Location: Glasgow Hall East, Room 203, Naval Postgraduate School

Dr. Peter Walker will be discussing the origin of the collection of processes, organizations and international structures which today make up the International Humanitarian system, paying particular attention to its development from the mid 19th centaury onwards, tracing both state and non-state actions. It builds a model of humanitarian action which hypothesizes that its origins lie in three very different agendas. The present state of international humanitarian action is examined against this analysis and found lacking. Drawing on field work from Sudan, Afghanistan and Iraq we argue that humanitarian action has become significantly, maybe fatally, entwined with the political agenda of the Northern states. We go on to suggest actions which humanitarian agencies and their financial backers could take to render the humanitarian system more fit for its future challenges. We then seek to move us towards a deeper understanding of this complex concept, and in particular of its evolution and diffusion by exploring the globalization of humanitarianism.