Geoffrey Blest
- Published in print:
- 1997
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780198206996
- eISBN:
- 9780191677427
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198206996.003.0004
- Subject:
- History, Military History
This chapter discusses the systematic review of the Geneva side of the law which issued in the four Geneva Conventions of the summer of 1949. It notes that the review is discreetly orchestrated by ...
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This chapter discusses the systematic review of the Geneva side of the law which issued in the four Geneva Conventions of the summer of 1949. It notes that the review is discreetly orchestrated by the International Committee of the Red Cross and confined within what that body understood to be its prudent limits. It further notes that this review is so long-drawn-out and so undramatic that it attracted hardly any public attention, yet some of its debates and achievements would have profoundly interested the more reflective members of the public. It compares the ‘Nuremberg’ and ‘Tokyo’ stories which attracted great publicity from the outset, and have not ceased to engage historians' attention. In this chapter the author tells the ‘Geneva’ story more amply and historically, since it has scarcely been told except by lawyers to lawyers for their own professional interest and purposes.Less
This chapter discusses the systematic review of the Geneva side of the law which issued in the four Geneva Conventions of the summer of 1949. It notes that the review is discreetly orchestrated by the International Committee of the Red Cross and confined within what that body understood to be its prudent limits. It further notes that this review is so long-drawn-out and so undramatic that it attracted hardly any public attention, yet some of its debates and achievements would have profoundly interested the more reflective members of the public. It compares the ‘Nuremberg’ and ‘Tokyo’ stories which attracted great publicity from the outset, and have not ceased to engage historians' attention. In this chapter the author tells the ‘Geneva’ story more amply and historically, since it has scarcely been told except by lawyers to lawyers for their own professional interest and purposes.
Neville Wylie
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- May 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780199547593
- eISBN:
- 9780191720581
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199547593.003.0005
- Subject:
- History, European Modern History
This chapter addresses the ‘parcels crisis’ of 1940–41 and shows how the collapse of the supply of relief parcels to German POW camps after the fall of France galvanized the prisoners and their ...
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This chapter addresses the ‘parcels crisis’ of 1940–41 and shows how the collapse of the supply of relief parcels to German POW camps after the fall of France galvanized the prisoners and their supporters in the United Kingdom and expatriate communities abroad into seizing the initiative and demanding a more responsive attitude from both the government and the Joint War Organization (JWO) of the British Red Cross Society and Order of St John of Jerusalem. The crisis transformed POW wellbeing into an issue of domestic political importance, and gave rise to a powerful POW lobby group within parliament and the country at large. It also forced the government to override the independence of the JWO and assume greater responsibility for POW wellbeing and Britain's relations with the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).Less
This chapter addresses the ‘parcels crisis’ of 1940–41 and shows how the collapse of the supply of relief parcels to German POW camps after the fall of France galvanized the prisoners and their supporters in the United Kingdom and expatriate communities abroad into seizing the initiative and demanding a more responsive attitude from both the government and the Joint War Organization (JWO) of the British Red Cross Society and Order of St John of Jerusalem. The crisis transformed POW wellbeing into an issue of domestic political importance, and gave rise to a powerful POW lobby group within parliament and the country at large. It also forced the government to override the independence of the JWO and assume greater responsibility for POW wellbeing and Britain's relations with the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).
Christine Ardalan
- Published in print:
- 2019
- Published Online:
- May 2020
- ISBN:
- 9780813066158
- eISBN:
- 9780813058368
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University Press of Florida
- DOI:
- 10.5744/florida/9780813066158.003.0004
- Subject:
- History, American History: 20th Century
This chapter explores the influence of the Red Cross Nursing Service in Florida after World War I when the American Red Cross focused on public health nursing. Central leadership from its Washington, ...
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This chapter explores the influence of the Red Cross Nursing Service in Florida after World War I when the American Red Cross focused on public health nursing. Central leadership from its Washington, DC headquarters directed policies and values that guided Red Cross nurses into the southernmost state. The policies and the nurses themselves illuminated the connections between the Red Cross, race, class, and a population in dire need of healthcare. Becuase the Red Cross was to some extentcolorblind with its policies and nurse recruitment, it paved the way for black public health nurses to forge new paths. From local Red Cross chapters, the white and few black nurses began to establish links with the communities. The Home Hygiene and Care of the Sick classes offered a particularly important means to serve all, regardless of race. The aftermath of Florida’s 1928 hurricane highlighted the more racially open policy towards the employment of African American nurses. Rosa Brown demonstrated the need for public health nurses to improve health in the neglected rural areas of Palm Beach County.Less
This chapter explores the influence of the Red Cross Nursing Service in Florida after World War I when the American Red Cross focused on public health nursing. Central leadership from its Washington, DC headquarters directed policies and values that guided Red Cross nurses into the southernmost state. The policies and the nurses themselves illuminated the connections between the Red Cross, race, class, and a population in dire need of healthcare. Becuase the Red Cross was to some extentcolorblind with its policies and nurse recruitment, it paved the way for black public health nurses to forge new paths. From local Red Cross chapters, the white and few black nurses began to establish links with the communities. The Home Hygiene and Care of the Sick classes offered a particularly important means to serve all, regardless of race. The aftermath of Florida’s 1928 hurricane highlighted the more racially open policy towards the employment of African American nurses. Rosa Brown demonstrated the need for public health nurses to improve health in the neglected rural areas of Palm Beach County.
