JHA electronic feedAngola: Empire of the Humanitarians
Published July 20th, 2006
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©2006 The author(s)
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May 21st, 2007 at 3:39 am
wow, sreeram! i found the article shocking in its gross oversimplifications and leaps of logic? really too bad, as i think there is a growing space for constructive criticism of the role of un and ingo actors in conflict. the work of alex de waal is notable in this regard. the vitriol you espouse would seem to suggest a deep-seated distrust of all humanitarian entities. perhaps this has something to do with your own experience or preferences for how the victims of conflict should live? accountability to civilians in conflict is a major issue, but you seem to be able to speak on behalf of the millions of angolans who survived the war thanks to humanitarin assistance without even a hint of hypocrisy? i only wish that i could assuage my own conscience with such feelings of unbridled self-righteousness. it is actually unclear to me whether you have ever worked or lived in angola, or if you simply sat back in your london flat and leafed through tomes critical of humanitarian assistance to suit a pre-conceived thesis? none of us in the humanitarian community want war or human suffering, let alone to acknowledge the role that our efforts may play in prolonging both phenomena. it is vitally important that we do so, but, unfortunately, your commentary does nothing to move the debate any further along. you will receive plaudits, no doubt, from people like nathan, but you will have done nothing to improve the lives of people living with conflict. i hope that your professors have showered you with congratulation, however, and that you proudly walk down the streets of your university neighborhood smiling to yourself at how clever you truly are for using all the peurile and solipsistic phrases of contemporary british academia. i have done so myself. b