota We are at a critical juncture in understanding what used to be taken for granted-namely, what humanitarianism means in times of war. Sword & Salve is an invaluable tool for scholars and practitioners. -- Roy Williams, Center for Humanitarian Cooperation The humanitarian crises of the 1990s have led to fundamentally new understandings of the responsibilities of states, the nature of sovereignty, and the duties we all have toward people in war-torn societies. Sword & Salve reflects the deepest thinking of the leading scholars on the subject and will immediately become a standard text in international studies. -- Craig N. Murphy, Wellesley College Sword & Salve is an incisive look at the intersection of the use of force and humanitarian concerns in contemporary international relations. Hard headed and challenging in its analysis, it questions whether humanitarian agencies can engage in the type of strategic thinking and institutional learning that has often characterized the better military establishments. This book is a must-read, containing a wealth of information and interpretation on international humanitarian involvement, forceful and otherwise. -- David P. Forsythe, University of Nebraska

Author Information

Peter J. Hoffman is a research associate at the Ralph Bunche Institute for International Studies, The Graduate Center, The City University of New York. Thomas G. Weiss is Presidential Professor of Political Science and director of the Ralph Bunche Institute for International Studies, The Graduate Center, The City University of New York.

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