Geoffrey Blest
- Published in print:
- 1997
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780198206996
- eISBN:
- 9780191677427
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198206996.003.0005
- Subject:
- History, Military History
This chapter discusses the major laws that form part of the making of the Geneva Conventions. It discusses the appurtenant laws and organizations that promote protection of civilians. It notes that ...
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This chapter discusses the major laws that form part of the making of the Geneva Conventions. It discusses the appurtenant laws and organizations that promote protection of civilians. It notes that the other side of the coin from the protection of civilians is protection of combatants incorporated in the rules on the security of belligerents. It provides the principal purpose of the first and second Geneva Conventions and the Red Cross Conventions which reaffirms the principles which had been at the heart of the Geneva law since its pioneering codification in the early 1860s: the protection and care of the sick and wounded soldiers and sailors; similarly, the protection and support of the men and women who undertake that care, and the distinctive sign they carry. It also discusses the 1949 POW Convention, much enlarged beyond the 1929 bridgehead, which is made up of 143 articles and five annexes.Less
This chapter discusses the major laws that form part of the making of the Geneva Conventions. It discusses the appurtenant laws and organizations that promote protection of civilians. It notes that the other side of the coin from the protection of civilians is protection of combatants incorporated in the rules on the security of belligerents. It provides the principal purpose of the first and second Geneva Conventions and the Red Cross Conventions which reaffirms the principles which had been at the heart of the Geneva law since its pioneering codification in the early 1860s: the protection and care of the sick and wounded soldiers and sailors; similarly, the protection and support of the men and women who undertake that care, and the distinctive sign they carry. It also discusses the 1949 POW Convention, much enlarged beyond the 1929 bridgehead, which is made up of 143 articles and five annexes.
Elisabeth S. Clemens
- Published in print:
- 2020
- Published Online:
- September 2020
- ISBN:
- 9780226559360
- eISBN:
- 9780226670973
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of Chicago Press
- DOI:
- 10.7208/chicago/9780226670973.003.0005
- Subject:
- Sociology, Comparative and Historical Sociology
Over the first decades of the twentieth century, this model of urban governance was harnessed to unprecedented crises, both local and international. The 1906 San Francisco Earthquake inspired a ...
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Over the first decades of the twentieth century, this model of urban governance was harnessed to unprecedented crises, both local and international. The 1906 San Francisco Earthquake inspired a national response to the disaster that extended the capacities of a still new organization, the American Red Cross. Closely linked to the presidency, the Red Cross came to function as a voluntary infrastructure for the extension of national efforts, an arrangement that would be solidified in the mobilization for the First World War. During that conflict, “voluntary” giving to a national cause was established as a model of good citizenship and institutionalized through the charitable deduction to the individual income tax.Less
Over the first decades of the twentieth century, this model of urban governance was harnessed to unprecedented crises, both local and international. The 1906 San Francisco Earthquake inspired a national response to the disaster that extended the capacities of a still new organization, the American Red Cross. Closely linked to the presidency, the Red Cross came to function as a voluntary infrastructure for the extension of national efforts, an arrangement that would be solidified in the mobilization for the First World War. During that conflict, “voluntary” giving to a national cause was established as a model of good citizenship and institutionalized through the charitable deduction to the individual income tax.
Shai M. Dromi
- Published in print:
- 2020
- Published Online:
- September 2020
- ISBN:
- 9780226680101
- eISBN:
- 9780226680385
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of Chicago Press
- DOI:
- 10.7208/chicago/9780226680385.003.0003
- Subject:
- Sociology, Comparative and Historical Sociology
The international Red Cross movement emerged at a period of rising nationalism in politics and culture, and yet the movement spread across borders with considerable ease. This chapter examines how ...
