Barbara Ann Rieffer-Flanagan

Is Neutral Humanitarianism Dead? Red Cross Neutrality: Walking the Tightrope of Neutral Humanitarianism

Some have suggested that neutral humanitarianism is dead in the aftermath of the Cold War and 9/11. This article challenges the critical view called neo-humanitarianism and suggests that organizations such as the ICRC can carefully carve out an image of relative neutrality. This article argues that the difficulties associated with neutrality are not new and the ICRC has been grappling with them for decades. Various examples from history, including the Italian-Ethiopian War, World War II, and the Korean War, suggest the various complexities associated with neutrality. The fundamental focus of this article is how to construct an image and policies that are perceived to be relatively neutral in order to allow access to victims in need of humanitarian assistance and protection.

Obama’s Legacy: The View from Persia

This chapter explores various Iranian views on Obama’s foreign policy and analyzes how Obama’s initiatives on foreign policy impacted bilateral relationships between Washington and Tehran. In many areas, the relationship between these two countries did not change over Obama’s eight years in office. Obama’s policies and initiatives did not alter Tehran’s foreign policy or its efforts to be a regional power. Nor did Obama fundamentally change the situation of human rights in the country. President Obama did soften the language and approach to Tehran. His decision to abandon George W Bush’s confrontational language (Axis of Evil) may have contributed to an improved climate that allowed the nuclear talks to make progress. However, aside from the nuclear agreement—which should not be underestimated—much of the bilateral relationship between Washington and Tehran remained the same.

Statism, Tolerance and Religious Freedom in Egypt

Abstract While much optimism about the future was expressed at the time of the Egyptian revolution in January 2011, little progress has been made on human rights including the protection of the fundamental right of freedom of religion and belief. In fact some argued that the situation in Egypt is worse today. This paper examines why many individuals (Copts, Atheists, Shiites, etc…) are unable to freely express their beliefs or practice their religion in Egypt. Some have argued that the denial of freedom of religion and belief is due to statism. But analysis of freedom of religion and belief that focus only on statism capture one aspect of the denial of this human right in Egypt. They neglect the intolerance in society that allows non-state actors to contribute to the difficult environment of FoRB in Egypt. This essay attempts to explore both the role that statism plays concerning the denial of FoRB, as well as how social hostilities contribute to an intolerant climate. This has important policy implications for future progress on this issue. Without more attention to attitudes and dispositions, Egypt will only make limited progress in the future.

Humanitarian Affairs: David Forsythe's Contribution to the Study of the International Committee of the Red Cross and Humanitarian Politics

When Forsythe began writing about the International Committee of the Red Cross in the 1970s the ICRC was mainly studied by historians and legal scholars interested the Geneva Conventions. His scholarship broke new ground in understanding humanitarian politics and the policy making process at the ICRC. This research included archival work, accompanying delegates in the field and he was a part of the research team that produced the vital Tansley Report. His over 20 books and articles on the ICRC and humanitarian protection have helped us to understand not only the evolution of the ICRC over the last 60 years but also the impact of humanitarian organizations in International Relations.