Tufts University Friedman School of Nutrition Science and...

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Tufts University

Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy

Fletcher School of International Law and Diplomacy

NUTR 229 / DHP D-230

Humanitarian Action in Complex Political Emergencies

Fall 2016

Class Meetings: Monday afternoon, 3:15 – 6:15 pm, September 12 – December 12, 2016

(Total of 13 sessions, no class on October 10)

Tufts University Boston Campus. Jaharis 118

150 Harrison Avenue, Boston

Instructor: Daniel Maxwell

(617) 627-3410; [email protected]

Office hours: Friedman School: Monday 2:00 – 3:00 (by appointment)

Feinstein Center: Tuesday 2:00 – 4:00 (by appointment)

Appointments: [email protected]

Teaching Asst: Jeeyon Janet Kim

[email protected]

Office hours: Friedman School: By appointment

Graduate Credits: 1 credit

Prerequisites: Graduate Student Status

Course Description: The past two decades have witnessed a major transformation of humanitarian action. The

geopolitical changes resulting from the end of the Cold and the global war on terror have

profoundly changed the environment in which humanitarian action takes place. These changes—

and proposed ways of responding to them—have triggered heated debates about both

philosophical and operational issues within the humanitarian community. The range of

humanitarian actors has broadened to include the military and, increasingly, for-profit firms. A

range of humanitarian actors and agencies has emerged from the Middle East and the global

South, alongside or outside of the traditional Western, UN-led humanitarian system. Long-held

principles are questioned or discarded, with humanitarian action no longer seen by many

belligerents as either neutral or impartial. The “complex emergencies” of the 1990s and early

2000s have seemingly metamorphosed into “protracted crises,” with some 70% of the

humanitarian budget now spent on “emergencies” lasting five years or longer. Despite the higher

media attention to rapid-onset natural disasters such as Typhoon Haiyan or the Nepal earthquake,

mailto:[email protected]

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roughly 70-80% of the actual humanitarian budget is devoted to conflict-related emergencies.

Conflict emergencies are the central focus of this class, but it is increasingly clear that there are

political and human-made elements to all crises, so some of the old categories (such as “complex

emergencies” or “natural disasters”) are no longer very helpful descriptions.

Some observers contend that the role of humanitarian action has been reduced to that of a safety

net against the most egregious impacts of the globalization and climate change, and suggest it is

time to rethink the whole enterprise. Others believe the present—with more higher levels of

assessed humanitarian need than at any time in the past seventy years—is a time for action, not

the time for reconsidering first principles. In May 2016, the World Humanitarian Summit

convened governments, donors, agencies and humanitarian actors to review the current situation,

future threats, and commit to different ways of working.

This class will challenge students to consider all of these: the principles, analytical perspectives,

and the actions required, to protect the lives and dignity of crisis- and conflict-affected groups—

including recent developments around the World Humanitarian Summit. This class will

introduce students to a broad range of research and evidence that constitutes our knowledge on

humanitarian action in complex emergencies, and to the key ethical and policy debates, and

practical dilemmas that surround contemporary humanitarian action. The overall objective is to

enable students to gain the ability to understand and keep abreast of a rapidly evolving field. This

is not a “how-to” class, but there is a strong emphasis on the practical application of this

knowledge. The course simultaneously treats humanitarian action as a phenomenon to be

understood and as a practice that urgently needs to be improved.

Course Objectives: This multi-disciplinary course will cover a broad range of subjects, and has a number of

objectives. By the end of the course, students will be able to:

• Outline historical perspectives on humanitarian action;

• Describe the ethical framework of humanitarian action and be able to apply international

humanitarian law, principles, and codes of conduct to humanitarian action in complex

emergencies, and outline major debates surrounding these frameworks;

• Utilize the main analytical frameworks (conflict analysis, famine theory, livelihoods

analysis) for addressing the protection of life, livelihoods, rights and safety of people

caught in complex emergencies;

• Critically and quickly read, interpret and apply research on humanitarian action;

• Analyze the political economy of conflict and humanitarian assistance;

• Describe the main critiques of humanitarian action;

• Outline the ethical and practical implications of incorporating human rights in

humanitarian action;

• Utilize methodologies for improving the quality, effectiveness and accountability of

humanitarian action;

• Describe the evolving nature of conflict, crisis, and the architecture of the humanitarian

system.

Specific weekly objectives are spelled out below.

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Texts or Materials: There are three required books for the course. Recommended books make more in-depth reading,

but are not assigned. Because of copyright restrictions, most book readings are on the

recommended list only. For each week, we will post required readings on Trunk. When books

are assigned as required readings, copies of the texts will be put on reserve at both Hirsh and

Ginn libraries.

Required texts:

Slim, Hugo. 2014. Humanitarian Ethics. A Guide to the Morality of Aid in War and Disaster.

London, Hurst. **

Sphere Project. 2011. Humanitarian Charter and Minimum Standards in Disaster Response.

Geneva, The Sphere Project, Geneva (available on line). Note: this text is not intended to

be read in its entirety. But the student is expected to know its contents and how to use it.

Walker, Peter and Daniel Maxwell. 2009. Shaping the Humanitarian World. Series on Global

Institutions. London, Routledge. (Best simply purchased from Amazon). **

Other recommended books: Maxwell, Daniel and Nisar Majid. 2016. Famine in Somalia: Competing Imperatives and

Collective Failures, 2011-2012. New York: Oxford University Press.**

Barber, Martin. 2015. Blinded by Humanity. Inside the UN’s Humanitarian Operations.

London: I.B. Tauris.

Carbonnier, Gilles. 2015. Humanitarian Economics. War, Disaster and the Global Aid Market.

London: Hurst.

Fast, Larissa. 2014. Aid in Danger. The Perils and Promise of Humanitarianism. Philadelphia:

University of Pennsylvania Press.

Alexander, Jessica. 2013. Chasing Chaos. My Decade in and out of Humanitarian Aid. New

York: Broadway Paperbacks.

