Food Aid and Security: The Hunger Professionals' Dilemma.

摘要

Traditional views of world hunger that propel the actions of global relief agencies are increasingly dysfunctional in the chaotic security environment of the post-Cold War world. The current crop of starving children are not random victims of drought or other "acts of God." They are not just starving, they are being starved. They are the targets of man-made famines, the victims of savage tribal and ethnic warfare. Those providing aid to the starving are finding out that food alone is not enough. Without security -- without lasting political solutions -- food is just another weapon to sustain the conflicts and magnify the suffering. If emerging realities show a direct connection between effective security and effective humanitarian aid, then the organizations that can enforce security and those that provide aid must learn to work together. And that is the rub. To a significant degree, international relief groups and the armies and security forces of the world operate with different world views -- one focused on relieving human suffering regardless of cause, and the other devoted to protecting the security and interests of individual nation-states. The aid givers and security providers contemplate each other across this ideological chasm with open suspicion and thinly veiled hostility. Nonetheless, global realities are driving them together. The following discussion will look at how these groups differ, the chaotic situation compelling their cooperation, and some suggestions for practical ways to further their common interests.