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Humanitarianism

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Introduction
The effects of global insecurity on different humanitarian operations characterized by increasing rates of casualties have drawn attention of the international policy makers. This has led to donor governments examining practical ways applicable in promoting operational security to support humanitarian action. Crises subject populations to forced displacement, and violence. Among the challenges associated with the humanitarian crisis, is lack of access to basic needs by the affected population and inadequate access to information by the aid providers. In addition, crises alter the cultural and social structures that affect the statuses of the men, women, and children in the society (Olsen, Carstensen, and Høyen). Basic principles of International Humanitarian Law
International humanitarian law consists of rules used in times of armed conflicts to protect the victims of hostilities. The laws also restrict the methods of warfare employed during such situations. Humanity is one of the basic principles of international humanitarian law. The principle focuses on addressing suffering in the affected regions. It ensures the provision of emergency care to the affected populations wherever found. This results in protection of health and life of the affected populations. Principle of humanity ensures respect for a human being and promotion of their optimal health and wellbeing (van der Merwe).
Impartiality, which is the second basic principle of the international humanitarian law, focuses on prioritizing needs of the population in crisis. Principle of impartiality recognizes that, humanitarian actions should be basing on the severity of the human need. This entails responding to the most critical cases of distress without taking into consideration differences such as one’s nationality, religious beliefs, race, social class or ideological opinions. Through this, the affected receive universal care irrespective of their differences (Sassòli).
The third basic principle of international humanitarian law is neutrality. Neutrality entails ensuring that, humanitarian agencies should never take sides in cases of crisis or engage in political, religious, racial or ideological controversies. The principle ensures that humanitarian agencies involved adopt an abstention position that involves not providing any military support to the belligerents. This implies that, neutrality entails abstaining from acts that can jeopardize or further the interests of the conflicting parties (Harvey et al.).
The fourth basic principle of the international humanitarian law is independence. This means that, the action taken by the humanitarian agencies should be autonomous from economic, military or any other objective. The principle ensures that, involved agencies do not act in interests benefiting them, but, act on the benefits of the affected population (Besiou, Stapleton, and Wassenhove).
The fifth principle of international humanitarian law is the principle of distinction. This principle protects the affected civilians, people and objects from destruction by military operations. It requires a distinction between military/combatants objectives and civilian objectives. It provides civilians who lose protection from this principle to take part in hostilities. The sixth principle is the principle of proportionality and necessity. Principle of proportionality and necessity states that, the belligerent can apply a particular amount of force to defeat the enemy. This takes into consideration the need for civilian protection during such events (Antaki).
The principle of humane treatment focuses on ensuring humane treatment of the civilians at all times. The last principle that guides humanitarian agencies in providing emergency support during crises is the provision of preferential treatment, protection and respect to the women and children. Crises predispose women and children to various forms of violence including rape, physical assault and mental torture, which affects their health and normal wellbeing (Besiou, Stapleton and Wassenhove).
Conclusion
Humanitarian principles are at a core of many international organizations. Humanitarian principles raise awareness about the basic rules of the organizations and their roles in armed conflict. They are set as rules that help to minimize the effect of conflict and remind the organizations of their line of duty.

Dissertation on David Rieff’s thesis in “A Bed for the Night”

Introduction
The humanitarian agencies promote equity in accessing resources. They do this through ensuring gender mainstreaming, and preventing and responding to violence against women and gender based violence (Abiew). For a long period, humanitarian organizations have been in the forefront of many civil wars helping the victims. The organizations have been working independently without any political influence in their line of duty since their foundation. Their basic principles that they were founded have always been the pillar. (Hartle)

Statement problem
Despite the general look of the public towards the humanitarian organizations role and their benefits in civil torn nations, they also play a big role in the suffering of the innocent victims. For long, humanitarian organizations role in battlefields have not been put to question (Blecken). They have always been seen to be neutral something that is worth questioning. International organizations have shown deviation in the course of duty, and they are now deeply involving themselves in wars. The organizations were established with the aim of helping the victims of war or those caught in war erupted zones. Recently they have been involving themselves by calling for a ceasefire and even calling for international countries for help towards solving the war crisis.