Fassin, Didier and Mariella Pandolfi. 2013. Contemporary States of Emergency. The Politics of

Military and Humanitarian Interventions. New York: Zone Books.

Ramalingam, Ben. 2013. Aid on the Edge of Chaos. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Weiss, Thomas. 2013. The Humanitarian Business. Cambridge: Polity Press.

Donini, Antonio, ed. 2012. The Golden Fleece: Manipulation and Independence in

Humanitarian Action. Hartford, CT: Kumarian Press.

Barnett, Michael. 2011. Empire of Humanity: A History of Humanitarianism. New York:

Cornell Press.**

Barnett, Michael and Thomas Weiss. 2011. Humanitarianism contested: where angels fear to

tread. New York: Routledge.

Pantuliano, Sara. 2010. Uncharted territory: Land, conflict & humanitarian action. Bourton:

Practical Action.

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Polman, Linda. 2010. The Crisis Caravan: What's Wrong with Humanitarian Aid? New York:

Holt.

Keen, David. 2008. Complex Emergencies. Cambridge: Polity Press.

Weiss, Thomas. 2007. Humanitarian Intervention: Ideas in Action. Oxford: Polity Press.

Rieff, David. 2002. A Bed for the Night. New York, Simon and Schuster.

Terry, Fiona. 2002. Condemned to Repeat? The Paradox of Humanitarian Action. Ithaca,

Cornell Press.

de Waal, Alex. 1997. Famine Crimes: Politics and the Disaster Relief Industry. Oxford, James

Currey.

** On Reserve in Ginn and Sackler Libraries.

Recommended humanitarian websites with which students should become familiar

Feinstein International Center, Tufts University http://fic.tufts.edu

The Humanitarian Policy Group/ODI www.odi.org.uk/hpg

The Humanitarian Practice Network www.odihpn.org

Integrated Regional Information Network www.irinnews.org

Relief Web www.reliefweb.int

Alert Net www.alertnet.org

FEWSNET www.fews.net

PHAP (Professionals in Humanitarian Assistance

And Protection) www.phap.org

The Sphere Project www.sphereproject.org

Action Learning Network for Accountability www.alnap.org

And Performance (ALNAP)

The Core Humanitarian Standard Alliance http://www.chsalliance.org

(Formerly People in Aid, and the Humanitarian

Accountability Partnership Int’l.)

ACAPS Project www.acaps.org

Websites of a few of the major humanitarian agencies

UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian www.unocha.org

Affairs (OCHA)

International Committee of the Red Cross www.icrc.org

International Federation of Red Cross and www.ifrc.org

Red Crescent Societies

Médecins sans Frontières/Doctors without

Borders www.msf.org

The World Food Programme www.wfp.org

Oxfam www.oxfam.org

World Vision www.wvi.org

CARE www.care.org

Save the Children www.savethechildren.org

http://fic.tufts.edu/

http://www.odi.org.uk/hpg

http://www.odihpn.org/

http://www.irinnews.org/

http://www.reliefweb.int/

http://www.alertnet.org/

http://www.fews.net/

http://www.phap.org/

http://www.sphereproject.org/

http://www.alnap.org/

http://www.chsalliance.org/

http://www.acaps.org/

http://www.unocha.org/

http://www.icrc.org/

http://www.ifrc.org/

http://www.msf.org/

http://www.wfp.org/

http://www.oxfam.org/

http://www.wvi.org/

http://www.care.org/

http://www.savethechildren.org/

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IHH Humanitarian Relief Foundation www.ihh.org.tr/en

Adeso (African Development Solutions) www.adesoafrica.org

The Network for Empowered Aid Response www.near.ngo

Students are encouraged to explore these websites (and look for others!) for information

throughout the course.

Academic Conduct: Each student is responsible for upholding the highest standards of academic integrity, as

specified in the Friedman School’s Policies and Procedures manual

(http://nutrition.tufts.edu/student/documents) and Tufts University policies

(http://uss.tufts.edu/studentAffairs/documents/HandbookAcademicIntegrity.pdf). It is the

responsibility of each student to understand and comply with these standards, as violations will

be sanctioned by penalties ranging from failure on an assignment and the course to dismissal

from the school.

Classroom Conduct: There will be one three-hour class each week, led by Dan Maxwell and several guest lecturers.

Course announcements, presentation notes, assigned readings, team assignments, case study

assignments and exams are all provided on the course website on Trunk —

https://trunk.tufts.edu/xsl-portal.

Evaluation and Grading: The course grade will be a combination of the group case studies (20%), the written papers (15%

each), class participation, small-group discussion and the Lake Chad case study (10%), and the

final exam (40%).

In brief, each student will be responsible for the following. For more detailed information on all

assignments and the criteria for grading them, see “Course Assignment” Notes.

• Readings: Students should be prepared for each class by completing the required readings

and reflecting on them in advance.

Group case studies: Each student will participate in a group presentation in class of a case

study related to one session of the course. Topics for the class presentations will be based on

the course syllabus and the presentations will usually be presented the same week as the

related topic in class. Sign up for case studies will take place during Week 2. We will try our

best to assign everyone to their first or second choice. Each student in the class is expected to

participate in the preparation and presentation of group analysis.

Final case study. There will also be a final in-class case study for the second last class—

focusing on the Lake Chad Basin Crisis—a multi-country, multi-causal (and largely

forgotten) crisis. This will require some additional teamwork.

• Brief papers: Each student will write two brief papers during the course of the semester

related to a theme of the course. These papers will be in the form of a “professional brief,”

roughly 1,000-1,500 words in length. The first will be an exercise on principles and law:

students will be asked to choose one of two cases and explore the issues arising regarding

http://www.ihh.org.tr/en

http://www.adesoafrica.org/

http://www.near.ngo/

http://nutrition.tufts.edu/student/documents

http://uss.tufts.edu/studentAffairs/documents/HandbookAcademicIntegrity.pdf

https://trunk.tufts.edu/xsl-portal

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humanitarian action, humanitarian law, and humanitarian principles in given contexts. The

second will be an exploration of one theme growing out of the World Humanitarian Summit

in May 2016.

