210257 PS G2, G3: Complex Emergencies and the Transformation of the Humanitarian Field (2007W)

Since the end of the Cold War and the (perceived) mushrooming of violent civil conflicts around the globe, international responses to humanitarian crises have undergone massive changes. Among these changes, changes in practices of humanitarian aid, the use and justification of military interventions, the emergence of the mechanisms and institutions of transitional justice, and closely related to this, the emergence of institutions of criminal justice charged with dealing with massive human rights violations such as genocide and crimes against humanity are particularly noteworthy. The course focuses on two crises which share a number of commonalities (genocidal, state instigated violence; an ethno-/racial divide in the population; internationalisation of the conflict and responses to the conflict) but also important differences in terms of the strength and interests of external and internal actors involved as well as in terms of the kind of responses to the conflict. The course is divided into five parts:
1) The roots of violence: historical factors, radicalised ethnicity and the post-colonial state in Africa
2) The immediate context of the crises, "early warning signs" and early international responses
3) Massive violence, humanitarian aid and humanitarian intervention
4) Dealing with the consequences of massive violence - peace building vs. justice