Whose line is it anyway?
Published 06 November 2008
The Thin Blue Line: How Humanitarianism Went to War Conor Foley Verso, 256pp, £14.99
Whose line is it anyway?
As a veteran aid worker of crisis zones around the world, Conor Foley writes vividly about the way humanitarianism has become a multibillion-dollar industry that
is increasingly entwined with the political aims of western governments. Working in Afghanistan between 2003 and 2004, Foley found that he and his colleagues were “objectively indistinguishable” from the international military forces in seeking to promote law and human rights and weaken the warlords – and were thus “taking sides”.
Foley is uneasy about the way soldiers helped to distribute aid, drawing NGOs into their battle to win hearts and minds. While he does not make a direct connection, he coolly reports the “looming menace” that coloured his time in Afghanistan – the steady killing of aid workers by the Taliban.
Foley analyses the erosion of traditional neutrality in the rise of “political humanitarianism”. Many NGOs advocated western military intervention in Darfur, arguing that the international community has a duty to protect people. To Foley this was an empty threat
that contributed to suffering in the region. This intelligent book raises important questions about how
far humanitarians should compromise their neutrality.
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