• Participation/group discussions: Due to the anticipated size of the class, we will rely on

discussion in groups of about six students on various occasions throughout the semester.

Students will explore the readings of the class in these groups, based on discussion questions

from the instructor.

• Exams: A final (open book) exam will have five or six essay questions that will ask you to

synthesize material from the readings, class presentations and discussions to answer. Each

student will select three to answer (one might be assigned, with the other two left to the

choice of the individual student). The exam will be available for downloading from the

course website on “Trunk” on December 12, and will be due on December 16 (dates to be

confirmed closer to the time).

A word about the assigned reading: This class requires a lot of reading, but the intent in assigning this reading is not that students

commit to reading every word. Some of the reading comes from lengthy reports or documents

that define important issues, or set important policy directions in the field of humanitarian action.

The idea is to get a sense of what these documents say, where they come from, and how they

influence the field of humanitarian action. This can and should be done without reading the

entire document. For better or worse, learning how to quickly digest documents like this is an

important professional skill—whether you go into humanitarian action or not. While not

everyone is a speed-reader, the intent is that the readings in this course shouldn’t take more than

7-8 hours per week. Students who are having trouble keeping up with the reading should speak

to Dan or Janet, or attend one of the reading workshops available on campus. The recommended

reading is intended for students who are particularly interested in the topic, and who would like

to dig deeper into specific topics.

Assessment and Grading: The assignments, reading materials, and all announcements will be posted on the Friedman

School classroom management website, "Trunk" https://trunk.tufts.edu/xsl-portal. All students

will have access to Trunk upon registration, and the course site will be open access for the first

week or two until everyone has registered.

Assignments and Submission Instructions: Assignments received after their deadline will not be accepted or graded unless extension is

approved in advance. Students who are unable to complete an assignment exam on time for any

reason should notify the instructor prior to the deadline.

Accommodation of Disabilities: Students with documented disabilities are entitled to academic accommodation appropriate to

their needs. If you require accommodations for this course, please contact the instructor

confidentially prior to the end of the second week of classes.

https://trunk.tufts.edu/xsl-portal

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Course Schedule:

Note: Subject to change at instructor’s discretion or due to scheduling conflicts

Date Session No. and Topic Presenter Activity Assignments

Sept. 12 1. Introduction and case study

Dan Darfur Case

study

Sept. 19 2. Historical foundations, and

contemporary update (WHS)*

Dan Intro to ethics Sign up for Grp Case

Studies

Sept. 26 3. Humanitarian principles

Dan Antonio Donini/

Norah Niland;

Grp. Discussion

Oct. 3 4. International Humanitarian Law

ICRC Humanitarian

access

Case Study Group #1

Oct. 10 No Class: Indigenous Peoples Day

Oct. 17 5. Conflict and conflict analysis

Dan Alex de Waal

Grp, Discussion

Brief Paper #1 due

Oct. 24 6. Information and evidence in

humanitarian action

Dan Roxanne Krystali

Exercise

Case Study

Group #2

Oct. 31 7. Food security and famine

theory*

Dan Head Count case

study

Brief Paper #2 topic

due;

Sign up for Lake Chad

Basin Case Study

Nov. 7 8. Overview of livelihoods

analysis

Dan Grp. Discussion Case Study Group #3

Nov. 14 9. Rights/humanitarian protection

Dan Grp. Discussion;

Exercise

Case Study Group #4

Nov. 21 10. Working in complex

emergencies

Dan Exercise Brief Paper #2 due

Nov. 28 11. Professionalizing humanitarian

action

Dan Grp. Discussion Case Study Group #5

Dec. 5 12. The changing nature of crisis*

Dan Lake Chad Basin

Case study

Dec. 12 13. The evolving architecture of

humanitarianism

Dan Wrap up

Dec. 19 Final exam week

* Please view presentation prior to class

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Course Topics, Learning Objectives, and Assignments

***

Week 1: What is humanitarianism in the 21st century? An introduction to humanitarian

action through a case study

(September 12, 2016 – Dan Maxwell)

Learning objectives: Upon completion of this week, students will be able to:

1. Outline the contents and expectations of the course

2. Know the administrative procedures for the course

3. Describe the confusion of working in a major complex emergency through a case study

Preparation for class:

A. Required Reading:

Bennett, Christina, Michael Foley, Sara Pantuliano 2016. “Time to let go: A three point proposal

to change the humanitarian system.” London: HPG (Briefing version).


Institutions. London, Routledge. Introduction, pp. 1-12.

Taylor, Glyn, Abby Stoddard, Adele Harmer, Katherine Haver, Paul Harvey. 2015. The State of

the Humanitarian System. London: Active Learning Network for Accountability and

Performance in Humanitarian Action. (Executive Summary only)

B. Recommended Reading:

Healy, Sean and Sandrine Tiller. 2014. “Where is Everyone? Responding to Emergencies in the

Most Difficult Places.” Paris: Médecins sans Frontières.

Terry, Fiona. 2002. Condemned to Repeat? The Paradox of Humanitarian Action. Ithaca,

Cornell University Press. Introduction, pp. 1-16.

Rieff, David. 2002. “Humanitarianism in Crisis.” Foreign Affairs, Nov/Dec 2002, Vol. 81. Issue

6, p11.

***

Week 2: Historical foundations: Perspectives on humanitarian history.



1. Describe the historical perspectives on humanitarian action

2. Note the major epochs of humanitarian strategy and action

3. Classify the different schools of thought on humanitarianism

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Assignment:

1. Sign up for Group Case Study


A. Online Presentation

B. Required Reading:

Barnett, Michael. 2011. Empire of Humanity: A History of Humanitarianism. New York:

Cornell Press. Read “Introduction: The Crooked Timber of Humanitarianism” (On

reserve)


Institutions. London, Routledge. Skim chapters 1-3 on the history of humanitarian action,

pp. 13-78, and read chapters 4-6 on the major actors, pp.79-133.