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The international Red Cross movement emerged at a period of rising nationalism in politics and culture, and yet the movement spread across borders with considerable ease. This chapter examines how the cultural structures and the organizational logics of the Red Cross to the international disseminated between the 1860s to the 1890s. It shows that processes of cultural production and of translation of meanings across national contexts mediated the transition from social movement to a broad social field. In particular, the first large-scale achievement of the movement - the Geneva Convention - afforded numerous parties in different nations with the language to problematize and criticize belligerents’ conduct, to classify specific populations as neutral or vulnerable, and to formalize the role of volunteer humanitarians. The chapter demonstrates that the growth of the transnational humanitarian field was facilitated by the resonance of its meaning structures with patriotic sentiments that were prevalent across late-nineteenth-century Europe and beyond.Less
The international Red Cross movement emerged at a period of rising nationalism in politics and culture, and yet the movement spread across borders with considerable ease. This chapter examines how the cultural structures and the organizational logics of the Red Cross to the international disseminated between the 1860s to the 1890s. It shows that processes of cultural production and of translation of meanings across national contexts mediated the transition from social movement to a broad social field. In particular, the first large-scale achievement of the movement - the Geneva Convention - afforded numerous parties in different nations with the language to problematize and criticize belligerents’ conduct, to classify specific populations as neutral or vulnerable, and to formalize the role of volunteer humanitarians. The chapter demonstrates that the growth of the transnational humanitarian field was facilitated by the resonance of its meaning structures with patriotic sentiments that were prevalent across late-nineteenth-century Europe and beyond.
Elisabeth S. Clemens
- Published in print:
- 2015
- Published Online:
- May 2016
- ISBN:
- 9780226277646
- eISBN:
- 9780226277813
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of Chicago Press
- DOI:
- 10.7208/chicago/9780226277813.003.0008
- Subject:
- History, Political History
In times of crisis, domestic or international, the capacity of American government has been enhanced by the large-scale mobilization of civic benevolence. Although the New Deal is often envisioned as ...
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In times of crisis, domestic or international, the capacity of American government has been enhanced by the large-scale mobilization of civic benevolence. Although the New Deal is often envisioned as marking an end to the era of voluntarism in the provision of public goods, President Roosevelt constructed new alignments of citizen philanthropy with national projects, represented by the March of Dimes against polio and the widespread equation of donating with patriotic citizenship during the Second World War. Following Roosevelt's death and the end of the war, both his allies and opposition competed to reinforce or replace this presidentially-centered regime of civic philanthropy with other configurations that varied in their degree of inclusion (particularly of organized labor) and local rather than national orientation. Within a decade, the result was a much more fragmented system of civic benevolence, oriented to particular causes rather than national crises and patriotic solidarity.Less
In times of crisis, domestic or international, the capacity of American government has been enhanced by the large-scale mobilization of civic benevolence. Although the New Deal is often envisioned as marking an end to the era of voluntarism in the provision of public goods, President Roosevelt constructed new alignments of citizen philanthropy with national projects, represented by the March of Dimes against polio and the widespread equation of donating with patriotic citizenship during the Second World War. Following Roosevelt's death and the end of the war, both his allies and opposition competed to reinforce or replace this presidentially-centered regime of civic philanthropy with other configurations that varied in their degree of inclusion (particularly of organized labor) and local rather than national orientation. Within a decade, the result was a much more fragmented system of civic benevolence, oriented to particular causes rather than national crises and patriotic solidarity.
Elisabeth S. Clemens
- Published in print:
- 2020
- Published Online:
- September 2020
- ISBN:
- 9780226559360
- eISBN:
- 9780226670973
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of Chicago Press
- DOI:
- 10.7208/chicago/9780226670973.003.0006
- Subject:
- Sociology, Comparative and Historical Sociology
The mobilization for the First World War had been organized through a powerful configuration of voluntary associations and national agencies. After the war, what use could be made of these ...
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The mobilization for the First World War had been organized through a powerful configuration of voluntary associations and national agencies. After the war, what use could be made of these arrangements? National organizations such as the American Red Cross struggled to define a new mission suited to domestic efforts during peacetime. Local organizations, notably the Community Chests, were increasingly influential as a civic alternative to municipal government. But with the Mississippi River flood of 1927 and the onset of the drought and unemployment that would become the Great Depression, these models were deployed to meet new and difficult crises. Prior to the New Deal, the limits of voluntary responses to the Great Depression created the context in which a substantial expansion of federal aid could be contemplated.Less
The mobilization for the First World War had been organized through a powerful configuration of voluntary associations and national agencies. After the war, what use could be made of these arrangements? National organizations such as the American Red Cross struggled to define a new mission suited to domestic efforts during peacetime. Local organizations, notably the Community Chests, were increasingly influential as a civic alternative to municipal government. But with the Mississippi River flood of 1927 and the onset of the drought and unemployment that would become the Great Depression, these models were deployed to meet new and difficult crises. Prior to the New Deal, the limits of voluntary responses to the Great Depression created the context in which a substantial expansion of federal aid could be contemplated.
