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Use of Force

Humanitarian Intervention

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Humanitarian Intervention

In today's complex insurgencies, military and humanitarian issues are increasingly converging. In places such as Darfur, the call for military intervention to stop a catastrophic genocide are growing. Under our Use of Force project, we have written about these challenges; and our chapter on military humanitarian intervention is included in The Future of Human Rights.

In failed states, America's military—particularly our Army and Marines—are increasingly becoming involved in work that had been the traditional purview of humanitarian and development organizations.

For the Marines, concepts such as the "Three Block War" (coined by General Charles Krulak) describe a force that needs to be ready to face varied missions. In the space of three blocks, soldiers or Marines may be required to conduct full-scale military warfighting, peacekeeping operations, and humanitarian relief. The Army's growing experience in counterinsurgency is also leading to greater emphasis on activities that could win hearts and minds, particularly development and humanitarian actions.

These military services are often advocates for exactly the sorts of new security techniques that many progressives believe are crucial to achieving security in the 21^st century. But the solution is not so simple. Humanitarian organizations, often working in conflict areas with little protection other than the inherent worthiness of their mission, fear that the militarization of "humanitarian space" puts their lives in danger.

There are no easy answers to these tough challenges. But there is a clear need for the military and humanitarian communities to begin talking together about their joint needs, lessons learned, and missions. America's military and humanitarian organizations are increasingly going to find themselves working on the ground together, in areas from Afghanistan to Africa. They need to develop mutual understanding, insight into each others' strengths and weaknesses, and a clearer sense of the boundaries of this new mission set.

Throughout 2008, the Truman Project will be facilitating joint conferences and activities in this area to enhance understanding between these two communities, as well as writing and publishing on these new security challenges.