United Nations. 2016. One Humanity: Shared Responsibility. Report of the Secretary General to

the World Humanitarian Summit. New York: UN (Read Sections I-III, and peruse the

core commitments).

C. Recommended Reading:

Moussa, Jasmine. 2014 Ancient origins, modern actors: defining Arabic meanings of

humanitarianism. Humanitarian Policy Group Report. London: ODI.

Davey, Eleanor, John Borton and Matthew Foley. 2013. A history of the humanitarian system:

Western origins and foundations. HPG Working Paper. London: ODI.

Barnett, Michael. 2005. “Humanitarianism Transformed.” Perspectives on Politics. Vol. 3, pp.

723-740.

Dunant, Henri. 2001 (1864). A Memory of Solferino. Paris, Elibron Classics.

***

Week 3: Humanitarian principles and codes of conduct



1. Describe major perspectives on ethical conduct of humanitarian action

2. Summarize humanitarian principles and codes of conduct



Slim, Hugo. Humanitarian Ethics. A Guide to the Morality of Aid in War and Disaster. London,

Hurst. Chapter 2-4.

Collinson, Sarah and Samir Elhawary. 2012. “Humanitarian space: A review of trends and

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issues.” HPG Report 32. London: Overseas Development Institute.

B. Recommended Reading (Note: Required for students assigned to Debate 1):


Hurst. Chapters 1 and 5.

Damary, Martin. 2014. On being neutral: Reflections on neutrality in humanitarian action.

Professionals in Humanitarian Action and Protection.

Donini, Antonio. 2011. Between a rock and a hard place: integration or independence of

humanitarian action? International Review of the Red Cross. Volume 93(881) pp. 141-

157.

de Torrente, Nicolas. 2004. “Humanitarian Action under Attack: Reflections on the Iraq War.”

Harvard Human Rights Journal. Vol. 17(1), pp 1-30.

O’Brien, Paul. 2004. “Politicized Humanitarianism: A Response to Nicolas de Torrente.”

Harvard Human Rights Journal. Vol. 17(1), pp 31-41.

Terry, Fiona. 2011. “The International Committee of the Red Cross in Afghanistan: reasserting

the neutrality of humanitarian action.” International Review of the Red Cross. Volume 93,

Number 881.

Darcy, James and Hofmann Charles-Antoine. 2003. According to Need? Needs Assessment and

Decision-Making in the Humanitarian Sector Humanitarian Policy Group Report #15.

London: ODI.

Walker, Peter. 2005. “Cracking the code: the genesis, use and future of the Code of Conduct.”

Disasters, Vol. 29(4): 323−336.

Leader, Nicholas. 1998. “Proliferating Principles; Or How to Sup with the Devil without Getting

Eaten.” Disasters. Vol. 22(4), pp. 288-308.

***

Week 4: International Humanitarian Law

(October 3, 2016 – ICRC Representative)


1. Describe the application of International Humanitarian Law (IHL) to contemporary

humanitarian action

2. Note the dilemmas of IHL in contemporary crises

Assignment:

1. Case Study Group #1


A. Required Reading

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Solis, G. 2010. The Law of Armed Conflict: International Humanitarian Law in War.

Cambridge University Press. Ch1 pages 2- 27 & Ch 7 pages 250 - 286.

International Committee of the Red Cross. 2014. International Humanitarian Law: Answers to

your questions. 2nd ed. Geneva, ICRC.

International Committee of the Red Cross. “International Humanitarian Law and the challenges

of contemporary armed conflicts”. Geneva, ICRC. Pages 26 - 33 on humanitarian access

and protection of medical facilities / personnel and 38 - 59 on means and methods of

warfare ( cyber, autonomous weapons, explosive weapons in populated areas and nuclear

weapons)

Modirzadeh, N. 2014 "International Law and Armed Conflict in Dark Times: A Call for

Engagement," Opinion Note, International Review of the Red Cross,


Heba Aly. 2015. "No Deal to Strenghthen the Geneva Conventions," IRIN. Available at:

http://www.irinnews.org/analysis/2015/12/10/no-deal-strengthen-respect-geneva-

conventions

Ignatieff, Michael. 1997. “Unarmed Warriors,” The New Yorker, March 24, 1997.

International Committee of the Red Cross. 2008. “How is the Term "Armed Conflict" defined in

International Humanitarian Law?”, Opinion Paper. Geneva, ICRC.

International Committee of the Red Cross. 2002. “Acts of Terror, ‘Terrorism’ and International

Humanitarian Law.” Geneva, ICRC.

International Committee of the Red Cross. 1983. Understanding Humanitarian Law: Basic Rules

of the Geneva Conventions and their Additional Protocols. Geneva,

***

Week 5: Conflict analysis and the political economy of violence

(October 17, 2016 – Dan Maxwell & Alex de Waal)


1. Note the changing dynamics of conflict

2. Apply alternative means of analyzing conflict and understanding the impact of conflict

3. Describe the interaction of humanitarian programming and conflict

4. Describe conflict sensitive programming

Assignment:

1. Brief paper #1 due

http://www.irinnews.org/analysis/2015/12/10/no-deal-strengthen-respect-geneva-conventions

http://www.irinnews.org/analysis/2015/12/10/no-deal-strengthen-respect-geneva-conventions

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Williams, Paul. 2011. War and Conflict in Africa. Cambridge: Polity Press. Read Chapers 1 and

2.

de Waal, Alex. 2016. “A Political Marketplace Analysis of South Sudan’s Peace.” JSRP

Occasional Paper. Somerville: WPF.

Stoddard, Abby, Adele Harmer, and Victoria Di Domenico. 2009. Providing aid in insecure

environments. Humanitarian Policy Group Policy Brief 34. London: Overseas

Development Institute.