Elisabeth S. Clemens
- Published in print:
- 2020
- Published Online:
- September 2020
- ISBN:
- 9780226559360
- eISBN:
- 9780226670973
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of Chicago Press
- DOI:
- 10.7208/chicago/9780226670973.003.0008
- Subject:
- Sociology, Comparative and Historical Sociology
The mobilization for World War Two activated many of the public-private configurations that had been so important in the First World War. Yet there were questions of the actual contribution of all ...
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The mobilization for World War Two activated many of the public-private configurations that had been so important in the First World War. Yet there were questions of the actual contribution of all these efforts. Voluntary fund-raising hit new peaks, but these were dwarfed by the receipts from a greatly expanded federal income tax introduced in the early years of the war. Volunteers were called to serve, yet the actual contributions of these efforts were unclear given the technological advances in war-making. Instead voluntarism became increasingly recognized as a means to strengthen patriotic solidarity, particularly after the death of President Roosevelt.Less
The mobilization for World War Two activated many of the public-private configurations that had been so important in the First World War. Yet there were questions of the actual contribution of all these efforts. Voluntary fund-raising hit new peaks, but these were dwarfed by the receipts from a greatly expanded federal income tax introduced in the early years of the war. Volunteers were called to serve, yet the actual contributions of these efforts were unclear given the technological advances in war-making. Instead voluntarism became increasingly recognized as a means to strengthen patriotic solidarity, particularly after the death of President Roosevelt.
Shai M. Dromi
- Published in print:
- 2020
- Published Online:
- September 2020
- ISBN:
- 9780226680101
- eISBN:
- 9780226680385
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of Chicago Press
- DOI:
- 10.7208/chicago/9780226680385.003.0004
- Subject:
- Sociology, Comparative and Historical Sociology
The nascent transnational humanitarian field relied in many ways on actors in other fields who affirmed its importance and independence, such as legal scholars, nursing professionals, and ...
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The nascent transnational humanitarian field relied in many ways on actors in other fields who affirmed its importance and independence, such as legal scholars, nursing professionals, and journalists. This chapter traces the relationships between the humanitarian field and the fields of nursing, journalism, religion, and international law in the late nineteenth century. It examines the symbiotic relationship that emerged between the transnational humanitarian field and each of these other fields. As the chapter shows, the affiliation with humanitarian actors helped these other fields reimagine their own undertakings as aligning with the common good. The Red Cross in particular provided the language to confer distinction and prestige on their undertakings.Less
The nascent transnational humanitarian field relied in many ways on actors in other fields who affirmed its importance and independence, such as legal scholars, nursing professionals, and journalists. This chapter traces the relationships between the humanitarian field and the fields of nursing, journalism, religion, and international law in the late nineteenth century. It examines the symbiotic relationship that emerged between the transnational humanitarian field and each of these other fields. As the chapter shows, the affiliation with humanitarian actors helped these other fields reimagine their own undertakings as aligning with the common good. The Red Cross in particular provided the language to confer distinction and prestige on their undertakings.
Shai M. Dromi
- Published in print:
- 2020
- Published Online:
- September 2020
- ISBN:
- 9780226680101
- eISBN:
- 9780226680385
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of Chicago Press
- DOI:
- 10.7208/chicago/9780226680385.003.0005
- Subject:
- Sociology, Comparative and Historical Sociology
To what extent does the contemporary transnational humanitarian field continue to bear the mark of the religious faith of its founders? This chapter shows that although the field has seen significant ...
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To what extent does the contemporary transnational humanitarian field continue to bear the mark of the religious faith of its founders? This chapter shows that although the field has seen significant upheavals, its core identity and logics have persevered since the late-nineteenth-century. However, humanitarians have continuously disagreed about the ways in which they believed core field values should be realized. The chapter traces the increasing contestation among humanitarian actors over the proper ways to organize their field. It focuses in particular on the 1970s rise of Doctors without Borders, a movement highly critical of Red Cross organizational and ethical logics. The chapter shows that despite the multiple aspirations for revolution, Doctors without Borders had to rely on the existing moral infrastructure laid in place by the Red Cross to gain a prominent standing in the civil sphere.Less
To what extent does the contemporary transnational humanitarian field continue to bear the mark of the religious faith of its founders? This chapter shows that although the field has seen significant upheavals, its core identity and logics have persevered since the late-nineteenth-century. However, humanitarians have continuously disagreed about the ways in which they believed core field values should be realized. The chapter traces the increasing contestation among humanitarian actors over the proper ways to organize their field. It focuses in particular on the 1970s rise of Doctors without Borders, a movement highly critical of Red Cross organizational and ethical logics. The chapter shows that despite the multiple aspirations for revolution, Doctors without Borders had to rely on the existing moral infrastructure laid in place by the Red Cross to gain a prominent standing in the civil sphere.
