Killing the humanitarian space one bullet at a time
Killing the humanitarian space Far from sacred The international press is reporting today that a WHO (World Health Organization) vehicle carrying COVID-19 test swabs from Sittwe to Yangon was fired upon and the driver was killed. The bullet taken from the body appears to be a M-23 (machine gun) slug produced by the Myanmar defense factory. There is little doubt this round was fired by a Tatmadaw [Myanmar military] soldier. Here is an article from the local press describing the incident in more detail, with both sides, the AA and the Tatmadaw being blamed. Here is one definition of the ‘humanitarian space’: “’Humanitarian space’ refers to an operational environment that allows humanitarian actors to provide assistance and services according to humanitarian principles and in line with international humanitarian law.” (OCHA, United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs) In this ‘civil war’ between the Arakan Army and the Tatmadaw it…
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FollowAn open letter to Win Myint and Aung San Suu Kyi
An open letter to Win Myint and Aung San Suu Kyi 19 April 2020 Dear President Win Myint and Myanmar State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi, I respectfully request that you read my words. I write to you because you are in positions of power in Myanmar. I urge you to take immediate actions to halt all warfare in your nation. Who am I to ask you to take these peace-oriented actions? I am nobody. I am everybody. I am the voice of humanitarians everywhere. I am a sociologist who has devoted his life to understanding the human condition and working for a world where all humans are able to live with dignity and peace. Your military has a long history of waging war against a wide range of ethnic minorities, and your nation is currently charged with the crime of genocide in the International Court of Justice. Just…
Read MoreCOVID-19 response: ‘acute on chronic’ for the entire humanitarian sector
“In any case, these interrelations between the three communities, all with different cultures and nationalities, proved that there exist people with a sincere understanding of other people, no matter where they are in the world. It proves that there always exist significant people who transcend government ideologies.” –Behrouz Boochani, A Letter from Manus Island COVID-19 response: ‘acute on chronic’ for the entire humanitarian sector 8 minute read [Updated 4.7.20;5:20PM EST] A global crisis The humanitarian sector is reacting to a massive ‘acute on chronic’ situation as the COVID-19 pandemic impacts all aspects of ‘normal’ humanitarian work. UN entities (e.g., IOM, WFP) and all major INGOs scramble to react to this viral tsunami and to coordinate response with each other, major donor entities, and with affected governments on all continents. Supply chains are strained or broken, funding is even more uncertain, and affected populations are in varying states of even more…
Read MoreOne humanitarian’s story: thoughts from ‘C’ about the sector
Warning: long read, 5100+ words One humanitarian’s story: thoughts from ‘C’ about the sector One woman, one story I have had many Skype visitors to my “Global Citizen/Humanitarian sector” sociology class over the years, humanitarians all. In a previous post I discuss five of these guests, but below I go deeper into the encounter we had with a humanitarian who, chooses to go by simply ‘C’. Although she is ‘only one person’ her experiences will resonate with many who share her demographic profile: white, 30ish, female, and from the global North, the United States, no less. Please note as you read her statements that her tone, cadence, pauses, and stress on certain words and phrases brought her words to life in ways that cannot be conveyed adequately in the bare text you will read below. There was emotion in her voice as she spoke to us, and we could see…
Read MoreMobile and wifi access a basic human right? Yes!
