The International Committee of Red Cross: A Neutral Humanitarian Actor (Routledge Global Institutions)

139 Pages·2007·0.73 MB·English

by  Forsythe Rieffe

The International Committee of
the Red Cross
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has a complex
position in international relations, being the guardian of international
humanitarian law but often acting discreetly to advance human dignity.
Discretion also contributes to its image of neutrality, as it can sometimes
avoid public controversies. Treated by most governments as if it were an
inter-governmental organization, the ICRC is a private or non-governmental
organization, all-Swiss at the top, but is given rights and duties in the 1949
Geneva Conventions for Victims of War. This organization visits more
prisoners around the world than any other and it is almost always present
in violent conflicts, not only for detention visits but also for humanitarian
assistance.
This book explains ICRC history and structure, as well as examining
contemporary field experience and broad diplomatic initiatives related to
its principal tasks. Such tasks include:
• ensuring that detention conditions are humane for those imprisoned
by reason of political conflict or war;
• providing material and moral relief in conflict;
• promoting development ofthe humanitarian part ofthe laws ofwar;
• improving the unity and effectiveness of the Red Cross movement.
Written by two formidable experts in the field, this book is an accessible
introduction to a notoriously secretive organization. These features make
it ideal reading for all students of international relations, international orga-
nization,international law and global governance.
David P. ForsytheisUniversity Professor and Charles J. Mach Distinguished
Professor ofPolitical Science at the University ofNebraska–Lincoln.
Barbara Ann J. Rieffer-Flanaganisan Assistant Professor of Political Science
at Central Washington University.
Routledge Global Institutions
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The International Committee
of the Red Cross
A neutral humanitarian actor
David P. Forsythe and
Barbara Ann J. Rieffer-Flanagan
First published 2007
by Routledge
2Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN
Simultaneously published in the USA and Canada
by Routledge
270 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10016
Routledge is an imprint ofthe Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business
This edition published in the Taylor & Francis e-Library, 2007.
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©2007 David P. Forsythe and Barbara Ann J. Rieffer-Flanagan
All rights reserved. No part ofthis book may be reprinted or reproduced
or utilized in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means,
now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording,
or in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in
writing from the publishers.
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
Acatalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
Library ofCongress Cataloging in Publication Data
Forsythe, David P., 1941–
The International Committee ofthe Red Cross : a neutral humanitarian
actor / David P. Forsythe and Barbara Ann J. Rieffer-Flanagan.
p. cm. – (Routledge global institutions)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
1. International Committee ofthe Red Cross. 2. Humanitarian
assistance. 3. International relief. I. Rieffer-Flanagan, Barbara Ann J.
II. Title.
HV568.F67 2007
361.7'7–dc222006034327
ISBN 0-203-48021-X Master e-book ISBN
ISBN 978–0–415–34613–9 (hbk)
ISBN 978–0–415–34151–6 (pbk)
ISBN 978–0–203–48021–2 (ebk)
For
Jacques Moreillon
and
Rosemary Rieffer

Contents
List of illustrations x
Foreword xi
Acknowledgements xiv
List of abbreviations xv
Introduction 1
1 Historical development 6
2 Organization and management 26
3 The ICRC and international humanitarian law 38
4 Humanitarian assistance and restoration of family ties 54
5 Detention visits 75
6 Conclusion: the future of the ICRC 92
Notes 104
Select bibliography 116
Index 119