Discussion
Though Rieff's draws a lot of controversy in his book, he clearly reveals how humanitarian organizations have lost control of their due course. Betrayal of organizations makes them lose their sight of purpose in the humanitarian field. The book draws attention towards humanitarian acts and helps to the understanding that humanitarianism is not human rights; he makes very important points about the current state of relief work and what humanitarian organizations face in the ground during their course of duty. There is no citation in the discussions, no coherency, and this makes his arguments frustrating since he uses a lot of undocumented information and statements (Taha).
Rieff bases his book on the context of political debate and morality of aid policies. The book clearly shows what aid workers do and what they are involved in war zones in different parts of the world. Rieff tries to bring out the true face of humanitarian organizations and their development. How the organizations transform and deviate from their founding principles of being neutral organizations to the power to voice the suffering and the plight of the victims of war and call for the international community to respond to their aid (“Rieff’s ‘Bed for the Night’”).
Rieff argues that humanitarian organizations risk taking sides in conflicts by seeking for international interventions; he further states that this jeopardizes their accessibility to the victims whom they are supposed to be helping in the field of conflict. The control of humanitarian organizations by the world’s major powers is due to their attention seeking behavior, and this affects their noble course of work that they are to perform (Blecken). His argument of the actions of the humanitarian organizations of trying to do well may in the end cause harm because they may end up being used politically and this ultimately will lead to manipulation by the world government donors and UN agencies by directing them to go to other places and not others (BARTOLINI).
Rieff argues that the notion of charity and the human aspect of helping and giving are in cultural roots and are somewhat under control since they have a relationship with religious obligations. He writes about the world’s best humanitarian organizations and shows how they claim to be neutral in their activities and apolitical. Such organizations mentioned are ICRC, IRC, Red Cross, Herbart Hoover American relief committee, world vision, catholic relief services and doctors without borders among others. He says that often the humanitarian organizations respond to crisis all over the world with feelings and emotions without even having a clue on what exactly is happening in the field (Rieff).
Over many years, nations have been calling for monetary assistance to help the victims of war who are fleeing persecution of civil wars. In recent times, the use of powerful methods in media techniques in order to bring attention to the public about their mission has been increasing, and in the end, the organizations have been making millions of dollars (Woodward).
He draws a huge irony in the US sponsored food drops, in Afghanistan, during the war. The food drops were in the same color package that the bombs were using, and this accounts of the event show how humanitarianism can lose its meaning and credibility by providing a cover under which military operations can be done. Rieff argues that the humanitarian organizations should be concerning themselves with human rights activities and stop their plea and advocacy campaigns that they have been recently been engaging in, there act of engaging in raising awareness throughout the world (Rieff).

Conclusion
I agree with the statement that Reiff says if international humanitarian organizations are to perform their due course and live by their founding principle then they have to gain their own independence. For many years, the world’s superpowers have been using the humanitarian organizations and manipulating them in the battlefield. This manipulation led to losing and suffering of innocent civilians. Rieff's critique of the humanitarian organizations missions are true and actually hit home. Cries for help to the international communities do little to stop the atrocities committed by either side of the war and prove to be futile.
Humanitarian organizations have been having limitations to their missions. They have let themselves be colonized and manipulated instead of standing on their ground and meet their objectives. They have let military operations take place on their own doorstep hence they partly are to blame for taking sides in military operations and war conflicts zone. I believe it is a high time for the international humanitarian organizations to stand firm and protect their dignity as well as their missions.

