The (de)Militarization of Humanitarian Aid

A Historical Perspective

Bibliographic Data

ID5843809
AuthorsMarc-Antoine De Montclos (Université Paris 8, corresponding author)
Year2014
Volume3
Issue2
Pages232-243
Publication date2014-06-16
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueHumanities (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 2076-0787 • E-ISSN: 2076-0787
PublisherMDPI AG (PUBLISHER • IT)
DOI10.3390/h3020232
OpenAlexW2064361002
LanguageEN
Citations received11
References cited14

Humanitarian workers often complain that international aid to victims of armed conflicts is more and more militarized because relief organizations are embedded into peacekeeping operations, used as a "force multiplier", or manipulated as an instrument of diplomacy by proxy. Historically, however, charity has always been a military issue in times of war. We can distinguish four types of militarization of relief organizations in this regard. First is the use of charities to make "war by proxy", as in Afghanistan or Nicaragua in the 1980s. The second pattern is "embedment", like the Red Cross during the two world wars. The third is "self-defense", as with the Order of Saint John of Jerusalem (now Malta) in the 12th Century. The fourth, finally, is the model of "International Brigades" alongside the Spanish Republicans in 1936 or various liberation movements in the 1970s. In comparison, humanitarian aid today appears to be much less militarized. However, this perception also depends on the various definitions of the word "humanitarian

Demobilization · Humanitarian aid · Militarism · Militarization · Peacekeeping · Historical and Contemporary Political Dynamics · Peacebuilding and International Security · Religion, Society, and Development

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