Cross Roads or Cross Purposes? Tensions Between Military and Humanitarian Providers
Abstract
This article argues the tension between these often unacknowledged hierarchies is at the heart of a similar tension between the two communities of aid-givers, with both seeking to provide humanitarian assistance to those in need. It considers the origins and implications of the differing priorities each gives to their organizational and humanitarian objectives. In the latter portions of the article, divisions within the NGO community are explored. It is at this juncture the argument is made that these divisions might be exploited by military aid-givers to more effectively partner with their civilian opposites-though only when the conditions are favorable. The article will conclude by noting that when both the humanitarian and government agents serve the interests of the recipients, in part, the commonality of interest and the prospects for cooperation do indeed exist. The difficulty, however, lies between these two communities in their mutual incompatibility regarding the other interests each community serves: for the government professional, the nation-state is an intrinsically political construct and, for the humanitarian, the principles of humanitarianism are necessarily apolitical (even antipolitical) projects.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jan 01, 2012
- Accession Number
- ADA570088
Entities
People
- Solomon Major
Organizations
- United States Army War College