The Pulse of Humanitarian Assistance

"We are living in agonizingly complicated times, when a volunteer doctor from Kansas may find herself repairing the broken bodies of an ethnic conflict on a continent far away. She may one day look up to see a child whose bones she mended a year ago now standing before her, machete in hand, threatening murder. Whether they work for organizations like the Red Cross, for United Nations agencies or for their governments, the world-over humanitarians now find themselves in great confusion. This is an enormous, soul-searching moment in history, brilliantly clarified and focused by The Pulse of Humanitarian Assistance." -- -Laurie Garrett Pulitzer Prize winning writer, author of Betrayl of Trust, Senior Fellow for Global Health, Council on Foreign Relations "In taking the pulse of humanitarian assistance, Dr. Cahill and his impressive array of authors detect a steady heartbeat behind the battered and bruised exterior of current relief operations. Shrinking humanitarian space, the frustrations of inadequate protection, the rarity of social justice, the challenges of building local capacity and the need to move from first aid to recovery all amount to a call for action. This book addresses these issues with clinical clarity, and responds with a clear moral voice. CPR in print." -- -Dirk Salomons Columbia University "This timely book discusses the many challenges facing humanitarians in their increasinglinly complex work. Kevin Cahill and his expert contributors have correctly identified what constitutes the pulse of humanitarian assistance, and many of the dilemmas it faces, in a thoughtful and constructive way." -- -Tom Arnold CEO, Concern Worldwide