Elisabeth S. Clemens
- Published in print:
- 2020
- Published Online:
- September 2020
- ISBN:
- 9780226559360
- eISBN:
- 9780226670973
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of Chicago Press
- DOI:
- 10.7208/chicago/9780226670973.003.0007
- Subject:
- Sociology, Comparative and Historical Sociology
The Great Depression brought unemployment and misery on a scale that overwhelmed the capacity of voluntary as well as municipal resources for emergency relief. Government relief efforts were ...
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The Great Depression brought unemployment and misery on a scale that overwhelmed the capacity of voluntary as well as municipal resources for emergency relief. Government relief efforts were massively expanded, while those of private voluntary agencies contracted in relative if not always absolute terms. Yet the New Deal did not bring an end to the role of voluntary associations in providing relief and services to those in need. Even with an expanded capacity to tax, government resources remained insufficient; voluntarism would be supported by new policies, including the corporate charitable deduction. At the same time, President Franklin D. Roosevelt and his ally Harry Hopkins made new uses of national voluntary efforts to mobilize support for the president, notably through the March of Dimes to raise funds for polio treatment as well as research, and to strengthen patriotic solidarity.Less
The Great Depression brought unemployment and misery on a scale that overwhelmed the capacity of voluntary as well as municipal resources for emergency relief. Government relief efforts were massively expanded, while those of private voluntary agencies contracted in relative if not always absolute terms. Yet the New Deal did not bring an end to the role of voluntary associations in providing relief and services to those in need. Even with an expanded capacity to tax, government resources remained insufficient; voluntarism would be supported by new policies, including the corporate charitable deduction. At the same time, President Franklin D. Roosevelt and his ally Harry Hopkins made new uses of national voluntary efforts to mobilize support for the president, notably through the March of Dimes to raise funds for polio treatment as well as research, and to strengthen patriotic solidarity.
Shai M. Dromi
- Published in print:
- 2020
- Published Online:
- September 2020
- ISBN:
- 9780226680101
- eISBN:
- 9780226680385
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of Chicago Press
- DOI:
- 10.7208/chicago/9780226680385.003.0002
- Subject:
- Sociology, Comparative and Historical Sociology
The early Red Cross movement promoted a controversial idea: establishing a sector of nongovernmental and impartial volunteer societies, which would be considered neutral parties on the battlefield. ...
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The early Red Cross movement promoted a controversial idea: establishing a sector of nongovernmental and impartial volunteer societies, which would be considered neutral parties on the battlefield. What convinced the Red Cross founders that this is an appropriate model for relief work? This chapter delves into the early genesis of the Red Cross in the 1860s and presents the theological origins of its proposal to organize a humanitarian sector. It focuses on the nineteenth-century Reformed Protestant Réveil movement and the social conditions in Geneva that led to the establishment and success of the movement there. The chapter shows that the principles the Red Cross espoused – impartiality, neutrality, permanence – were rooted in the religious convictions of its founding members about the nature of war, the agency of humankind in alleviating its effects, and the proper relationship between the state and civil associations. The chapter demonstrates how those principles became embedded in the legal and organizational structures of the humanitarian field.Less
The early Red Cross movement promoted a controversial idea: establishing a sector of nongovernmental and impartial volunteer societies, which would be considered neutral parties on the battlefield. What convinced the Red Cross founders that this is an appropriate model for relief work? This chapter delves into the early genesis of the Red Cross in the 1860s and presents the theological origins of its proposal to organize a humanitarian sector. It focuses on the nineteenth-century Reformed Protestant Réveil movement and the social conditions in Geneva that led to the establishment and success of the movement there. The chapter shows that the principles the Red Cross espoused – impartiality, neutrality, permanence – were rooted in the religious convictions of its founding members about the nature of war, the agency of humankind in alleviating its effects, and the proper relationship between the state and civil associations. The chapter demonstrates how those principles became embedded in the legal and organizational structures of the humanitarian field.
Nicholas Morris*
- Published in print:
- 2003
- Published Online:
- April 2004
- ISBN:
- 9780199267217
- eISBN:
- 9780191601118
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0199267219.003.0006
- Subject:
- Political Science, International Relations and Politics
Assesses the success of the two humanitarian interventions in the Balkans – Bosnia in 1995 and Kosovo in 1999 – from the perspective of humanitarian organizations. It argues how, ironically, the ...
