More Questions than Answers: Dilemmas of Humanitarian Action

The world has largely internalized the moral imperative to provide relief to the victims of humanitarian emergencies. Due to the increasing and diversified efforts by nongovernmental organizations and governmental agencies, the international capacity to deliver humanitarian aid is mostly in place. Obviously, the political will of governments and the capacity of the fragmented nongovernmental organization field to provide assistance is sometimes in doubt. However, the main humanitarian dilemma concerns the political repercussions of assistance which has become a resource in and a part of the dynamics of local conflicts. As the cases of Bosnia, Rwanda, and Somalia indicate, military faction leaders have learned to take advantage of the relief operations, which has resulted in their misuse and even prolonged the crisis (of which Sudan is a good example). To alleviate this problem, one can pursue two avenues: either reform the aid process or use military force more systematically to protect the deliveries and people involved. The emphasis should be on the reform of humanitarian relief.