Duffield, Mark. 2005. “Getting savages to fight barbarians: development, security and the

colonial present.” Conflict, Security & Development. Vol. 5(2), pp. 141-159

Fisher, Max. 2016. “Syria’s Paradox: Why the War Only Ever Seems to Get Worse” New York

Times. Available at: http://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/27/world/middleeast/syria-civil-

war-why-get-worse.html?emc=edit_th_20160827&nl=todaysheadlines&nlid=68052917

Peruse several of the following “how to” documents on conflict analysis:

Woodrow, Peter. 2012. “Conflict Analysis Framework: Field Guidelines and Procedures.”

Reflecting on Peace Practice Project/CDA Collaborative Learning Projects: Cambridge:

CDA and Norwegian Church Aid

Le Billon, Philippe. 2002. “The Political Economy of War: What Relief Agencies Need to

Know.” Humanitarian Policy Network Paper #33. London: Overseas Development

Institute.

SIDA. 2006. Manual for Conflict Analysis. Stockholm. SIDA

USAID. 2012. “Conflict Assessment Framework.” Version 2. Washington DC: USAID.


Gingerich, Tara and Jennifer Leaning, 2004. The Use of Rape as a Weapon of War in the

Conflict in Darfur, Sudan. Cambridge, Physicians for Human Rights.

Carol Cohn. 2013. “Women and Wars: Towards a Conceptual Framework,” in Carol Cohn

(editor) Women & Wars. Cambridge: Polity Press. pp. 1- 30

Collinson, Sarah. 2003. Power, Livelihoods and Conflict: case studies in political economy

analysis for humanitarian action, HPG Report 13. London: Overseas Development

Institute.

Keen, David. 2008. Complex Emergencies. Cambridge, Polity Press. Chapter 2 “War,” pp. 11-24.

Duffield, Mark. 2002. “War as Network Enterprise: The New Security Terrain and Its

Implications” Cultural Values. Volume 6, pp. 153-165.

***

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/27/world/middleeast/syria-civil-war-why-get-worse.html?emc=edit_th_20160827&nl=todaysheadlines&nlid=68052917

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/27/world/middleeast/syria-civil-war-why-get-worse.html?emc=edit_th_20160827&nl=todaysheadlines&nlid=68052917

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Week 6: Information and the evidence in humanitarian action

(October 24, 2016 – Dan Maxwell; Roxanne Krystalli)


1. Describe what evidence is and why humanitarian action has not been evidence-based

2. Note major humanitarian information systems and how technology and evolving practice has

changed them

3. Quickly read, digest, interpret, and apply research on humanitarian action

Assignment:



A. Online presentation on evidence in humanitarian action


Knox-Clarke, Paul and James Darcy. 2014 “Insufficient Evidence? The Quality and Use of

Evidence in Humanitarian Action.” London: ALNAP

Mazurana, Dyan, Prisca Benelli, Huma Gupta and Peter Walker. “Sex and age matter:

Improving humanitarian response in emergencies.” Feinstein International Center Report.

Medford: Tufts University.

Maxwell, Daniel and Benjamin Watkins. 2003. “Humanitarian Information Systems and

Emergencies in the Greater Horn of Africa: Logical Components and Logical Linkages.”

Disasters Vol. 27(1), pp. 72–90.

ACAPS. 2014. Humanitarian Needs Assessment: The Good Enough Guide. Rugby: The

Assessment Capacities Project (ACAPS), Emergency Capacity Building Project (ECB) and

Practical Action Publishing. Peruse—don’t try to read the whole thing.


Webb, Patrick, Erin Boyd, Saskia de Pee, Lindsey Lenters, Martin Bloem, Werner Schultink.

2014. “Nutrition in emergencies: Do we know what works?” Food Policy. Vol 49, pp. 33-

40.

Dijkzeul, Dennis et al. “Introduction: Evidence-based action in humanitarian crises.” Disasters.

Vol 31 (Supp) pp. S1-S19. NOTE: Take a look at this whole supplement—it is entirely

devoted to this topic.

OCHA. 2013. “Disaster Relief 2.0. The Future of Information Sharing in Humanitarian

Emergencies” New York: Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs

***

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Week 7: Food Security: Famine theory, entitlements, and complex emergencies

(October 31, 2016 – Dan Maxwell)


1. Describe the history of definitions and explanations for famine

2. Summarize entitlement theory and the underpinning of contemporary famine theory

3. Apply famine theory to the analysis of contemporary famines and food security crises

Assignments:

1. Brief paper #2 topic due

2. Sign up for Lake Chad Basin case study


A. Online Presentation


Levine, Simon, and Claire Chastre. 2004. “Missing the Point: An Analysis of Food Security

Interventions in the Great Lakes.” Humanitarian Practice Network Paper 47. London:

Overseas Development Institute.

Maxwell, Daniel, Kate Sadler, Amanda Sim, Mercy Mutonyi, Rebecca Egan and Mackinnon

Webster (2008). Emergency Food Security Programming: A Good Practice Review.

Humanitarian Practice Network, Good Practice Review Number 10. London: ODI, 7-17.

Maxwell, Daniel and Merry Fitzpatrick. 2012. “The 2011 Somalia Famine: Context, Causes, and

Complications.” Global Food Security Vol. 1(1), pp. 5-12. Special Edition on the

Somalia Famine 2011-2012.

Devereux, Stephen. 2009. “Why does famine persist in Africa?” Food Security Vol. 1(1), pp.25-

35.

IPC Global Partners. 2012 The Integrated Phase Classification Tool. Rome: FAO.

Sen, Amartya. 1981. “Poverty and Famines: An Essay on Entitlement and Deprivation,” pp 1-8,

39-51, 154-166. (On reserve in Ginn and Sackler libraries)

Peruse (on Somalia):

Maxwell, Daniel et al. (Eds). 2012. “Special Edition on the 2011-12 Famine in Somalia.” Global

Food Security. Vol. 1(1).