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Assesses the success of the two humanitarian interventions in the Balkans – Bosnia in 1995 and Kosovo in 1999 – from the perspective of humanitarian organizations. It argues how, ironically, the effectiveness of organizations such as UNHCR can dissuade powerful states from taking the necessary steps to address the root causes of massive human rights violations. Slow and ambiguous action from the international community can raise false expectations on the part of suffering civilians, and embolden those who commit atrocities. The author argues that the political, military, and humanitarian strands of interventions are always closely interwoven, and draws a series of lessons from the Balkans experience: the need for the international community to act early, credibly, and consistently; the importance of preserving the identity of a humanitarian operation; the imperative to end the impunity of those who orchestrate and commit massive violations of human rights; and the importance of engaging the United Nations.Less
Assesses the success of the two humanitarian interventions in the Balkans – Bosnia in 1995 and Kosovo in 1999 – from the perspective of humanitarian organizations. It argues how, ironically, the effectiveness of organizations such as UNHCR can dissuade powerful states from taking the necessary steps to address the root causes of massive human rights violations. Slow and ambiguous action from the international community can raise false expectations on the part of suffering civilians, and embolden those who commit atrocities. The author argues that the political, military, and humanitarian strands of interventions are always closely interwoven, and draws a series of lessons from the Balkans experience: the need for the international community to act early, credibly, and consistently; the importance of preserving the identity of a humanitarian operation; the imperative to end the impunity of those who orchestrate and commit massive violations of human rights; and the importance of engaging the United Nations.
Jenny Edkins
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- August 2016
- ISBN:
- 9780801450297
- eISBN:
- 9780801462795
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Cornell University Press
- DOI:
- 10.7591/cornell/9780801450297.003.0003
- Subject:
- Political Science, Political Theory
This chapter examines the official and unofficial tracing services that were set up in Europe in the aftermath of World War II as well as the tensions and disagreements that the demand to trace the ...
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This chapter examines the official and unofficial tracing services that were set up in Europe in the aftermath of World War II as well as the tensions and disagreements that the demand to trace the missing produced in the various military, civilian, and voluntary agencies. It considers the attempts of senior women in the British Red Cross and the United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration (UNRRA) to bring a particular sort of order to the chaos that was Europe. It shows that the authorities prioritized the control of populations on the move rather than the business of tracing missing persons. It also highlights the conflict between the politics of who should be helped and the concern of voluntary agencies to help everyone, even former enemies.Less
This chapter examines the official and unofficial tracing services that were set up in Europe in the aftermath of World War II as well as the tensions and disagreements that the demand to trace the missing produced in the various military, civilian, and voluntary agencies. It considers the attempts of senior women in the British Red Cross and the United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration (UNRRA) to bring a particular sort of order to the chaos that was Europe. It shows that the authorities prioritized the control of populations on the move rather than the business of tracing missing persons. It also highlights the conflict between the politics of who should be helped and the concern of voluntary agencies to help everyone, even former enemies.
Geoffrey Blest
- Published in print:
- 1997
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780198206996
- eISBN:
- 9780191677427
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198206996.003.0008
- Subject:
- History, Military History
This chapter discusses the law of armed conflict or the doctrine of ‘belligerent equality’ which applies equally to all parties to an armed conflict, whether or not the international community ...
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This chapter discusses the law of armed conflict or the doctrine of ‘belligerent equality’ which applies equally to all parties to an armed conflict, whether or not the international community regards any participant as the ‘aggressor’ or ‘victim’. It explains that the individual victims of conflict, notably civilians, POWs, the wounded, sick and shipwrecked, and all military members of nations involved are the beneficiaries of much of the law of armed conflict. It notes that the immediate humanitarian advantages of this doctrine are nowhere more evident than in the value which the ICRC places on it. It further notes that the fundamental principles of the Red Cross and Red Crescent — humanity, impartiality, neutrality, and independence — rely upon it. It emphasizes that humanity is the ark of the movement's covenant: the Red Cross's calling and duty to succour, assist, and protect war's victims and sufferers.Less
This chapter discusses the law of armed conflict or the doctrine of ‘belligerent equality’ which applies equally to all parties to an armed conflict, whether or not the international community regards any participant as the ‘aggressor’ or ‘victim’. It explains that the individual victims of conflict, notably civilians, POWs, the wounded, sick and shipwrecked, and all military members of nations involved are the beneficiaries of much of the law of armed conflict. It notes that the immediate humanitarian advantages of this doctrine are nowhere more evident than in the value which the ICRC places on it. It further notes that the fundamental principles of the Red Cross and Red Crescent — humanity, impartiality, neutrality, and independence — rely upon it. It emphasizes that humanity is the ark of the movement's covenant: the Red Cross's calling and duty to succour, assist, and protect war's victims and sufferers.