“The first thing a refugee asks for upon arrival at a camp is not water or food, but the Wi-Fi password. A smartphone has become a basic humanitarian need because it allows displaced people to connect with loved ones they’ve been separated from.” -Turkish telecom CEO Kaan Terzioglu at DAVOS, 2018 Mobile and wifi access a basic human right? Just now I am writing in a local coffee shop, surrounded by colleagues, students, and staff at my university, literally 100% of whom are connected via cell and/or wifi. In the global north where I live connectivity is essential, even vital, for day to day life. Is the same true for the rest of the world, especially those who are now refugees? More specifically, in our globalized world, is cell and wifi access essential and therefore a basic human right? I’ll argue absolutely yes. Rohingya denied Over two months have passed…
Read MoreOpen letter to my elected officials regarding Myanmar
Updated 9-25-19 I have added three parts to this post. First are some relevant links and then I comment on the overall situation. Relevant links (provided by The International Campaign for the Rohingya), especially for those in the US: How Universities Can Join the Movement to End Genocide HR 3190 Burma Unified through Rigorous Military Accountability Act of 2019 “Engel Presses for Accountability for Burmese Military Crimes Against the Rohingya”, House Foreign Affairs Committee, July 29, 2019 Cardin Says Designating Burmese Military Leaders As Human Rights Violators Must Be Followed Up with Stronger Actions,” July 17, 2019 “UN mission urges cutting off financial ties with Myanmar army,” Al Jazeera, May 14, 2019 Museum Finds Compelling Evidence Genocide was Committed Against Rohingya, Warns of Continued Threat,” United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, December 3, 2018 Documenting Atrocity Crimes Committed Against the Rohingya on Myanmar’s Rakhine State, Public International Law & Policy Group (PILPG), December…
Read MoreBringing sandwiches to the gates of Auschwitz
“The humanitarian imperative for me, I don’t want to use a cliché, but it’s really simple in my head: you’re damned if you do and you’re damned if you don’t. That’s it.” -30 something female humanitarian Bringing sandwiches to the gates of Auschwitz Brooding about the humanitarian imperative I recently re-read Samantha Power’s book Chasing the Flame, again drinking in every word as she chronicles in deep and sensitive detail the life, and death, of UN humanitarian diplomat Sergio Vierira de Mello. The complete title of Power’s book is “Chasing the Flame: Sergio Vieira de Mello and the Fight to Save the World.” Spoiler alert: he doesn’t. Likely because of my recent research on humanitarian workers, and, in the last several months, into the lives of ‘refugee humanitarians‘, Rohingya women and men living in Cox’s Bazar, I was struck by a phrase Power’s used, a quote from a long-ago published NY Times…
Read MoreAid worker voices in the classroom
Aid worker voices in the classroom Our semester ends As a career academic it is my deep privilege to touch the lives of countless bright undergraduates. My goal in every class is to not just share knowledge but more so to pass on the flame of passion for knowing more about the world in which we live. For many years I have taken inspiration from Mahmood Mamdani, author of Saviors and Survivors. In the beginning pages he says, “In contrast to those who suggest that we act as soon as the whistle blows, I suggest that, even before the whistle blows, we ceaselessly try to know the world in which we live — and act. Even if we must act on imperfect knowledge, we must never act as if knowing is no longer relevant. ” I put Mamdani’s words prominently at the beginning of all my course syllabi and, throughout each semester, I…
Read MoreBook review and commentary: Cross-Border by J
Book review and commentary: Cross-Border by J Cross-Border This most recent publication by Evil Genius author ‘J’ is a fast read that does what all well told stories do, it leaves you wanting more and raises more questions than it answers, engaging the imagination in very positive ways. J makes the characters three dimensional, and each comes alive for the reader in ways that make them real, relatable, and very human. Settings are described carefully, providing authentic and nuanced details that allow the reader to easily transport themselves to each location. I’ll let J himself give you a tease (from the Amazon page): Larry was the consummate headquarters bureaucrat. As head of World Aid Corps’ (WAC) grant management unit, he lived his life among fluorescent-lit cubicles in Washington D.C., looking at spreadsheets and checking reports, content to let others have the glamor and spotlight of the field. But when Tracy…
Read MoreA profile of Tawhidul, a humanitarian
And now, A profile of Tawhidul, a humanitarian “I really like working for my organisation. This is not for the money, of course, it is to see different parts of the world and how people are suffering … and how I can help.” -Tawhidul Hamid This is a profile of one humanitarian worker, but his story is not unusual. Indeed, there are countless national humanitarian workers all over the globe with stories very similar to his. Worldwide there are over 500,000 humanitarian workers, and approximately 90% of them are national workers. My goal is to have both the larger academic and global communities know more about national aid workers. A common stereotype I have encountered both among my students and colleagues is that aid workers are global North white people that are sacrificing their lives and ‘saving the world.’ From my research, I know that most humanitarian aid workers are…
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