Maxwell, Daniel and Nisar Majid. 2016. Famine in Somalia: Competing Imperatives, Collective

Failures. New York: Oxford University Press.


de Waal, Alex. 1997. Famine Crimes. “Introduction.” London, James Currey.

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Maxwell, Daniel and Merry Fitzpatrick. 2012. “Famine.” Oxford Bibliographies On-Line.

African Studies Section. Entry ID: 9780199846733-0083

Edkins, J. (2002) “Mass Starvations and the Limitations of Famine Theorizing,” International

Development Studies Bulletin, Volume 33, # 4, October 2002, pp 12 – 18

Note: there is also a virtual volume on “Famine” released in 2011 by Disasters, after the famine

in Somalia: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1111/%28ISSN%291467-

7717/homepage/virtual_issue__refugees_and_the_displaced.htm

***

Week 8: Protecting lives and livelihoods – the livelihoods framework and approach

(November 7, 2016 – Dan Maxwell)


1. Describe the livelihoods framework and the contemporary derivatives of the livelihoods

framework

2. Apply the livelihoods framework to humanitarian action in complex emergencies

Assignment:




Mazurana,Dyan and Daniel Maxwell. 2016. Secure Livelihoods in Conflict: What have we

learned.

Young, Helen and Lisa Goldman. 2015. “Livelihoods, natural resources, and post-conflict

peacebhilding” Routledge. (Read Green “ Social Identity, Natural Resources, and

Peacebuilding” and Young and Goldman “Managing Natural Resources for Livelihoods:

Helping Post-Conflcit Communities Survive and Thrive”)

Mallett, Richard and Rachel Slater. 2016. “Livelihoods, conflict, and aid programming: is the

evidence base good enough?” Disasters, Vol 40(2), pp. 226-245

Lautze, Sue and Angela Raven-Roberts. 2006. “Violence and complex humanitarian

emergencies: implications for livelihoods models.” Disasters, Vol. 30(4), pp. 383-40

Young, Helen, and Karen Jacobsen. 2013. “No Way Back? Adaptation and Urbanization of IDP

Livelihoods in the Darfur Region of Sudan.” Development and Change, Vol. 44(1), pp.

125-145.

Maxwell, Daniel, Nisar Majid, Jeeyon Janet Kim, Guhad Adnan, Khalif Abdirahman. 2015.

“Facing Famine: Somalia Experiences in the Famine of 2011.” Medford MA: Feinstein

Internatonal Center.

http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1111/%28ISSN%291467-7717/homepage/virtual_issue__refugees_and_the_displaced.htm

http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1111/%28ISSN%291467-7717/homepage/virtual_issue__refugees_and_the_displaced.htm

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Longley, Catherine and Daniel Maxwell. 2003. “Livelihoods, Chronic Conflict and

Humanitarian Response: A Review of Current Approaches.” Working Paper 182. London:

Overseas Development Institute.

Young, Helen, et al. 2006. “Livelihood Analysis: A Tool for Understanding and Responding to

Complex Humanitarian Emergencies.” Feinstein International Center. Medford: Tufts

University.

Pantuliano, Sara and Samir Elhawary. 2010. “Uncharted territory: land, conflict and

humanitarian action.” Humanitarian Policy Group Policy Brief 39. London: Overseas

Development Institute.

Collinson, Sarah. 2003. “Power, livelihoods and conflict: case studies in political economy

analysis for humanitarian action.” HPG Report 13. London, Overseas Development

Institute, pp. 3-20.

Quinn Bernier and Ruth Meinzen-Dick. May 2014. Resilience and Social Capital. 2020

Conference Paper 4. Building Resilience for Food & Nutrition Security. IFPRI.

***

Week 9: Rights and humanitarian protection



1. Note the theme of human rights in humanitarian action and rights-based approaches (RBA)

2. Describe the “responsibility to protect” (R2P)

3. Describe and apply principles of humanitarian protection issues in complex emergencies

Assignment:




Jackson, Ashley. 2014. Protecting civilians: the gap between norms and practice. HPG Paper.

London: HPG

Slim, Hugo and Andrew Bonwick. 2005. Protection: An ALNAP guide for humanitarian

agencies. London: ALNAP.

Reichhold, Urban et al. 2013. Scoping study: what works in protection and how do we know?

Berlin: GPPI.

South, Ashley et al. 2012. “Local to Global Protection in Myanmar (Burma), Sudan, South

Sudan and Zimbabwe. Network Paper No. 72. Humanitarian Practice Network. Read

Chapters 1 & 3 and select a case study to review.

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Niland, Norah. 2014. “Inhumanity and Humanitarian Action: Protection Failures in Sri

Lanka.” Feinstein International Center, Tufts University: Medford, USA.

Niland, Norah, Riccardo Polastro, Antonio Donini, Amra Lee. 2015. “Independent Whole of

System Review of Protection in the Context of Humanitarian Action.” Oslo:

Norwegian Refugee Council. Read Executive Summary, rest of the document is

recommended but not required.

B. Recommended Reading (Required for those assigned to Debate 3):

ICISS. 2001. The Responsibility to Protect. Report of the International Commission on

Intervention and State Sovereignty. New York, UN.

Inter-Agency Standing Committee. 2006. “Boys, Girls: Different Needs, Equal Opportunities.

IASC Gender Handbook in Humanitarian Action.” New York: IASC.

Crawford, Nicholas, Gina Pattugalan and Liana Simmons. 2013. Protection in practice:

Adaptation and application in the context of food assistance. Chapter 1 from: Protection

in Practice: Food assistance with safety and dignity. Rome: WFP

Pantuliano, Sara. 2005. “A principled approach to complex emergencies: testing a new aid

delivery model in the Nuba Mountains. Disasters. Vol. 29 (Supp) p. 52-66.