Shai M. Dromi
- Published in print:
- 2020
- Published Online:
- September 2020
- ISBN:
- 9780226680101
- eISBN:
- 9780226680385
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of Chicago Press
- DOI:
- 10.7208/chicago/9780226680385.003.0101
- Subject:
- Sociology, Comparative and Historical Sociology
The Red Cross emerged in 1863 to assist wounded soldiers on the battlefield, and received widespread acclaim. However, mid-nineteenth-century Europe was already brimming with ideas for improving ...
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The Red Cross emerged in 1863 to assist wounded soldiers on the battlefield, and received widespread acclaim. However, mid-nineteenth-century Europe was already brimming with ideas for improving medical care on the battlefield by the time the Red Cross first appeared. What made the notion of nongovernmental volunteer aid societies, as proposed by the Red Cross founders, stand out when other types of proposals were similarly attractive? This chapter traces the social and cultural conditions that made multiple parties in late-nineteenth-century Europe and elsewhere particularly receptive to the idea of organized volunteer relief work. The chapter first reviews the key ‘competitors’ to the Red Cross idea, in particular mendicant orders, military medicine reformers, and pacifist movements. The chapter then shows that the early advocates of the Red Cross—in particular Jean-Henri Dunant—offered proposals that resonated with an intersecting set of inchoate anxieties prevalent among their contemporaries, especially surrounding the neglect of wounded soldiers on the battlefield of Europe. By drawing on these specific concerns, the Red Cross gained the necessary leverage by which to advocate for volunteer humanitarianism in broader terms.Less
The Red Cross emerged in 1863 to assist wounded soldiers on the battlefield, and received widespread acclaim. However, mid-nineteenth-century Europe was already brimming with ideas for improving medical care on the battlefield by the time the Red Cross first appeared. What made the notion of nongovernmental volunteer aid societies, as proposed by the Red Cross founders, stand out when other types of proposals were similarly attractive? This chapter traces the social and cultural conditions that made multiple parties in late-nineteenth-century Europe and elsewhere particularly receptive to the idea of organized volunteer relief work. The chapter first reviews the key ‘competitors’ to the Red Cross idea, in particular mendicant orders, military medicine reformers, and pacifist movements. The chapter then shows that the early advocates of the Red Cross—in particular Jean-Henri Dunant—offered proposals that resonated with an intersecting set of inchoate anxieties prevalent among their contemporaries, especially surrounding the neglect of wounded soldiers on the battlefield of Europe. By drawing on these specific concerns, the Red Cross gained the necessary leverage by which to advocate for volunteer humanitarianism in broader terms.
Shai M. Dromi
- Published in print:
- 2020
- Published Online:
- September 2020
- ISBN:
- 9780226680101
- eISBN:
- 9780226680385
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of Chicago Press
- DOI:
- 10.7208/chicago/9780226680385.003.0001
- Subject:
- Sociology, Comparative and Historical Sociology
Humanitarian NGOs receive wide support from donors, policymakers, and diplomats, despite a lively scholarly debate about their effectiveness and ethical grounding. How did the humanitarian NGO sector ...
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Humanitarian NGOs receive wide support from donors, policymakers, and diplomats, despite a lively scholarly debate about their effectiveness and ethical grounding. How did the humanitarian NGO sector attain such an unusually trusted status? The introduction examines this question in light of existing work on the history and sociology of humanitarian work. It focuses on the central role religion has played in long-distance humanitarian projects, and highlights the mid-nineteenth-century as a key turning point in the development of the humanitarian NGO sector. Building on the work of Pierre Bourdieu and on the Strong Program in Cultural Sociology, the introduction argues that the humanitarian NGO sector achieved its prominent international status through a set of cultural and religious processes occurring in the second half of the nineteenth-century.Less
Humanitarian NGOs receive wide support from donors, policymakers, and diplomats, despite a lively scholarly debate about their effectiveness and ethical grounding. How did the humanitarian NGO sector attain such an unusually trusted status? The introduction examines this question in light of existing work on the history and sociology of humanitarian work. It focuses on the central role religion has played in long-distance humanitarian projects, and highlights the mid-nineteenth-century as a key turning point in the development of the humanitarian NGO sector. Building on the work of Pierre Bourdieu and on the Strong Program in Cultural Sociology, the introduction argues that the humanitarian NGO sector achieved its prominent international status through a set of cultural and religious processes occurring in the second half of the nineteenth-century.
