The Political Influence on Humanitarian Aid

Defined directly as the operation of “saving lives and alleviating suffering,” humanitarian action is the work carried out by people and organizations all over the world whose goal is to serve and support the most vulnerable populations (Whittall, 2015).

The history of humanitarian assistance is divided into four specific periods: from the mid-nineteenth century until the end of the First World War in 1918, the ‘Wilsonian’ period of the interwar years and the Second World War, the Cold War period, and the post-Cold War period (Davey et al., 2013). Each stretch of time is distinguishable, not only by their dates, but by important evolutionary stages of humanitarian assistance. During the first period, nineteenth-century perceptions drove humanitarian action. In the second, international government was essentially born and then acknowledged. Humanitarian actors turned more collectively towards the non-Western nations and the development ideal transpired in the third period. Throughout the fourth and final period, geopolitical changes modified the domain within which humanitarians worked. Despite these distinct stages, the idea of humanitarian assistance was alive long before these periods.

The 1930’s faced a string of geopolitical and political situations that ended up having serious consequences on the ability to continue humanitarian operations. Economic depression led to less finances and resources, as well as the passion for international relief missions. Economic inequality and relations between nations diminished even further with the advancement of Nazism, Fascism, and Stalinism (Davey et al., 2013).

From 1943 to 1947, for the entirety of its existence, the United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration (UNRRA) was the most renowned humanitarian organization. The foundation was established on the basis of providing support, recovery, and displacement services. They were funded largely by the contributions of the member nations, who donated 1% of their national budget to the organization. In April of 1945, the United Nations (UN) was properly established, which brought forth the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. This declaration set up the basic rights and freedoms that every person is entitled to; “Everyone has the right to life, liberty, and security of person,” (Equality and Human Rights Commission, 2018).

Between 1945 and 1949, close to 200 non-governmental organizations (NGOs) were established (Davey et al., 2013). These new institutions and their directors switched the focus from European people in need, to all people, with a focus on the developing world which typically required more help. The UN itself launched only five peacekeeping missions from the years 1948 to 1988, with some of it’s 11,000 peacekeepers. By 1989-1994, these numbers had increased to twenty missions with about 75,000 peacekeepers (Davey et al., 2013).

Development of humanitarian aid was seen during the African food crises of the 1970’s (Davey et al., 2013). The awareness of these crises led to the implementation of new techniques such as early warning systems. Media promoted the awareness of humanitarian issues and operations across the world in the 1980’s. However, these were often influenced and controlled by other groups, whether that be corrupted governments, armed combatants, or the developed nations of the West. The 1990’s saw an increased number of significant crises and conflicts, such as that of Iraq, Yugoslavia, Somalia, Rwanda, etc. On the other hand, it also saw an increased number of humanitarian actors - NGOs and funding.

Problem

In today’s world where we have quick and easy access to information regarding politics and humanitarian assistance, individually, it is obvious that there is a political agenda for some when it comes to providing humanitarian aid. Governments who offer their resources to operations fail to keep their own interests separate from that of humanitarian assistance, and therefore not complying with their ethical obligations. The Humanitarian Response Index from 2010 reveals that of 10 of 14 crises of which 23 donor governments are involved are affected by political, economic, or military motivation (Guy, n.d.). In the same way that politics are influenced by monetary benefits, humanitarian aid is influenced by politics and donor governments.

Since the third period of humanitarian assistance during the Cold War, there has been a continual association between humanitarian aid and Western political interests, as the number and influence of NGOs and UN programs has increased. This period of time in humanitarian history saw a shift towards providing aid in non-Western nations and the idea of development. Many workers assumed that bringing assistance and developmental plans would “bridge the gap” and “break the cycle,” eliminating what they believed to be the cause of the suffering (Whittall, 2015). This concentration on development meant a greater partnership with governments, and therefore, political interests (Whittall, 2015).

Even renowned organizations such as Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) are not exempt from this pressure. MSF made an effort to move away from control of donor governments by electing to depend on funds from private donations instead, unlike many other NGOs who have secured their funds from donor governments in the Global North (Whittall, 2015). However, an article on the suffering of Syria due to the politicization of humanitarian aid states, “MSF’s freedom of action is not rooted in a legal and moral “space of sovereignty” that simply needs to be proclaimed in order to be automatically acknowledged and respected. It is the product of repeated transactions with local and international political and military forces. Its scope depends largely on the organisation’s ambitions, the diplomatic and political support it can rely on and the interest taken in its action by those in power” (Long, 2014).

The legal issue with this political influence on aid is that it is clearly dictated in international law that humanitarian action “should be implemented ‘solely on the basis of need, without discrimination on the grounds of other factors such as sex, ethnic affiliation, religion, or political views’” (Bommer, Dreher, & Pérez-Alvarez, 2019). International Humanitarian Law refers to the set of laws regarding the execution of war and conflict (Alexander, 2015). It is a subsidiary of international law that attempts to restrict the suffering of people and destruction of nations that is a result of armed conflict (ICRC, 2019). The law protects and supports people who are not a part of, and essentially victims of, the devastations of war. The law is a signed agreement between States and therefore a legally binding document that must be adhered to. The International Humanitarian Law is in place today thanks to the foundation set by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (United Nations, n.d.).

