Humanitarian Aid: Compassion and Controversy
The Conflict
The provision of humanitarian aid—food, medicine, shelter, and economic assistance—has grown considerably in the last several years. The International Red Cross and Doctors Without Borders provided aid during almost every conflict. The U.S. Marines distributed food during a famine in Somalia. Much of the world community sees humanitarian assistance as an obligation of being human and humane. However, humanitarian assistance and the organizations providing it are often charged with prolonging conflict, aiding warriors who will fight again, and providing inappropriate, and ultimately harmful assistance.
Territorial
• Some countries see aid provision as interfering with their right to manage their country and control their people. Some countries deny aid organizations access to their land and people.
Economic
• Economic assistance may be inappropriate for the development level, and may be unsustainable without additional aid.
Political/Ethnic
• Doctors and other aid workers, providing medicine and food, may be making the war longer and bloodier, as they patch up soldiers to keep on fighting.
International relief organizations are a relatively new phenomenon in modern international relations. Functioning independently of any government and motivated by humanitarian concerns, international relief groups have made a considerable impact on crisis situations caused by almost every type of human and natural disaster.
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