MICHAEL BARNETT HIGHLIGHTS THE POLITICS, POWER, AND ETHICS OF HUMANITARIANISM IN HIS NEW BOOK
Years of tremendous growth in organizations that respond to complex emergencies have left a mark on the humanitarian sector. Various matters that once seemed settled are now subjects of intense debate. What is  humanitarianism? Is it limited to the provision of relief to victims of conflict or does it include broader objectives, such as human rights, democracy promotion, development, and peacebuilding?
In Humanitarianism in Question: Politics, Power, Ethics (Cornell University Press, 2008), Humphrey Institute Professor Michael Barnett and colleague Thomas G. Weiss bring together scholars from a variety of disciplines to  address the humanitarian identity crisis, including humanitarianism’s relationship to accountability, great powers, privatization and corporate philanthropy, warlords, and the ethical evaluations that inform life-and-death decision making during and after emergencies.
For much of the last century, the principles of humanitarianism were guided by neutrality, impartiality, and independence. According to Barnett and his co-editor, some humanitarian organizations have begun to relax these tenets. The book contributors discuss the recognition that humanitarian action can lead to negative consequences, which has forced humanitarian organizations to measure their effectiveness, reflect on their ethical positions, and consider not only the values that motivate their actions but also the consequences of those actions.
Order Humanitarianism in Question online at Cornell University Press.
June 18, 2008
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