Protection Introduction
The principle of protection is regarded as a fundamental right to any individual in a war region. International humanitarian laws advocates for the provision of protection to any individual who is not participating in hostile activities. Protection
Protection is the act of enhancing security and restoring a state of serenity to a threatened society in a conflict zone using nonviolence means. Responsibility to protect is promising since it emphasizes on human security. Protection frames international humanitarian role in the intervening in the situation of conflict within the liberal understanding of human security and the victim’s human rights. For example in Syrian conflict, the killing of people in front of the international community that does not even takes a step in protecting the rights of the affected individuals (Balcik et al.).
Protection is something that keeps a person from undergoing harm. According to the second speaker we can intervene on hidden wars in order to protect civilians from the dangers and the effects of the war, he says we have an educated population that can help us fight such wars not necessarily involving in military operations. He says there are many ways to control fighting including selling it and not necessarily using military force (van der Merwe).
Protection also encompasses a wide range of activities aiming at obtaining full respect to individual’s human rights in accordance to the international human rights law. Many individuals rights are violated in cases of conflicts this was evidenced in war torn regions and in Rwandan genocide where there was merciless killing and persecution of innocent human beings, women were raped in the event leaving them hopeless. In protection, all parties involved in the conflict should ensure there is protection of civilian populations’ rights, and they should take full responsibility to ensure they are safe and not affected by war (Rosen).
With respect to protection of civilians in states of war, there is an achievement of significant efforts and better coordination protection efforts put on the ground, this is through humanitarian access of the affected population, enhancing accountability for human right violations and enhancing compliance of the parties fighting to the obligations under international law. This has been seen to be used in Syrian conflict where both parties are told to take full responsibility of the citizens who are in the cross fire and any party that would be found guilty will be prosecuted in accordance to the international human right law (Abiew).

Conclusion
Right to protection from harm is mandatory for any human being. The foundation of freedom and peace all over the world lies upon the recognition of human dignity and equal rights for all. It is therefore essential to promote peace and protect the weak against any harm. According to the UN declaration article, every individual is entitle to all the rights and freedom including protection without biasness.

Work cited
Abiew, Francis Kofi. “Humanitarian Action under Fire: Reflections on the Role of NGOs in Conflict and Post-Conflict Situations.” International Peacekeeping 2012 : 203–216.
Antaki, Mark. “The Transformation of the Laws of War into Humanitarian Law.” Social Science Research Network 2009.
Balcik, Burcu et al. “Coordination in Humanitarian Relief Chains: Practices, Challenges and Opportunities.” International Journal of Production Economics 2010 : 22–34.
BARTOLINI, Giulio. “General Principles of International Humanitarian Law.” aiic.net. N. p., n.d. Print.
Besiou, Maria, Orla Stapleton, and Luk N. Van Wassenhove. “System Dynamics for Humanitarian Operations.” Journal of Humanitarian Logistics and Supply Chain Management 2011 : 78–103.
Blecken, Alexander. “Logistics in the Context of Humanitarian Operations.” Advanced Manufacturing and Sustainable Logistics 46 (2010): 85–93.
Hartle, Anthony E. “Humanitarianism and the Laws of War.” Philosophy 1986 : 109.
Harvey, Paul et al. The State of The Humanitarian System. N. p., 2010. Print.
Olsen, Gorm Rye, Nils Carstensen, and Kristian Høyen. “Humanitarian Crises: What Determines the Level of Emergency Assistance? Media Coverage, Donor Interests and the Aid Business.” Disasters 27 (2003): 109–126.
Rieff, David. A Bed for the Night: Humanitarianism in Crisis. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2003. Print.
“Rieff’s ‘Bed for the Night’: The Dangers of Doing Good.” Baltimore Sun. N. p., n.d. Print.
Rosen, David M. “Child Soldiers, International Humanitarian Law, and the Globalization of Childhood.” American Anthropologist 109 (2007): 296–306.
Sassòli, Marco. “Human Rights and Humanitarian Norms as Customary Law.” International Review of the Red Cross 1989 : 602.
Taha, Hagar. “The Failure to Protect, Again: A Comparative Study Of International And Regional Reactions Towards Humanitarian Disasters In Rwanda And Darfur.” N. p., n.d. Print.
Van der Merwe, Charl. “Humanitarian Logistics.” Development in Practice 2010 : 305–307.
Woodward, S L. “Humanitarian War: A New Consensus?” Disasters 25 (2001): 331–344.

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