Chapter 1 The friction of practice – reflecting on the Médecins Sans Frontières experience with ‘authoritarian regimes’
Author(s)
Healy, Sean
Cunningham, Andrew J
Language
EnglishAbstract
This book examines authoritarian practices in relation to humanitarian negotiations. Utilising a wide variety of perspectives and examining a range of contexts, the book considers how humanitarians assess and engage with authoritarian practices and negotiate access to populations in danger.
Chapters provide insights at the macro, meso, and micro levels through case studies on the international and domestic legal and political framing of humanitarian contexts (Xinjiang, Afghanistan, Venezuela, Russia, and Syria), as well as the actual practice of negotiating with authoritarian regimes (Ethiopia). A theoretical grounding is provided through chapters elaborating on the ethics and trust-building dimensions of humanitarian negotiations, and an overview chapter provides a theoretical framework through which to analyse humanitarian negotiations against the backdrop of different types of authoritarian practices.
This book provides a wide-ranging view which broadens the frame of reference when considering how humanitarians view and engage with authoritarian practices. The objective is to both put these contexts into conceptual order and provide a firm theoretical basis for understanding the politics of humanitarian negotiations in such difficult contexts. This book is useful for those studying international politics and humanitarian studies, as well as for practitioners seeking to better systematise their humanitarian negotiations.
Keywords
Authoritarian Regimes,Humanitarian Organisations,Development Studies,Negotiations,Humanitarian Studies,Syria,China,Ethiopia,AfghanistanDOI
10.4324/9781003316541-2ISBN
9781032327570, 9781032326795, 9781003316541Publisher
Taylor & FrancisPublisher website
https://taylorandfrancis.com/Publication date and place
2024Imprint
RoutledgeClassification
Politics and government
International relations
Peace studies and conflict resolution
Non-governmental organizations (NGOs)
Development studies