Archibald, Steve and Paul Richards (2002). “Seeds and Rights; New Approaches to Post-War

Agricultural Rehabilitation in Sierra Leone.” Disasters 26(4), pp. 356-367.

Weiss, Thomas. 2007. Humanitarian Intervention. Chapter 4, “New Thinking: The

Responsibility to Protect,” pp. 88-118. Cambridge, Polity Press. (On reserve in Ginn and

Sackler Libraries)

***

Week 10: Working in complex emergencies: Protecting lives, dignity, and livelihoods



1. Apply the livelihoods framework to humanitarian action

2. Discuss the ethical and operational dilemmas of livelihoods applications in complex

emergencies

3. Describe conflict sensitive approaches in programming

Assignment:

1. Brief Paper #2 due



Lautze, Sue. 1997. “Saving Lives and Livelihoods: Fundamentals of a Livelihoods Strategy.”

Medford, MA: Feinstein International Famine Center

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Zicherman, Nona, Aimal Khan, Anne Street, Heloise Heyer and Oliver Chevreau. 2011.

Applying conflict sensitivity in emergency response: Current practice and ways forward.

Humanitarian Practice Network Paper No. 70. London: ODI/HPN.

Harvey, Paul and Sarah Bailey. 2015. Cash transfer programming and the humanitarian system:

Background Note for the High Level Panel on Humanitarian Cash Transfers. London:

ODI.

Ali, Degan, and Kirsten Gelsdorf. 2012. “Risk-Averse to Risk-Willing: Learning from the 2011

Somalia Cash Response.” Global Food Security Vol. 1(1), pp. 57-63. Special Edition on

the Somalia Famine 2011-2012.

Feed the Future. November 2015. Ethiopia PRIME Project Impact Evaluation. Report of the

Interim Monitoring Survey 2014-2015. Tucson Arizona: TANGO. Read Sections 1, 5, 6,

and 9.

Maxwell, Daniel, Heather Stobaugh, John Parker and Megan McGlinchy. 2012. Response

Analysis in Food Security Crises: A “Road Map.” Humanitarian Practice Network Paper

# 73. London: Overseas Development Institute.


Barrett, Christopher, and Mark A. Constas. 2014. "Toward a Theory of Resilience for

International Development Applications ". Proceedings of the National Academy of

Sciences Vol. 111 (40), pp. 14625-30.

Daniel Maxwell, Kate Sadler, Amanda Sim, Mercy Mutonyi, Rebecca Egan and Mackinnon

Webster (2008). Emergency Food Security Interventions: A Good Practice Review.

Humanitarian Practice Network, Good Practice Review Number 10. London:

Humanitarian Practice Network.

Albu, Mike. 2010. Emergency Market Mapping Analysis Toolkit. Bourton: Practical Action.

Jaspars, Susanne and Daniel Maxwell. 2009. “Food security and livelihoods programming in

conflict: a review.” Humanitarian Practice Network Paper Number 65. London: ODI

Harvey, Paul and Jeremy Lind. 2005. Dependency and humanitarian relief: A critical analysis.

HPG Report 19. London. ODI

Harvey, Paul and Sarah Bailey. 2011. Cash-transfer programming in emergencies. Humanitarian

Practice Network, Good Practice Review Number 11. London: Humanitarian Practice

Network/CaLP.

***

Week 11: Professionalizing humanitarian action



1. Summarize the internal reforms within the humanitarian movement since Rwanda

2. Apply Sphere guidelines in a complex emergency

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3. Describe the dilemmas of improving program quality in humanitarian response

Assignment:




James, Eric. 2016. “The professional humanitarian and the downsides of professionalization”

Dsasters, 40(2):185-206

Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation with DARA. 2014. “Now or never:

Making humanitarian aid more effective”

Dijkzeul, Dennis, Hilhorst, Dorothea, and Walker, Peter. 2013, Introduction: evidence-based

action in humanitarian crises. Disasters, 37: S1–S19.

The SPHERE Project. 2011. Humanitarian Charter and Minimum Standards in Disaster

Response. Sphere Project, Geneva. (Peruse and familiarize yourself with the contents—

don’t try to read the whole thing!)

Walker, Peter and Catherine Russ. 2010. “Professionalizing the Humanitarian Sector: A Scoping

Study.” ELHRA, RED-R, and Feinstein International Center. Medford: Tufts University

Knox-Clarke, Paul and Leah Campbell. Exploring Coordination in Humanitarian Clusters.

ALNAP Study. London: ALNAP/ODI.


Donini, Antonio. 2015. “Policy Brief. Humanitarian Reform.” Feinstein International Center.

Medford MA. Tufts University.

McDougal, Lotus and Jennifer Beard. 2010. “Revisiting Sphere: new standards of service

delivery for new trends in protracted displacement.” Disasters. Vol. 34 (1), pp. 87–101,

Steering Committee of the Joint Evaluation of Emergency Assistance to Rwanda. 1996. The

International Response to Conflict and Genocide: Lessons from the Rwanda Experience.

Particularly Chapter 3 on “The Humanitarian Response.”

Maxwell, Daniel, Sarah Bailey, Paul Harvey, Peter Walker, Cheyanne Sharbatke Church, and

Kevin Savage. 2012. “Preventing corruption in humanitarian assistance: perceptions,

gaps and challenges.” Disasters. Vol. 36(1): 140-160.

Slim, Hugo. 2002. “By what authority? The legitimacy and accountability of NGOs” presented at

the International Meeting on Global Trends before and after September 11, Geneva.

Darcy, James. 2004. “Locating Responsibility: The Sphere Humanitarian Charter and Its

Rationale.” Disasters. Vol. 28 (2): 112 -123.

Anderson, Mary. 2004. The Do No Harm Handbook. Cambridge, Local Capacities for Peace

Project.

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United Nations. 2006. Delivering as One. Secretary-General’s High-level Panel on UN System-

wide Coherence in the Areas of Development, Humanitarian Assistance, and the

Environment.

