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RE: In The Wake Of Oxfam, Has 'Humanitarian Aid' Become A Euphemism For Oppression?
Absolutely right, and I did mention Dyncorp in an earlier draft of the article, but edited it out to focus as much as possible on the aid/charity end of things rather than adding paramilitary as well. I did write about Dyncorp in one of my very earliest pieces with Disobedient Media. Spoke about the problem of diplomatic immunity for UN workers / paramilitary groups contracted by the UN there as well.
I think to write about this subject properly it's going to take a book at some point. There's too much for even a longform conventional article.
Very true, it's impossible to cover it all in a single article. A book, now that's a great idea ;)
You know, I've volunteered in past and been involved with international charity work involving children. At one point, I even founded a charity that supports medical assistance to several orphanages in Africa, small scale but vitally important.
This is the part of the story that enrages me, that Int. Aid organizations tasked to help the needy are now commonly being exposed for these types of crimes but also tarnishing the entire 'industry'.
Before parting ways with the charity I started with some of my colleagues, I read a book by Paul Theroux called Dark Star Safari, in this book he makes the case that humanitarian agencies do good but are doing an equal amount of harm on the African continent.
This, coupled with the fact that many of the largest aid organizations exist for their own sake (Salaries of directors, staff, promotion and marketing) and spend very little on actual projects on the ground, has made me rethink the nature of humanitarian work in general.