There is favouritism and bias that exists in the allocation of humanitarian aid. Humanitarian crises that receive a great deal of social media attention will in turn receive increased aid. Videos or pictures that contain information and a call to action about a new or significant crisis on social media spread promptly and ‘go viral’ and in many cases, this can elicit a mass of donations or aid being contributed because of the extensive attention. It is seen in the U.S. that crises that receive higher coverage on the news have a greater chance to receive U.S. assistance (Bommer, Dreher, & Pérez-Alvarez, 2019). This unfairness can be blamed on the interests of the U.S. government and their unjust priorities.

With the inclusion of humanitarian aid into the political objectives of the donor governments, NGOs face the question of their legitimacy (Whittall, 2015). Humanitarian aid is now looked at in a different light and may even be rejected if thought that their actions had impure motives. However, the Global South can be pressured into accepting the organization’s aid by the Western, more dominant nations, even if they are apprehensive of their interests (Whittall, 2015). Humanitarian aid workers often have to fight to preserve their image and not be affiliated with the manipulation of Western donors (Whittall, 2015). NGOs, including those of the UN, are questioned on their impartiality, creating an unproductive environment (Bhattarai, Acharya, & Land, 2018). Despite their original appearance of relieving the suffering of the vulnerable people, workers these days must re-establish themselves as neutral. Humanitarian aid needs to shift back to their beginnings in terms of focusing on what matters: alleviating people’s pain. International humanitarian action should be focused on providing relief to those suffering, not the alternative political agendas of the governments who provide the funding.

Purpose

These alternative agendas have disrupted the ability of humanitarian organizations to offer care that is crucial for millions of people. This politicization basically indicates that the access to the people who are most affected by conflict is jeopardized (Guy, n.d.). These civilians then are not able to obtain the resources that they lack. Humanitarian organizations are continually under pressure from the biases of militaries and governments when providing aid, despite their intention to not be influenced (Curtis, 2001).

Method

The collection and analysis of data for a study with this purpose are most appropriately conducted through extensive research and reading of peer-reviewed journals and studies conducted on the barriers that refugees face in different parts of the globe. The data for this paper was collected from a variety of sources including

Analysis

According to GDP per capita, the five poorest countries in the world are the Democratic Republic of Congo, Mozambique, Uganda, Tajikistan, and Haiti, however, the top five recipients of US aid are Israel, Egypt, Jordan, Afghanistan, and Kenya (Malik, 2018). This is a clear representation of the influence of aid and how the objective is no longer simply alleviating the suffering of the most vulnerable populations. Theresa May, the former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom affirmed that after Brexit, their aid budget would be spent to benefit British trade and political interests (Malik, 2018).

The inability of organizations to provide the necessary assistance is seen in regions all over the world, including Palestine, Afghanistan, Somalia, Sudan, and Venezuela among others. The vulnerable populations of these nations and states are hindered by the partial intentions of those who have authority in these areas. In Venezuela, the biggest issue is the threat presented by pro-Maduro forces (Daily Kos, 2019). These fighters view the aid provided by workers as partners with the Trump administration, who they see is seeking to eradicate the regime. In Somalia, terrorist militant groups have impeded the access of humanitarian aid agencies to enter the region (Bhattarai, Acharya, & Land, 2018). Government restrictions in Chad have made it challenging for organizations to help the people who are suffering in one of the poorest countries (Bhattarai, Acharya, & Land, 2018). There is apparent data that has shown that the populations that are often disregarded end up facing even more suffering and a worsened humanitarian crisis due to the lack of aid (Bhattarai, Acharya, & Land, 2018).

As for Afghanistan, many donor governments have decided to abstain from providing resources to the region for fear of the Taliban and their prejudiced practices (Atmar, 2001). The politicization of aid in Afghanistan has caused problems for those trying to provide aid in the country. The “space to provide neutral, independent, and impartial humanitarian assistance in Afghanistan has been lost, given away, or taken, and this is having dire consequences for the population” (Bhattarai, Acharya, & Land, 2018). In Somalia, terrorist militant groups have impeded the access of humanitarian aid agencies to enter the region (Bhattarai, Acharya, & Land, 2018). Government restrictions in Chad have made it challenging for organizations to help the people who are suffering in one of the poorest countries (Bhattarai, Acharya, & Land, 2018).

Recommendations

This report advocates for governments to support only impartial humanitarian organizations that will fairly distribute aid and assistance. As dictated many times previously, the ultimate intention of humanitarian assistance is to mitigate the suffering of those in need and essentially save lives. Agencies then have an obligation to uphold and work towards these objectives, and not to be directed by political interests. The foundations of humanitarian work, built on neutrality and independence, are the ultimate solutions to achieving these goals and must not be compromised (Bhattarai, Acharya, & Land, 2018).

The overall root of the problem lies in the hands of the donor governments whose persuasion on the allocation of the aid is the leading issue. These donors need to re-evaluate their intentions and remind themselves of the objectives of humanitarian work. Focus should be on the populations who endure the most suffering. The influence of politics on humanitarian aid is unethical and immoral.

Conclusion

Humanitarian agencies depend on the funding provided by donors, however, it is essential that they remain uninfluenced by these donors interests. Even when NGOs and humanitarian organizations claim independence from political influence, there is often concealed manipulation (Long, 2014). The ability to provide aid efficiently and ethically is contingent upon the absence of political, military, or economic domination. Only when governments and leaders do not exploit the use of these organizations will the most vulnerable and in need people on Earth receive the support and care that they require and deserve.

References:

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