United Nations. 2005. Humanitarian Response Review. Study commissioned by the UN

Emergency Response Coordinator and Under Secretary General for Humanitarian

Affairs. New York, UN.

***

Week 12: The changing nature of risk and crisis

(December 5, 2016 – Dan Maxwell)


1. Note the changing nature of humanitarian crises

2. Describe the metamorphosis of the Syria crisis through a case study

3. Discuss the implications for humanitarian action

Assignment:

1. Lake Chad Basin Case Study



Kent, Randolph, Christina Bennett, Antonio Donini and Daniel Maxwell. 2016. “Planning from

the Future.” Final Report. London/Boston: Kings College, HPG and Feinstein

International Center. (Executive Summary and Chapter 2)

Aly, Heba. 2016. “The World Humanitarian Summitt: Winners and Losers.” IRINNews.

Multi-donor Group. 2016. “The Grand Bargain. A Shared Commitment to Better Serve People in

Need.”

Taylor, Glyn, Abby Stoddard, Adele Harmer, Katherine Haver, Paul Harvey. 2015. “The State of

the Humanitarian System.” London: Active Learning Network for Accountability and

Performance in Humanitarian Action.


Ramalingam, Ben. 2013. Aid on the Edge of Chaos. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Read

Chapter 7, “Introducing Complexity.” (The whole book is highly recommended).

Maxwell, Daniel, Luca Russo, and Luca Alinovi (2012). “Constraints to Addressing Food

Insecurity in Protracted Crises.” Proceedings of the National Academy of Science. Vol.

109(31): pp. 12321-12325.

Collinson, Sarah, Samir Elhawary and Robert Muggah. 2010. “States of fragility: stabilisation

and its implications for humanitarian action.” Disasters. Vol. 34 (Supp.): S275−S296

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C. Lake Chad Basin Case Study:

OCHA. 2016. “Humanitarian Needs and Response Overview: Lake Chad Basin Emergency.”

New York: OCHA.

FEWS NET Nigeria. 2016. Nigeria Food Security Outlook (February to September 2016):

Conflict in the Lake Chad region continues to impact livelihoods activities and food

access.

WFP. 2016. mVAM Food Security Monitoring. (In January 2016, WFP began phone-based data

collection and food security monitoring in Nigeria). Reports are posted to:

http://vam.wfp.org/sites/mvam_monitoring/nigeria.html

UN News Centre. 2016. Root causes of Boko Haram threat in Lake Chad Basin must be tackled

– UN political chief.

http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=54575#.V50Gjo6trdQ

Enobi, A.L., Samuel F. Johnson-Rokosu. 2016. “Terrorism Financing: The Socio-Economic and

Political Implications of Boko Haram Insurgency in Lake Chad” Academic Journal of

Economic Studies. 2(1): 25-41.

Sixtus, Mbom. August 3, 2016. “The new terrible”: Lake Chad region in desperate need. IRIN.

http://www.irinnews.org/feature/2016/08/03/%E2%80%9C-new-terrible%E2%80%9D

***

Week 13: The evolving architecture of humanitarianism/the future of humanitarian action

(December 12, 2016 – Dan Maxwell)


1. Note the current architecture of humanitarianism

2. Summarize proposals for change in humanitarian architecture



Kent, Randolph, Christina Bennett, Antonio Donini and Daniel Maxwell. 2016. “Planning from

the Future.” Final Report. London/Boston: Kings College, HPG and Feinstein

Internaitonal Center. (Chapter 3 and Postscript from Istanbul)

Currion, Paul. 2016. “The Wrong Future. Marty McFly and the World Humanitarian Summit”

IRINNews. http://www.irinnews.org/opinion/2016/05/20/wrong-future

Walker, Peter and Daniel Maxwell. 2009. Shaping the Humanitarian World. Routledge Series on

Global Institutions. London, Routledge. Chapter 7, “A brave new world; a better future?”

pp. 136-153.

http://vam.wfp.org/sites/mvam_monitoring/nigeria.html

http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=54575#.V50Gjo6trdQ

http://www.irinnews.org/feature/2016/08/03/%E2%80%9C-new-terrible%E2%80%9D

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Svoboda, Eva and Sara Pantuliano. 2015. International and local/diaspora actors in the Syria

response. HPG Working Paper. Overseas Development Institute. London, UK.

Donini, Antonio and Daniel Maxwell (2014). Remote Management of Humanitarian Action..

International Review of the Red Cross.

Jackson, Ashley. 2014. “Humanitarian negotiations with armed non-state actors: key lessons

from Afghanistan, Sudan and Somalia.” HPG Briefing Paper. London: HPG

Svoboda, Eva, Steven A. Zyck, Daud Osman and Abdirashid Hashi. 2015. “Islamic

humanitarianism? The evolving role of the Organisation for Islamic Cooperation in

Somalia and beyond.” HPG Working Paper. London: ODI.


Hurst. Chapters 10 and 12.


Weiss, Thomas and Peter Hoffman. 2007. “The Fog of Humanitarianism: Collective Action

problems and Learning-Challenged Organizations.” Journal of Intervention and

Statebuilding, Vol.1 (1), pp. 47-65

Cooley, Alexander and James Ron. 2002. “NGO Scramble. Organizational Insecurity and the

Political Economy of Transnational Action.” International Security. Vo. 27(1), pp. 5-39.

Donini, Antonio. 2010. “The Far Side: The Meta-Functions of Humanitarianism in a Globalized

World.” Disasters Volume 34 (Supp.) pp. S220–S237.

Olsen, G.R. et al. 2003. “Humanitarian Crises: What Determines the Level of Emergency

Assistance? Media Coverage, Donor Interests and the Aid Business.” Disasters. Vol.27

(2): 109 – 126.

Terry, Fiona. 2002. Condemned to Repeat? The Paradox of Humanitarian Action. Chapter 6,

“Humanitarian Action in a Second-Best World.” Ithaca, Cornell University Press.

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