ABSTRACT

The tragedies of war, famine, disease and poverty continue to dominate our headlines. Faced with such tragedy, the politics, ethics, even the economics of humanitarian aid are becoming more complex. The role of relief agencies, the political will of the West, the reponsibilities of the international community for war crimes and human rights - these are all issues at the heart of contemporary humanitarian aid.
World in Crisis - describing the plight of refugees and civilians caught up in war zones in both First and Third Worlds, the homeless, Gypsies, and AIDS/HIV groups in Europe and North America - highlights what can be done to alleviate human suffering in the future. The book concludes with reports from the frontline of the world's main conflict zones, in Bosnia, Liberia/Sierra Leone, Chechnya, Rwanda/Burundi and Sudan.
Medecins Sans Frontieres/Doctors Without Borders is the world's largest independent organization for emergency medical aid. Through 25 years of action, the organization has become famous for bringing swift and direct aid to peoples affected by war and natural disaster, regardless of government consent.

chapter 2|21 pages

Frontline Medicine

The Role of International Medical Groups in Emergency Relief

chapter 3|5 pages

International Humanitarian Action

Growing Dilemmas and New Perspectives for the Twenty-First Cebtury Century

chapter 4|16 pages

The Plight of the World's Refugees

At the Crossroads of Protection

chapter 5|21 pages

Falling Through the Net

Outcast and Marginalised Populations

chapter 6|21 pages

International Law and Reality

The Protection Gap

chapter 7|22 pages

Liberia

Can Relief Organisations Cope with the Warlords?

chapter 8|22 pages

Bosnia

In Search of a Lasting Peace

chapter 9|17 pages

Chechnya

Total War and Imperial Quagmire

chapter 10|20 pages

Rwanda Two Years After

An Ongoing Humanitarian Crisis

chapter 11|28 pages

The Sudan

Dying A Slow Death