Shai M. Dromi
- Published in print:
- 2020
- Published Online:
- September 2020
- ISBN:
- 9780226680101
- eISBN:
- 9780226680385
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- University of Chicago Press
- DOI:
- 10.7208/chicago/9780226680385.001.0001
- Subject:
- Sociology, Comparative and Historical Sociology
Humanitarian nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) present themselves as servants of the most longstanding and universal human values. And yet, the idea that NGOs like Médecins sans Frontières, ...
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Humanitarian nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) present themselves as servants of the most longstanding and universal human values. And yet, the idea that NGOs like Médecins sans Frontières, International Rescue Committee, or Oxfam should provide humanitarian relief is relatively new and—when proposed in the mid-nineteenth century—was surprisingly controversial. Above the Fray examines the origins of the political and organizational culture that provides humanitarian NGOs today with extraordinary influence in international politics. Drawing on archival research, the book traces its origins to a mid-nineteenth-century Geneva-based orthodox Calvinist movement. The book shows that the founding members of the Red Cross—essential figures for the emergence of the humanitarian sector—were convinced by their Calvinist faith that the only way relief could come to the victims of armed conflict was through an international volunteer program that would be free of state interests. These early activists were the first to advocate the establishment of volunteer relief societies in all state capitals, and they were the ones to propose the 1864 Geneva Convention, which has become the ethical standards for humane conduct on the battlefield. The analysis follows the remarkable international spread of humanitarian ideas over the second half of the nineteenth century, and shows how the Red Cross project struck a chord in numerous quarters for different reasons—national, professional, religious, and others—and popularized the notion of organized humanitarian volunteer societies. The book highlights the imprint of mid-nineteenth-century Calvinism that contemporary humanitarian relief organizations and policies continue to bear.Less
Humanitarian nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) present themselves as servants of the most longstanding and universal human values. And yet, the idea that NGOs like Médecins sans Frontières, International Rescue Committee, or Oxfam should provide humanitarian relief is relatively new and—when proposed in the mid-nineteenth century—was surprisingly controversial. Above the Fray examines the origins of the political and organizational culture that provides humanitarian NGOs today with extraordinary influence in international politics. Drawing on archival research, the book traces its origins to a mid-nineteenth-century Geneva-based orthodox Calvinist movement. The book shows that the founding members of the Red Cross—essential figures for the emergence of the humanitarian sector—were convinced by their Calvinist faith that the only way relief could come to the victims of armed conflict was through an international volunteer program that would be free of state interests. These early activists were the first to advocate the establishment of volunteer relief societies in all state capitals, and they were the ones to propose the 1864 Geneva Convention, which has become the ethical standards for humane conduct on the battlefield. The analysis follows the remarkable international spread of humanitarian ideas over the second half of the nineteenth century, and shows how the Red Cross project struck a chord in numerous quarters for different reasons—national, professional, religious, and others—and popularized the notion of organized humanitarian volunteer societies. The book highlights the imprint of mid-nineteenth-century Calvinism that contemporary humanitarian relief organizations and policies continue to bear.
Julia F. Irwin
- Published in print:
- 2013
- Published Online:
- March 2015
- ISBN:
- 9780199766406
- eISBN:
- 9780190254469
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:osobl/9780199766406.003.0007
- Subject:
- History, American History: 20th Century
This chapter focuses on the American Red Cross's (ARC) phenomenal growth between 1917 and 1918. It shows how the ARC's leaders sold the organization to the U.S. public and worked to define foreign ...
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This chapter focuses on the American Red Cross's (ARC) phenomenal growth between 1917 and 1918. It shows how the ARC's leaders sold the organization to the U.S. public and worked to define foreign assistance as a new obligation, a patriotic duty, during World War I. It also examines the extent to which individual Americans consented to this new set of international humanitarian responsibilities, along with the varied meanings that they attributed to this concept of foreign aid. The chapter explains how the support and confidence of the public at large enabled the ARC to become the nation's preferred instrument for overseas civilian relief. Finally, it considers ARC's international humanitarianism as a major departure in U.S. foreign affairs.Less
This chapter focuses on the American Red Cross's (ARC) phenomenal growth between 1917 and 1918. It shows how the ARC's leaders sold the organization to the U.S. public and worked to define foreign assistance as a new obligation, a patriotic duty, during World War I. It also examines the extent to which individual Americans consented to this new set of international humanitarian responsibilities, along with the varied meanings that they attributed to this concept of foreign aid. The chapter explains how the support and confidence of the public at large enabled the ARC to become the nation's preferred instrument for overseas civilian relief. Finally, it considers ARC's international humanitarianism as a major departure in U.S. foreign affairs.
