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destroyed, diverted, or programs have to be scaled down to minimise risk to personnel. However, whether in complex emergencies or in response to natural disasters, militaries often play an important role in humanitarian relief efforts, sometimes by providing search and rescue and airlift capabilities or by restoring damaged infrastructure. Indeed, in most of today’s crises, humanitarian organisations operate in the same environment as a range of military and non-state armed actors. Coordination is often easier in natural disaster settings than in conflict, as there is a
Armed service constituted the most accessible route for metropolitan provincials hoping to participate in the Asian hemisphere of British imperialism. The use of military manpower as an export economy was a centuries-old characteristic of Irish and Scottish society by the time the Company began the build-up of its armed forces in the 1740s. 1 It is hardly surprising in these circumstances that the corporation’s fastest-growing sector of employment attracted soldier-entrepreneurs of varying social, confessional and regional backgrounds. The diversification of
an analysis of Article 2 and Chapters VII and VII of the UN Charter, and the constituent treaties of security and defence organisations. The different military responses undertaken by IGOs, ranging from observation and peacekeeping to enforcement and war-fighting, are discussed in terms of legality and practice. The chapter considers the duties of IGOs as well as their powers; in particular whether there is an emerging duty upon the UN (and possibly other IGOs) to take action in response to the commission of core international crimes (genocide, crimes against
Introduction Since the first recorded battle in history, distinctions have existed between those who fight and those who deal with the consequences of fighting ( Cioffi-Revilla 1991 , Hallett 1998 , Morgan 2005 ) and remain one of the most important aspects of the laws of war ( Crowe 2014 ). Yet, these spheres –humanitarian and military – have never been
Introduction Following the introduction in Chapter 1 in which the basic assumptions associated with the military–humanitarian relationship were presented, the history of the relationship was examined in Chapter 2 . In Chapter 3 , three issues were revealed that influence the military–humanitarian relationship. These were the tension between
• 7 • Model military men: Charlotte Yonge and the ‘martial ardour’ of ‘a soldier’s daughter’1 Susan Walton Introduction Throughout her life, Charlotte Yonge (1823–1901), author of the bestselling novel The Heir of Redclyffe (1853), not only adopted the mindset of the military members of her family but moulded her fictional heroes in their likeness to create templates of desirable characteristics for her readers to emulate. The experiences of her father and her uncle in the Peninsular War and at Waterloo remained a fundamental feature of her life and will occupy
What is AI, and how does it differ from other technologies? What are the possible development paths and linkages between these technologies and specific capabilities, both existing and under development? This chapter defines and categorizes the current state of AI and AI-enabling technologies. 1 The chapter highlights the centrality of machine learning (ML), 2 and autonomous systems (or ‘machine autonomy’), 3 to understanding AI in the military sphere and the potential uses of these nuanced approaches in
Using railways for operational support was the primary mission envisaged by the late Victorian army. Only a couple of the railways had been built completely in theatre during a conflict; both of these (in the Crimea and Abyssinia) were relatively short, and the latter was relatively far to the rear. None of the Victorian works of construction emulated the length and significance of the Sudan Military Railway, a
• 4 • Civilians and military service Introduction In October 1914 Holcombe Ingleby and his wife received the news that their son Clement, a Lieutenant in the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve, was on his way to the Front. As Ingleby explained to Clement, they hoped ‘that you will bear yourself like a man’, but could not help worrying ‘that anything may happen to you’. However, such fears were cancelled out by larger considerations: ‘the business has to be faced, and any man who doesn’t offer himself at this moment to his country is a cur’.1 Many – perhaps most
Over recent years, the relationship between humanitarians and the military has become especially controversial. Concerns over inefficient and duplicated assistance programs and the compromised security of relief workers have been regularly highlighted. Many point to ongoing tensions and polarized positions that seem to leave NGOs a stark choice between “neutrality” and co-option. Using Afghanistan as a case study, this book analyses this apparent duality. It puts forward five basic arguments. First, the history of the relationship extends prior to the birth of modern humanitarianism. Second, inter-organizational friction is common between groups and it does not always have a detrimental impact. Third, working with the military does not necessarily create more dangerous situations for NGOs. Fourth, humanitarian principles are not a fixed set of propositions, but evolve according to temporal and situational context. Finally, humanitarians are generally not co-opted, but rather willingly take part in political-military endeavors. In all, it is suggested that NGOs tend to change their policies and actions depending on the context. The book thus transcends the simple “for” or “against” arguments, leading to a more refined understanding of the relationship between NGOs and the military.